Halloween 2020 is going to be an epic one, for sure! There will be a rare Blue Moon, Daylight Savings ends on October 31st, there is Covid-19, and it falls on a Saturday.
Even though it has turned into a holiday filled with make-believe, candy, and mischief, Halloween has a different root. Halloween is said to be a Celtic tradition of celebrating the end of the harvest as well as the Gaelic festival of Samhain. Halloween can also be called All Hallows Eve, the eve before the Catholic sanctioned holiday All Soul’s Day. It is believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the deceased are the thinnest, making it the best time to honor the dead, including saints, family members, and other memorable lives. Trick or treating is almost as old as time in other countries, but in the United States, many different customs and cultures have been adopted. true to the melting pot that America has become. The 1919 book The Book of Halloween referencing “souling” as an original form of Trick or Treating. Souling is a tradition in which people would visit houses asking for cakes, money, or ale on feast days, which includes Twelfth Night, Christmas, and Shrove Tuesday. Can you imagine Trick or Treating four times a year?!?!?
With Halloween 2020 comes trick or treating, trunk or treats, Halloween parties, and costumes. Here are some basic tips to keep your family safe this unprecidented year:
- If you have a fever, please stay home and do not hand out candy.
- Wear a face mask when handing out candy and under your costume, even if it already comes with a face mask.
- Use hand sanitizer with atleast 60% alcohol often, and wash your hands when you get home.
- Parents, do not let your children run ahead of you and out of your sight.
- Stop at houses that are lit up or that you know the occupants. Try to stay in your own neighborhood. Houses not lit up are opting out of handing out candy this year; respect that.
- Inspect your child’s candy haul for any open wrappers or abnormalities.
- Make sure costumes are comfortable and weather appropriate.
- Finish trick or treating by 8pm.
- Avoid congested areas. Try to maintain social distancing this year.
- Try to avoid touching your face. You could be touching plenty of surfaces before you get a chance to wash your hands.
- Most of all, try to have a wonderful and memorable Halloween!