Hi, everyone! Today I will talk about another holiday. We all know, how important is rest if we want to deal with stress and be happy and healthy. This time I will talk about Halloween. The thing is that I never really understood why do we celebrate Halloween? However, in fact, I never celebrate Halloween, but I still want to understand, why Halloween is celebrated.
Almost nobody in my country celebrates Halloween, and it isn’t my nation’s tradition. But I know that a lot of people in the world celebrate Halloween, so that is why I decided to talk about it. The other reason is that we all need holidays. Right?
At first, I thought why do I need to even write about a holiday that I don’t celebrate. But I was wrong to think it is some kind of tradition that comes from another place and I can’t relate to it. Do you want to know why I changed my mind?
Why Do We Celebrate Halloween?
Did you ever wonder how all traditions came to be? What is so special about Halloween?
It looks like Haloween’s roots go a long way back in history.
Everybody knows that Halloween takes place on October 31, but there are a lot of things you might not know.
The earliest known root of Halloween is ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain. This day not only marked a time when seasons changed but they believed that boundary between worlds is thin at this time, and this allows to connect with the dead. Many cultures believed it, and my ancestors weren’t an exception.
I don’t know how to say this in English but this time of the year was the time when my ancestors connected with their dead loved ones and even made a feast for them. It wasn’t only one day, and it was about a month-long time when evening comes very fast. For them, it wasn’t anything spooky. It was a way of life. I never celebrate this time, but I understand why someone wants to do it. It is the time when we remember.
There is also Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur that involves saying prayers for the dead.
What was Samhain? How the traditions evolved?
This holiday included a lot of ritualistic ceremonies to connect to spirits, but sadly we don’t know much about these celebrations. Celts celebrated in costume, and they enjoyed special feasts and made lanterns.
When Christianity took over, many things changed, and now traditions are evolved and modernized. For example, mystical rituals evolved into more lighthearted fun and games. The concept of connecting to dead was replaced with the idea of telling future.
What about costumes?
People dressed up as saints and recite songs, and children would go from door to door asking for “soul cakes” (a treat that is similar to biscuits). Interestingly, that there was a third holiday – All Souls’ Day on November 2nd, and Soul Cakes was a part of this holiday. Later it became a part of Halloween night.
Costumes evolved too, and now Halloween costumes are scary, spooky, funny and creative.
Popular Holiday
Halloween is a popular holiday in America, but in fact, it almost didn’t make it. Puritans didn’t take a part in the celebrations because of this holiday’s pagan roots. When Scottish and Irish immigrants began to arrive in America, the holiday made its way back into the zeitgeist.
By the early 20th Century Halloween was celebrated across North America.
Now, this day is full of costume parties, sweets, and fun. Of course, there are people who like puritans think that it isn’t good to celebrate this day. But why not?
Why can we celebrate this day just for fun? Not always is needed to find other reasons. It is good for you just let it go and rest, relax a little. It will healthy for you because as I always say stress is the silent killer, that can cause brain damage and other health problems. You don’t want stress to destroy your life, so rest and do something enjoyable. This day is great for that, and you also need to find time for yourself every day. Meditate, do something for fun, something you enjoy and just be you. I can promise you that you will feel much better afterward.
How To Celebrate and Ease Your Stressful life By Enjoying This Holiday?
What to do?
Just take your time to relax and be together with your loved ones.you can attend to Halloween parties and carve pumpkins.
I don’t advise to watch horror movies because it can make you stressed or anxious like me. I don’t like to watch horror movies.
It is better if you don’t eat too many sweets because sugar isn’t good for your health and stress management.
Conclusion
Now I know why do we celebrate Halloween, and this day has a lot of roots. Halloween is a day full of fun and remembrance of our past. It is an amazing day to enjoy life, relax and forgot all about your worries and stress. We all know that laughter and fun help us to reduce stress and feel better.
How do you celebrate this day? Let me know below!
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Until next time, dear reader! See you soon!
Linda Mo
Founder of How To Reduce Stress Naturally