Common Misconceptions About Halloween: Part 1

Every October, millions of people get their vampire couple costumes or 1950s Halloween costumes ready for celebrating. Halloween is a holiday that allows people to dress up, eat candy, and do scary activities. But while Halloween is a common holiday in the United States, there are still many misconceptions regarding the mysterious day. So, this two-part series is going to unveil the truth behind some of the most common misconceptions about Halloween.

Halloween has an American origin
This spooky holiday actually has Celtic origins and was brought to America by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the 1800s. Even then, the holiday wasn't popularized until about the mid-1900s. The concept of Halloween is based on the old Celtic Pagan celebration, Samhain. Celebrations of Samhain included sacrificing crops and wearing animals masks. This ritualistic festival was to lift spirits in preparation for the long winter coming. The holiday's origin is why so many people choose to dress up. While animals masks remain popular, 1950s Halloween costumes, ghost pirate costumes, and teen devil costumes are also among popular purchases through Halloween online stores.

Celebrating Halloween is dangerous
in 2017, it was estimated that over 179 million Americans would celebrate Halloween and seven out of 10 consumers planned to hand out candy. With the widespread popularity of Halloween, it's no more dangerous than any other holiday. While parents are encouraged to check their children's candy for signs of tampering, these instances are rare. Of course, parents should accompany young children while trick or treating and those who go out should make sure they can be seen in the dark. The only thing that should be considered dangerous about Halloween is how scary some of the ghoul costumes can get.

Jack-o-lanterns are always made from pumpkins
In Europe, where Halloween originated, pumpkins didn't actually grow. So before pumpkins became the go-to crop for carving jack-o-lanterns, people would carve faces into turnips, potatoes, and gourds. And while jack-o-lanterns can be made from any fruit or vegetable, their original purpose was to ward off dark spirits on Halloween. Nowadays, carving pumpkins is less about warding off spirits and more about just having fun.

Hopefully, this article cleared up some of your confusion or questions about Halloween. To delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding this spooktacular holiday, check out the second installment of this truth-revealing series.