| Dressing up in unique Halloween costumes is | | | | fortunes. Crops were burned and animals |
| almost as exciting as Christmas morning. Where | | | | sacrificed to the Celtic Gods in huge bonfires built |
| did we ever get the idea to don outlandish outfits | | | | by Celtic priests. When the celebration ended, |
| one night a year to win prizes, march in parades | | | | each Celt family lit their hearth fires from the |
| or perform tricks for treats? Let's have a look | | | | sacred bonfires to protect them during the long, |
| into the root origins of this spooky, scary tradition. | | | | hard winter. |
| Believe it or not, the first Halloween costumes | | | | Eventually over the years, the Celtic traditions |
| were actually animal skins and heads. | | | | intermingled with the Roman and Christian beliefs |
| Perhaps 2000 years ago in what is now known as | | | | leading us to what we now call Halloween. |
| the United Kingdom, Ireland and northern France, | | | | Our unique Halloween costumes have certainly |
| the Celts recognized and celebrated Samhain as | | | | come a long way from animal skins and heads. |
| their new year on November 1. It marked the | | | | Thank goodness! Our traditional outfits can now |
| end of summer and harvest and the beginning of | | | | range from a bed sheeted ghost to an |
| winter. Since winter was a cold, dark time in that | | | | extravagantly gowned, glamorous movie actress. |
| area of the world, the Celts associated it with | | | | Kids can dress in old clothes and call themselves |
| death and believed that on the night before | | | | hobos or venture out for candy with only a |
| Samhain the line between the living and the dead | | | | presidential mask on. We march and parade in |
| was confused. | | | | astronaut suits, military regalia, cowboy outfits, |
| The Celts believed and celebrated the night of | | | | football uniforms and even as book characters. |
| October 31 as the time when ghosts of the dead | | | | The options for a great disguise are endless now |
| were returned to earth to cause trouble and | | | | thanks to the beginning legacy of those first eerie |
| generally disrupt the community. They dressed in | | | | Celtic traditions. |
| animal skins and heads to tell each others' | | | | |