Ghosts and Goblins and Witches! Oh, My!

Ghosts will rattle their chains. Witches will ride across the moon. And the dead will rise from their graves. Better watch out and make sure you're well-stocked with treats. It's Halloween and the little ghosts and goblins, pirates and fairy princesses are set to make their rounds, pillow cases in hand, little voices crying, "Trick or Treat!"

Traditionally celebrated on October 31, Halloween originated with the Celts in Ireland, Britain and France as a Pagan harvest festival, according to Wikipedia. Various versions of these traditions were brought to North America in the 19th century, primarily by Irish immigrants. The name Halloween is a truncation of All-hallow-even, meaning the evening before All Hallows' Day. In 835, Pope Gregory III tried to give the Northern European Pagan festival a Christian interpretation by moving the Christian feast of All Saints Day to November 1. While early Christians embraced the new feast date, they did not give up their Pagan celebration of the Day of the Dead.

Celebrated at the end of the harvest when the ground lay dead and fallow, the Irish believed that the dead revisited the mortal world on Halloween. Pumpkin faces were carved and bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits. Irish children and adults honored the dead by dressing as ghosts and ghouls and going door to door to collect fruits, nuts and sweets for the harvest feast. Many of the darker associations of Halloween come from the occult which holds that at Halloween the spirit world can make contact with the physical world. It is a time when magic is most potent, giving rise to many of the superstitions associated with the holiday.

While there's plenty of history to explain many of today's Halloween traditions, where did the trick part of Halloween come from? In some parts of Ireland, Halloween is called Pooky Night, after the puca, a mischievous spirit. It's good to know that even the toilet paper-draped trees and soaped windows of Halloween are steeped in ancient tradition.

This Halloween treat yourself to a stamp or two from County Stamp Center. Click the post title to view and order from our collection of Halloween stamps, or visit our website to find stamps on every subject for every interest. Visit County Stamp Center for all your philatelic needs and Happy Halloween!