The History of Halloween

Customized Chocoaltes for halloween

Trick Or Treating & Chocolate

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to start stocking up on supplies for the sweet trick-or-treaters that will soon be knocking on the door. While it’s so much fun to see all the kids in their costumes and to hand out candy, have you ever wondered how this tradition came to be?

All Hallow’s Eve

If we go way back, Halloween is said to have its roots in a Celtic festival called Samhain. On this significant day, people wore costumes and danced around bonfires to ward off ghosts and evil spirits. The day marked the transition between the end of summer and its bountiful harvest and the coming hardships of winter. It was the perfect time to get one’s house in order and to make sure the spirits were on your side for the short dark days ahead.

Later, November 1 became known as All Saints Day, a day to remember and honor the dead. Therefore the night before, October 31, was known as All Hallow’s Eve, which later became Halloween. Samhain and All Hallow’s Eve were two traditions that overlapped each other and eventually mixed into one.

How Trick Or Treating Started

As people and cultures migrated from the UK and Europe over to North America, their cultures came along, adapting over time thanks to new influences. In the second half of the 1800s, a wave of immigrants, largely from Ireland, made it to American shores. Again, here is an example of traditions melding into each other. Since the Irish were fleeing the potato famine, it soon became customary to dress in costume and knock on neighbors’ doors to ask for food or money.

Another aspect of Halloween tradition was centred around mischief, pranks and tricks. These practices were on the rise throughout the 1920s and ‘30s when Halloween was a holiday mostly participated in by adults through parties and community gatherings. During the 1950s, however, there was a push to eliminate that troublesome side of Halloween and redirect the event toward children.

Halloween Candy & Chocolates

And what do children like? Candy. This is when the boom of trick-or-treating really started to take shape, and in the 1970s, candy and chocolate manufacturers saw an incredible business opportunity. Through a blend of genius marketing and product creation like single serve candy pieces, the multi-billion-dollar tradition of handing out candy was born.

It’s practically unacceptable to hand out homemade treats, and who would want to anyway? In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, it was estimated consumers would spend $2.5 billion on Halloween candy last year, with the number to rise in 2017.

And there you have it. Like most holidays and traditions, things change and evolve depending on world events. Folklore adapts, tastes and habits change, and holidays come along for the ride. Halloween is a funny and kind of strange one if you think about it, but who doesn’t look forward to it? There’s something very charming about putting on a costume and mingling with the neighbors.

Of course, we love an event that celebrates chocolate! But what’s most important about Halloween is that everyone is out there having fun and being safe. If you’re looking for Customized Chocolates for Halloween be sure to visit our Halloween Page.  Enjoy this special and Happy Halloween to you all!

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