Halloween history is celebrated around the world

Find out what Elon is doing on campus for the trick-or-treat holiday festivities

Megan Long / Reporter

With the temperatures dropping and the leaves changing, the night most famous for trickery is fast approaching. Halloween is just around the corner and that has a lot of Elon's campus getting ready to celebrate.

"I love getting to see all the little kids dressed up in costumes, eating the Halloween candy and pumpkins," said freshman Jaci Gentile.

Halloween has always been a holiday celebrated with costumes and candy. This year students are getting excited about what they'll be dressed up as for the big day.

"I always try to make my costume funnier and more original than anyone else's," sophomore Jimmy Schneider said.

The tradition of Halloween was started over 2,000 years ago when Celts celebrated the New Year on Nov. 1. That day marked the beginning of the harvest and winter time, which was also associated with death.

The night before this New Year was believed to be a time when the dead came to earth, destroyed crops and caused other troubles. Celtic priests used this time to make predictions about the future. To celebrate the event, the people made sacred bonfires and dressed in costumes attempting to tell each other's fortunes. At the end of the night the Celts would relight the hearth fires signifying the start of winter.

Americans have long since made the Halloween tradition all their own. There are several traditions such as dressing up, carving pumpkins, scary stories and collecting lots of sweet goodies.

If you're looking to scare yourself silly to get in the spirit of the holiday, there are plenty of haunted houses around. Elon is known to have some hauntings of its own. West Dormitory is rumored to have the ghost of a girl who died in the fire of the early 1900s. People who live on the third floor of West claim they can hear the girl walking around, making loud noises.

Organizations all around campus are getting in the spirit with activities including Smith's Haunted Hall on Today, Lambda Chi Alpha's Pumpkinfest on Friday to collect canned goods for Loaves and Fishes ministry and the Danieley Center Pumpkin Carving Contest on Saturday. First place in the pumpkin carving contest includes four gas cards. Children of the Elon community are invited to trick–or–treat on the Greek Court on Sunday. So when you head out this weekend to celebrate the big night, remember how Halloween was started. And don't forget to eat a lot of good candy!

Contact Megan Long at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.