BOO! The Spooky History of Halloween

While pumpkins, witches and skeletons have lined our streets during the month of October, we got to thinking. What is the history of Halloween?

Well, the holiday of Halloween dates way back to its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was usually celebrated around November First. This festival marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and it was a time believed to be fraught with danger and dark magic.

The Celts believed that on the night of October 31, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth. (Spooky for sure!) To ward off these wandering ghouls and spirits, people would light bonfires and wear costumes made of animal skins. They also would leave food and drink out to appease wandering souls and keep them happy.

Now as the spread of Christianity made its way across the lands, many of these pagan traditions were absorbed into Christian practices. The Church established November 1 as All Saints' Day, and the night before became known as All Hallows' Eve, eventually evolving into Halloween. The intersection of the two are still going strong today.

So how did we get to the tradition of trick-or-treating? Well it can be traced back to the medieval practice of "souling," where the poor would go door to door on All Hallows' Eve, offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food. This practice morphed over time into the more playful custom of children dressing in costumes and asking for candy. My how far we’ve come!

And what of the spectacular ‘Halloween’ costumes that have come to be? Well, they initially served a practical purpose: to disguise oneself from spirits. Over time, this evolved into a more festive expression, with people embracing the act of “dressing up for Halloween” in outfits both scary and humorous.

The commercialization of the holiday in the mid-20th century, particularly in the United States, popularized the modern traditions of costume-wearing and candy-giving, leading to the Halloween we know today. Pretty interesting history - and of course during this time of year, we are happy to put the BOO in Bamboo!

To celebrate the spooks (and Stinks) of the season, use code HALLOWEEN2024 and enjoy a 10% discount on our bamboo charcoal pouches to keep those ghastly, ghoulish stinks away! Discount code is valid on all our deodorizer and dehumidifier products, until November 12, 2024.

Have a Happy, Stink Free, SPOOKY Halloween,
Team E.B.

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