November 07, 2016
As much as the One Day team use any excuse to dress up, there is one time of the year that is our particular favourite! The spookiest and most magical time… Halloween! From pumpkins to witch craft, Halloween brings with it excitement, fun and mystery. All Hallows Eve, commonly known as Halloween, is a traditionally Christian celebration dedicated towards remembering the dead. The word Halloween actually means ‘holy evening’, and is known as the eve before All Hallows Day. The celebration of Halloween has inspired novelists, filmmakers, artists and lovers of all things spooky!
Here are a few fun facts you might not have known about the eeriest time of the year…
1. The first record of ‘trick or treating’ was in the 16th century in Scotland and Ireland. People would go house-to-house dressed in costume or disguise, usually reciting verses and songs in exchange for food.
2. The original name for the celebration – All Hallows Eve, being shortened into ‘Halloween’ was actually due to the Scots. In Scots, the word ‘eve’ is ‘even’ and this is abbreviated to ‘een’. Therefore over time Hallows Eve just became Halloween.
3. The well-known Halloween pumpkin wasn’t always around – traditionally a turnip would be hollowed out to act as a lantern for pranksters at night. Originally these lanterns were said to ward off evil spirits and others said they were used to represent the souls of the deceased.
4. A spooky Halloween game that was commonplace in the 1900s consisted of people writing fortunes in milk on white paper. Once dry the paper was placed into a walnut shell. The shell warmed up the milk and the milk would turn brown. When the paper was taken out the shell the writing would appear on what looked like blank paper.
At One Day we choose to support the work of UNICEF, who are a charity that strives to end child trafficking and violence towards children. The United Nations created a fundraising program to support UNICEF called ‘Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF’. The program involves school pupils and teachers distributing small boxes to trick-or-treaters. The trick-or-treaters would then take the boxes to houses and receive small-change donations. In 2006 it was estimated that the program had collected more than $118 million for UNICEF.
All-in-all, Halloween is one of the most enjoyable events on the calendar: rich in history and filled with enchantment. We are excited to see the streets come alive with Zombies and Ghouls tonight!
Have a most wonderful and spooktacular Halloween everyone!
Muhahahahh!