WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
Did you know that the tradition of Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain? Pronounced: Sau-win, which means "Summers End in old Irish language,it was a festival in celebration of the end of harvest season.
It's widely believed that that Samhain was a time where the ancient pagans got ready for winter and took stock of what supplies they had to see them through to spring.
WHY CELEBRATE?
Samhain was one of the most important festivals for ancient pagans- celebrated on October 31st- November 1st in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Legend has it that on the night of October 31st, the boundaries between the living and the dead would overlap and spirits or fairies would return to the land of the living and leave chaos in their wake! In order to appease the spirits, gifts of food or drinks were left as peace offerings for the spirits so they would spare the home any grief.
WHY DRESS UP?
Legend has is, pagans dressed up as the spirits and went from house to house seeking food in return for reciting poems or songs, in an attempt to mimic the wandering ghouls that had returned to the living world.
BRINGING IT TO AMERICA:
Did you know that in Ireland and Scotland, the turnip was traditionally used to carve during Halloween?! But when immigrants started arriving in North America, they decided to use the native pumpkin, which was much softer and much larger making it far easier to carve than a turnip!
For cosy knits to see you through this Halloween and change in weather, visit www.sweatershop.com and wrap up!