The History of Halloween

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News and Tips to Make Your Life Easier, Safer, and Happier...
October 2011
Jim Hall
President & Agency Owner
The History of Halloween
Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas
being the first. An estimated $6.9 billion is spent each year on costumes,
accessories, decorations and pumpkins. More than 2 billion dollars in candy are
sold each year. But how much do we know about this holiday and its history?
This Issue
The History of
Halloween
1
October Fun
Facts!
2
Referral Program
Contest Details!
3
Trivia Contest win a prize!
3
Just for Laughs!
4
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The origins of Halloween date back more than 2,000 years to the Celtic
festival of Samhain (pronounced: Sow-en, meaning “end of summer.”). The Celts
lived in the areas that are now Ireland, northern France and the United Kingdom.
They celebrated their new year on November first, as it marked the end of the
harvest season and the beginning of the dark, cold winter; a time which was
associated with and often brought an increase in human death.
Celts believed the evening before their new year was a time when the
boundaries between the world of the living and the dead became blurred, and the
ghosts of the dead returned to roam the earth. On the night of Oct 31 they
celebrated Samhain. To commemorate the event, they built huge sacred bonfires,
where they gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
They danced, put on plays, shared spooky stories and attempted to foretell the
future and their fortunes.
Believing that ghosts and spirits roamed the countryside on the evening of
Samhain, they began wearing masks and costumes for several reasons. They
wanted to honor and welcome the dead who were allowed to rise from the
Underworld. However, not all souls were honored and respected. Some were
greatly feared, and so they also wore costumes to blend in and avoid being
recognized as human. This seems to be the origin of our present day tradition of
dressing up in costumes on Halloween night.
Coals and burning embers from the fires were placed into hollowed out
turnips. These were carried at night and placed in windows and door openings to
ward off evil spirits. From this we derive our Jack O’Lanterns. Of course, we use
pumpkins, which are much easier to carve.
The Roman Empire had conquered most of the Celtic territories by 43 A.D.
During the four hundred year Roman rule over the Celtic lands, festivals of Roman
origin were blended with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
May 13, 609 A.D. marked the dedicated of the Pantheon in Rome in honor
of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established in
the Western church. Pope Gregory III later expanded this festival to include all
saints as well as martyrs, calling it All Saints Day or All Hallows (Continued on pg. 2)
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October 2011
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Day and moving the observance from May 13 to November 1. He also decreed October 31 as All Hallows Eve in
attempt to replace the traditional pagan festival of Samhain with a church-sanctioned holiday. All Hallows Eve
eventually became known as Halloween.
Celebrations of All Hallows Eve involved parades, bonfires, feasts and participants dressed in costumes
to resemble the ghost of martyrs, saints, angels and demons. It became a tradition for the poor to go from door
to door asking for food (called soul cakes) in exchange for prayers for the family’s deceased loved ones. It wasn’t
long before children were going door to door in costume performing entertainment (tricks) for treats and money.
Fast forward about a thousand years to colonial New England (present day United States). Celebrations
of Halloween were extremely limited due to the rigid Protestant beliefs of the colonists. However, observance of
Halloween was common in Maryland and the southern colonies, where the populace was made up of various
European ethnic groups. As the customs of these groups meshed together, a distinctly American version of
Halloween began to emerge.
In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community
and neighborly get-togethers, than about ghosts, saints and witchcraft. Today, Halloween has come a long way
from its origins and is devoid, for the most part, of superstition and religious overtones.
October Fun Facts
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October is Cookie Month, Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, National Arts & Humanities Month, Breast Cancer
Awareness Month, National Chili Month, National Popcorn Poppin‟ Month, Wishbones for Pets Month, and
National Sarcastic Awareness Month.
October 1 - International Day for the Elderly
October 1, 1971 - Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida.
October 1, 1959 - The television series “The Twilight Zone” premiered.
October 5, 1921 - The World Series broadcast on radio for the first time.
October 6, 1889 - Thomas Edison showed the 1st motion picture.
October 11, 1984 - Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space.
October 12, 1810 - The very first Oktoberfest was held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
October 14, 1964 - Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
October 21, 1879 - Thomas Edison invented the incandescent electric lamp.
October 22 - Make a Difference Day.
October 24, 1901 - Anna Edison Taylor is the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
October 29, 1929 - The New York Stock Exchange crashed on what came to be known as “Black Tuesday.”
October 28, 1965 - The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is completed.
October 28, 1886 - France presented the United States with the Statue of Liberty.
October 30 - National Candy Corn day.
“I don't know if there are real ghosts and goblins, but somehow there are always more trick-or-treaters
than neighborhood kids.”
~Robert Brault
Merritt Hall Insurance Agency - Helping You Protect What Matters Most - (317) 247-7737
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News and Tips to Make Your Life Easier, Safer, and
FallHappier...
„06
October 2011
5Plus1™ - The Exclusive Rewards Program for Friends &
Clients of Merritt Hall - Turbo-Charged & On Steroids!
More Prizes, Bigger Prizes & Exciting Rewards!
Visit www.5-plus-1.com
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1. 50 inch LED 3-D HDTV!
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VIP Lunches at unique & exciting
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Family fun retreats - bring the
whole family!
Sports events, activities & and
outings with local Celebrities!
BONUS: You can also win $100 Cash just for sharing your comments with us. Next drawing will
be held December 16, 2011. To be entered to win, send your comments to mhall@merritthall.com
Thank You! Thank You!
Thank You!
Thanks to everyone who graciously
shared their family and friends with
us! A partial list is shown below.
Paul Adams
Don Sanders
Beth Linson
Shannon Crane
Dawn Boston
Wendy Furnas
Marvin Johnson
Matt Wharff
Eugene Weimer
Pam Stewart
Brett Burch
A Not-So-Trivial Pursuit
Be the first to correctly answer the question below and win a prize! The prize
this month is a $25 gift card for Regal Cinemas. Just one correct (or nearly
correct) answer, and you could be the winner. The Rules:
1. The entry that comes closest to the correct answer will be the winner.
2. If more than one person has the exact answer, the winner will be the
person whose entry reached our office first.
Write down your name, phone number and answer, and then fax it to (317)
240-3705 or Email your answer to: contest@merritthall.com . The winner
will be featured in our next newsletter! Good luck!
Ghostbusters came out in 1984 and still has many fans.
Which one of it’s main stars also co-wrote the movie?
Your Name ____________________________Phone #_______________________
Your Answer_________________________________________________________
Congratulations to Brooke Springman! Brooke was first to correctly answer last month‟s trivia
question: Samuel Adams, the American Patriot was born in September. What was his birthday?
Answer: September 27, 1722 ( Sept 16th under the Julian calendar in effect at that time)
Happy H
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October 2011
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The Circle of Safety
A Monthly Newsletter For Friends & Clients of Merritt Hall Insurance
In This Issue…

The History of Halloween!

October Fun Facts!

Trivia Contest!

Just for Laughs!
“After being with Merritt Hall for over 22
years, we have been very pleased. The rates
are good too! My hat is off to your company.
Thanks!”
- Opal Carr
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News and Tips to Make Your Life Easier, Safer, and Happier...
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Just for Laughs
Paint the Porch
A blonde, eager to earn some money, decided to hire herself out as a handymantype and started canvassing a wealthy neighborhood. She went to the front door of
the first house and asked the owner if he had any jobs for her to do.
"Well, you can paint my porch. How much will you charge?"
The blonde said, "How about 50 dollars?" The man agreed and told her that the paint and brushes
she might need were in the garage.
The man's wife, inside the house, heard the conversation and said to her husband, "Does she realize the porch goes all the way around the house?"
The man replied, "Well, she should. She was standing on the porch when she quoted her fee."
A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.
"You're finished already?" he asked. "Yes," the blonde answered, "and there was plenty of paint
left over, so I gave it two coats." Impressed, the man reached in his pocket for the $50.
"And by the way," the blonde added, "that's not a Porch, it's a Ferrari."