This year, Halloween falls on Oct 31, Monday. Halloween is celebrated in the later half of October in the US. The word has its origin in Scottish term All Hallows’ Eve or a hallowed evening or Holy evening. The festival originated in Ireland, the UK, and northern France when the Celtics lived there several thousands of years back. Celtics celebrated the new year on November 1 as Samhain (pronounced sow-in meaning summer’s end).

HALLOWEEN COMES TO AMERICA

Colonial New England celebrated Halloween with reservations because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. The state of Maryland and the South celebrated Halloween more than any other. The culture of American Indians and the Europeans mixed later to give birth to a new culture that celebrated Halloween differently. Immigrants from Ireland brought Irish and English traditions, and Americans started dressing up in costumes and went around asking for food or money, this practice has become what we today call “trick-or-treat.”

In the late nineteenth century, America began celebrating Halloween more as a holiday geared towards community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. By the end of the century, both children and adults participated in Halloween. Now it was focused on games, foods of the season and festive costumes. The “frightening” or “grotesque” elements were taken out of Halloween celebrations. Slowly , Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.

Halloween began to be community celebration with parades and town-wide parties. Trick-or-treat continues to be a way for the entire community to share the Halloween celebration. Today, it is the country’s second largest commercial holiday with Americans spending about $ 6 million annually.

Dressing up in costume for Halloween has its roots both in European and Celtic culture. Several hundreds of years ago, winter represented a time of the year when uncertainty and fear ruled. People were full of worry about the impending dark and ghosts. To keep away ghosts from entering their homes, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts. They lighted candles in the path to help the spirits to return safely.

Halloween was more about games, tricks, and superstitions which have been long forgotten in the current traditions. Women expecting to get to know the name of their future husbands using apple peels, using hazelnuts to understand if their love would last, etc. are superstitions that were believed in the past.

Children will be seen dressed in scary costumes walking from door to door asking residents – “treat or trick”? The homeowner can either offer them candies or be tricked.

Many cities have their own celebrations like the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City this year. Halloween is not just a festival. It is a big business with retailers expecting to sell products including costumes in millions. It is the time when US consumes the most amount of candies.

Guide for Festivals in California in 2016 – Best Places to Go

Most of the festivals in California are known for special types of food, culture, sports and fairs. Festivals are always enjoyable as they bring people from different places together. On one hand, you may observe weird festivals that have been offered for the fun element only such as Bed Races, Poison Ivy Contest and Golf Cart Festival. However, on the other side, you may come across festivals that have been created based on food such as Chocolate Festival, Almond and Wine Festival and Olive Festivals. In this article, we may talk about the popular festivals from California exclusively as the list of festivals in this region is quite long. Each of festival has their own fan. Therefore, dearth of visitors may not be seen in any of these festivals.

California Wine Festival

From July 14th to 16th, a wine festival is arranged. During this festival, premium wines from finest places are exhibited here. In addition, it is possible to get some bites of food from renowned chefs and vendors.

Sunset Savor the Central Coast

Four day long festival of Sunset Savor the Central Coast starts from 29th of September and may go on till 2nd October. In the Hearst Castle, opening gala is held. The backdrop of the castle works remarkable well for the festival. Celebrity chefs present their food to the people. Adventurous tours are organized for the visitors. It may be possible to know about trends of the world food, travel, wine and gardening during the festival also.

Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival

On 15th and 16th October over the main street of Half Moon Bay, this festival unwrap itself in full glory. Pancake breakfast is served from 7 am in the morning. Pumpkin Parade, Costume Festival and Pie Eating Contest are also part of this festival. On the occasion, pumpkins are smashed to increase the entertainment quotient of festival further. If you are artist from heart and mind then you can easily take part in Pumpkin Carving festival
Oktoberfest

In the month of October, a single day or a week is generally considered for this festival. During last week of October, it is usually seen. During the festival, people enjoy beer directly from the tap. Different kinds of food and savory items are served also. Festivals in California are always flavorful without any doubt.

Festival of Lights

From the 25th of November, festival of lights are started and continued till January. By the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa, this festival is arranged. About 4 million lights are illuminated on the occasion. In addition, there are about 400 lights with animated figures such as elves, angels and others. There is an ice skating rink where you may see several musicians and carolers. It has been considered one of the best festivals in California.

Harvest Festival

Through the Harvest Festival on December 2nd to 4th December, lots of handmade items are showcased. Clothes, jewelry, specialty food, original art that has been made of ceramic or wood and photography can be bought during this festival. Entertain arena is created both for the kids and adults.

Due to nature of festivals in California, it is enjoyed quite naturally by the people.