Lookback: History of Halloween

Halloween is celebrated every year on October 31st. Today, Halloween is a time where people dress up in costumes, go trick or treating, carve jack-o-lanterns, tell ghost stories, and watch scary movies. Where did these Halloween traditions start? It is believed that Halloween’s origins are with the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts were a

Why are black and orange the traditional Halloween colours?

Whether you celebrate by taking your kids trick-or-treating, attending a costume party, or watching your favourite scary movies, Halloween is a beloved holiday associated with candy, mysterious creatures, and spooky events. But how much do you really know about the holiday that takes place on October 31? Have you ever wondered why people across the

Scotland’s most haunted places to visit this Halloween

Scotland is pretty jam packed with spooky goings on – perfect for this time of year. From grim looking castles to sites of brutal massacre, there are plenty of ‘haunted’ places to visit this Halloween. If you are a big fan of the spooky season and want to visit somewhere sure to give you the

The Historical Halloween Cake That Reveals Your Future Spouse

ON ONE RECENT TUESDAY NIGHT, I texted my friend Katie and asked her to come over to make some fortune-telling flatbread. When she showed up, wary but game, I explained a bit more. We were going to bake a dumb cake. The name, by the way, isn’t meant to describe a poorly-thought-out pastry. Instead, it

THE DEATH AND REVIVAL OF HALLOWEEN POSTCARDS

When you feel a nip in the air and notice the leaves turning shades of red, yellow, and orange, Halloween is around the corner. Soon, groups of pint-sized ghouls and goblins will be lining up at your doorstep declaring “Trick or Treat.” It’s hard to believe that our fun-filled Halloween originated from the 2,000-year-old Gaelic

Why Owls Are a Spooky Symbol of Halloween, According to Folklore Historians

Owls perch themselves on branches and hoot into the great outdoors on any given night, but these animals also play a big role when it comes to being spooky symbols of Halloween. According to Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist and ancient historian and professor in the classics department at Stanford University, owls have always had

Vintage Halloween Decor Is Trending for 2021, and It’s So Much Creepier Than We Expected

If you’ve been following this year’s fall design trends, you’ve probably noticed that retro. Is. In. So, it should come as no surprise that vintage Halloween decor is trending hard this year. Luckily, we’ve got a lot to work with, and apparently, Americans were just as obsessed with Halloween decor in the early 1900s as

Halloween is packed full of history

Oh, the memories of getting my costume ready for a night of trick or treating throughout the neighborhood. It was something I always looked forward to and planned for during the month of October. Halloween is here and the night is getting close for all the fun, the candy, the sweets and the dentist visits