Cochranities have plenty of opportunities to celebrate the spooky season this week.
Whether it's contributing a carved Jack-o-lantern to Bethany Cochrane's annual pumpkin walk, braving yourself for a trip through Royal LePage Cochrane's haunted house Oct. 31, or partaking in the trick-or-treat festivities on Main Street that same morning, there are plenty of ways for Cochrane residents to get into the Halloween spirit.
Cochrane is a family-friendly town, and such towns are the best place to celebrate a holiday like Halloween. After the last few Halloweens were impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, it feels refreshing to once again be able to attend costume parties guilt-free, or participate in time-honoured traditions like trick-or-treating, decorating your home, or carving pumpkins with elaborate designs to grace your front step.
According to Brittanica.com, Halloween's origins date back hundreds of years to the Nov. 1 Celtic festival of Samhain. The online encyclopedia states Samhain was a day Celtics believed the souls of the dead came back home, so people "dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits."
The phrase Halloween comes from All Hallow's Eve, which was the day before Nov. 1 – a date believed to signal the impending arrival of winter.
"During the Samhain festival the souls of those who had died were believed to return to visit their homes, and those who had died during the year were believed to journey to the otherworld," reads Brittanica.ca's excerpt about the history of Halloween.
"People set bonfires on hilltops for relighting their hearth fires for the winter and to frighten away evil spirits, and they sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present."
It's neat to see how an ancient tradition like Samhain can morph into a contemporary celebration we still enjoy so much today.
Compared to other holidays, Halloween is fairly stress-free. This Oct. 31, we encourage everyone to eat or hand out some candy to young trick-or-treaters, and watch a scary movie or two.
