~||Shh! It's Halloween! The Spirits Might Hear You!||~

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panchan

@panchan

Rocker

+ 2

Posted: 9 years ago

Hallow Witches and Wizards !
Welcome to the scariest, spookiest, freakiest, spine-chilling, myth filled day of the year when fun takes an eerie turn...

We all celebrate Halloween every year. Dressing up in scary costumes, knocking doors for trick and treat, but ever wondered how this all started?

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31.
The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows' Evening also known as Hallowe'en or All Hallows' Eve. 2,000 years ago the Celts believed that the night before the New Year was a time when the living and the dead came together. The Christian church made this day holy to honor the saints and people who died for their religion. November 1 was called All Saints Day (or All Hallows) and the night before Hallows Eve. Later the name was changed into Halloween.

Halloween has evolved over the years. The Europeans, like the Celts believed that the spirit of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween.They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.The Europeans took the tradition of Halloween to America and changed it a little. In Europe, some people would carry lanterns made from turnips whereas in America, pumpkins were more common and people put candles inside them to use as lanterns.Jack 'o lanterns come from this tradition.

Edited by panchan - 9 years ago

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Hina

@hinz

Moderator

+ 9

Posted: 9 years ago

Even though Halloween is observed across the whole world, people celebrate it for many different reasons. Let's take a look at some countries and their customs of Halloween.

Ireland

Ireland celebrate Halloween much like as it is in the United States. Children go to meet their neighbors for the famous trick or treat. After that they attend parties with their families, friends and neighbors. They spend a joyful time playing at snap-apple or cards.

Austria

People believed that on Halloween night, the dead souls would be back on Earth to visit them. That's why they leave bread, water and a lighted lamp to welcome them.

China

Halloween is known as Teng Chieh here. People place food and water in front of the pictures of their members who are no more. In a religious way, boats of law are done in Buddhist temples. They're made in paper, then they're burnt on evening. The purpose of this custom is twofold: as a remembrance of the dead and in order to free the spirits of the "pretas" in order that they might ascend to heaven.

England

English children made "punkies" out of large beets (which they call beetroots), upon which they carved a design of their choice. Then, they would carry their "punkies" through the streets while singing the "Punkie Night Song" as they knocked on doors and asked for money.

Germany

In Germany, the people put away their knives on Halloween night. The reason for this is because they do not want to risk harm to (or from) the returning spirits.

France

Usually, children get dressed up with their most scariest costumes and go to the neighbors for the trick and treat. Restaurants, shops or houses are decorated to celebrate Halloween.

Mexico

Here Halloween is known as El Dia de los Muertos meaning the day of the deceased persons. This is a three-day celebration which starts from October 31st. For them, it's more like a day to commemorate the loved ones who have passed away and cherish memories.

Halloween is not considered a religious day anymore. It's more like a fun and chilled out day for the children where they wear costumes and instead of getting scared of the evil creatures, they go from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy (or, in some cultures, money) with the phrase "Trick or treat!" The "trick" is a threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given to them. So, are you ready for some trick-or-treating?

Edited by hinz - 9 years ago

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Starwalkers

@Starwalkers

Rocker

+ 2

Posted: 9 years ago

It's HALLOWEEN...and we ought to have fun the whole night. Amidst all you have on the plate right now, we decided to give you a personalized checklist for Halloween. Make sure you make the best of the list...😉

Few Clues, A Candle and a Treasure Chest

It's not Halloween without fun, and treasure hunts are super fun; which is why it features #1 on our checklist. Why don't you get creative and put together your own treasure hunt for your friends? Your treasure chest could have fake bones and all those other creepy crawly things. Never forget to scare the brain out of your players.

Chill-o-popcorn

Are you someone who prefers staying at home to trick or treat?Then scary movies might just be the thing for you! Grab a bowl of popcorn and a blanket and get started with your horror movie marathon.The Exorcist, Poltergeist, Insidious and 1408 are a few movies which'll make you clutch the edge of your couch.

Family bonding with the ghosts!

Oops! We meant family bonding with ghost stories. Have a bonfire in your backyard, get together all your family members and take turns to narrate chilling stories. In the meantime if you notice some rattling bushes have no worries, we're pretty much sure it'd be a poor little ghost who has come to visit the town from the underworld.

Come let's be the boogeyman

Boo! It's Halloween and time to be a bit devilish. Give your close ones the scare of their lives with a few harmless scary pranks. Anonymous phone calls, blinking lights and a blood stain in their bed are some pranks you could pull off in a breeze. And if you're a decent actor you could definitely pull a bogeyman act?

Get Set! Sharpen Your Knives

Don't get the wrong idea, we meant pumpkin carving! Halloween without pumpkins is like Easter without Easter eggs. Scary faces carved on the pumpkin are said to keep away wandering evil spirits. So why don't you organize a pumpkin carving contest among friends and family to honor this Halloween tradition!

I'll be Dracula, what about you?

Costume parade is the thing to do if you like being outdoors and hate trick or treat. Get all your friends - both old and young to dress up as infamous scary characters and then have a march. People would sure be both surprised and amused to see Dracula and minions walking side by side.

A Friendly Visit

Are ghosts real? Well why don't you find out for yourselves! There are many places said to be crawling with spirits and paranormal activity. This Halloween, go ghost hunting to one of such places. Take along a camera and if you're lucky enough, you'd be able to get a selfie with the ghost.

Good spirit please come

Do you have enough guts to talk to the ghosts? Then why don't you try the Ouija board. You could try it alone or with your friends. We all know it doesn't work anyway but maybe if you're lucky enough you might get a real ghost. Well, you never know.

Brew some treats

Halloween might be the day of spirits but keeping aside all those creepy stuff, Halloween treats are something that most people look forward to.From pumpkin cakes to eyeball cookies, Halloween is the night to show your culinary skills! Get yourself to the kitchen this Halloween and surprise the people you love!

Take a ride... or maybe not.

Have you ever wanted to visit a spooky amusement park after watching Scooby-Doo? There are many horror themed amusement parks out there offering you the nightmare of your lives. Halloween sounds just the time to do so, doesn't it? So adventure freaks, what are you waiting for?

Edited by Destiny_rose - 9 years ago

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Just ask

@-Elysian-

Sparkler

+ 4

Posted: 9 years ago

It's the time of the year when you shake hands, sit around, and gossip with witches, goblins, and ghosts.

Since we can't invite any of them over to the thread due to their lack of access to technology, we felt it's time that we involved our members. We've put together the perfect questionnaire to fish out that wickedness tucked safely inside that brain of yours.