Ms. Skylar's - 10/5/11 Journal Entry

Topic: What do you like most about Halloween? What is Halloween about? What does it represent? How do you feel about Halloween? What do you dislike about it? How do you celebrate if you participate?

The word "Halloween" means All Hallows Even, which means the day before All Hallows Day, also known as All Saints Day, which is a Catholic holiday. It started supposedly as a day when demons, ghosts, and zombies came back from the dead. It had nothing to do with witchcraft as most people today think. The day after, All Saints Day, was known to be when the angels and saints came down from Heaven and fought with the "goulies" and banished them back to Hell. People started dressing up in costumes on Halloween under the impression that if they were dressed up, and the "real" zombies, ghosts, and demons saw them, they would leave them alone. As time went on more and more people started dressing up. Over time, kids were sent around as beggers asking for soul cakes in exchange for prayers for the dead. As time passed, this become more of a tradition and people started handing out candy and it become the tradition that it is now today.

To me, I celebrate Halloween for what it is today, not for what it used to be. I am not a firm believer in the fact that "creatures" rose from the dead. I do however love dressing up in costume and going around trick or treating like people do today. So I guess that would be what I like and dislike about it. I like dressing up, and getting candy, but I dislike some of the things it represents.