Halloween truly deserves a distinct as being a great departure from most other American holidays. In particular, it is the only creepy holiday! While this is mostly considered a holiday for the kids, adults can enjoy it as well. Whether going to a Halloween party, trick or treating, or sitting around the television watching a horror movie marathon, there is much for those that love Halloween to do. Halloween is also a popular time to send greeting cards, as over 35 million Halloween cards are exchanged every year.
The origins of Halloween are, not surprisingly, shrouded in quite a bit of mystery. While the holiday is mostly an American one, the origins of the holiday are rooted in a distant land in a time period long ago (well before anyone sent Halloween cards!)
The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain is often considered the root in which Halloween derives. This was a holiday of the harvest and is commonly referred to as a pagan ritual that contains numerous "horror" elements although this is not an accurate description. It was more of an earthen holiday. It is not surprising that many of the Halloween cards designed by our artists reinforce these harvest themes as well as the horror ones.
The concept of trick or treating comes from the Middle Ages where the poor would go door to door on the eve of all saints, October 31, asking for handouts. In return for the handouts, the recipient would pray for those that have passed away. In time, costuming was added due to superstitious beliefs that dead spirits would rise on the evening prior to All Saint's Day and the costumes would allow you to wander about the spirits and not be noticed.
Eventually, Halloween became absorbed into traditional American holidays and, of course, it has many of its own Halloween cards that feature all the famous Halloween images such as black cats, jack o'lanterns, witches, and all sorts of creepy characters. Halloween cards truly embody a sense of spooky fun and sending friends and family some Halloween wishes this year would be a nice gesture.
Don't forget to stock up on
Halloween Party Supplies to make your party extra spooky!
