Trick or Treat: What is my Halloween Treat?

 

With 15 days left for Halloween, one may wonder how Halloween actually came about.Commonly known as Allhalloween/All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve; Halloweens Day has been celebrated across the world on the 31^st of October. It is celebrated as the eve of the Western Christian feast of Day. All Saints Day is observed on November 1^st and signifies which honours that all saints of the church have deemed to have gone to heaven. This is a day which is dedicated to remembering the dead- inclusive of some saints, martyrs and all the faithfully departed.

 

A Christian holiday, this day has evolved over the years with many countries contributing to how it's celebrated. In the 19^th century, many Irish and Scottish immigrants too many Halloween costumes to North America. Through American influence, different Halloween customs spread to other countries by the late 20^th and 21^st centuries.  Some of the activities observed on this day include Halloween costume parties, trick or treating, carving pumpkins or turnips into jack-o-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, divination games, telling scary stories and watching horror or Halloween-themed films.  Some people also practice Christian observances and light candles on the graves of the dead. Some Christians also abstain from eating meat on this day and consume certain foods such as apples, potato pancakes and soul cakes. 

 

Some of the popular candies distributed on this night include Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Nerds, Twix, Starburst, Sour Punch Straws, Candy Corn, Butterfinger, Twizzlers, Snickers, Mars, Jolly Rancher, Tootsie Rolls, Milk Duds, Musketeers, Hershey chocolate bars, etc. All of these candies are collected in a trick-or-treat bad, by visiting different houses in the neighbourhood. 

The entire idea of collecting candy originated from a tradition where people impersonated the spirits, or the souls of the dead, and received offerings on their behalf. While the original idea behind this day is to collect candies from different people’s houses, it is also celebrated in many different ways across the world.

  In Mexico, children go trick-or-treating. However, family members prepare food dishes for the deceased and leave them on their graves. 

 

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 In England many people come together to watch fireworks and bonfires. 

     

 

·      In Italy, this holiday is dedicated to all saints and there are some who eat a meal near the gravesites of loved ones. There are others who place candles in pumpkins.

 

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Halloween in Japan is all about wearing stylish costumes and going out to parties and clubs.

 

·      In Guatemala, people fly kites over the graves of loved ones.

 

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In Ireland, Halloween is celebrated very similar to how it is in the States. People dress up in costumes, attend fancy dress costumes and go out trick and treating.

 

·        In India, Halloween is not a big deal. However, an equivalent of this holiday is Bhooth Chaturdashi. Most commonly celebrated in West Bengal, people pray to Chamunda – a feared form of Goddess Kali to keep evil spirits away from home. Otherwise, people dress up in costumes and party.

   

 

One of the most popular beverages for Halloween parties is the Halloween punches which are served. Some of them include slushy punches, pumpkin pie punch, a blend of apple juice, mango juice, passionfruit, and lychee known as Eye of Newt Punch, Dracula’s Blood Punch, Pirate Punch, Franken Punch, etc. 

 

Another famous item to serve at parties is creepy edible Halloween eyeballs! These are extremely scary to look at but most of them are delicious! Some include cheddar cheese eyes, jelly eyeballs, floating eyeballs in a jar, candy eyeballs, eye balloons and many more! 

  

Costumes are absolutely essential! Some of the most popular ones include dressing up as a witch, Dracula, Barbie and Ken, Zombie, Pumpkin, Cat, Skeleton, Harry Potter, Pokemon or Addams Family characters. Whom would you choose to dress up as to spook your friends out with?