Halloween Special: History of Halloween

Halloween. Goblins, ghouls, witches and best of all candy! How could we not do a blog post to celebrate the candy lover’s most important holiday of all?

Halloween is short for Hallows Eve. It comes from a two thousand year old Celtic tradition called “Samhain”. As to how the two are related, it is not quite certain. Some say that as part of the Celtic tradition, people believed that dead returned as ghosts so they offered treats outside their door to keep the spirits away. In the 8th century, the Celtic tradition became known as “All Hallows eve”.

In the 19th century, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought traditions from Hallows eve to North America. But the tradition of dressing up in the US did not start till the 1910s. The phrase “Trick or Treat” only began in 1927. In addition, it was not until the late 20th century did Halloween spread to other countries such as the UK.

Even though Halloween took a while to catch on, it is now celebrated in many countries. We know Hong Kong loves Halloween so make sure to buy candy at our stores in Central and Wan Chai to give out to the trick-or-treaters. Lastly, don’t forget to share this post and have a Happy Halloween!

Sources:
http://www.halloweenhistory.org
http://www.livescience.com/40596-history-of-halloween.html
http://www.candyfavorites.com/a-halloweening-tale
Picture:
http://www.eonline.com/ca/news/476391/our-definitive-list-of-the-best-and-worst-halloween-candy-ranked