Jasmine: Hi, I'm Jasmine.
Chrissy: I'm Chrissy.
Jasmine: We're from NIU STEAM and...
Chrissy: You're listening to The Sound of Science on WNIJ. Fall is my all-time favorite season, but no one loves October more than the fans of Halloween. Where did this holiday originate and how did it become what we know now?
Jasmine: Many sources cite that the most direct origin of Halloween comes from the Celtic Festival of Samhain. This festival signified the end of the harvest season and the beginning of Winter or "the darker half" of the year. People would often wear costumes made from animal hides and lit bonfires to ward off ghosts. The boundary that separated the living and the dead became blurred and offerings of crops and animals were sacrificed to the gods. It was a time of feasting and communicating with spirits.
Chrissy: The Romans are also linked to the celebration of Halloween. Their civilization celebrated a custom known as Feralia which celebrated the funeral feast with offerings and gifts which were placed at the graves of loved ones. Historically, this celebration was held in February but there are some reports that state that when the Roman Empire incorporated large sections of the Celtic territories, found in France and England, an intermingling of the two festivals occurred.
Jasmine: 'Trick-or-Treating' has evolved over a few centuries. Around 1000 AD, England's impoverished would solicit the houses of the wealthy for pastries called "soul cakes" in return for praying for the souls of the homeowners' deceased family members. This practice called "souling" would later be taken up by children. In Scotland and Ireland, children would participate in "guising" where, instead of prayer, they would offer the homeowners a song, a poem, a joke, or perform a trick that would earn them some fruit, nuts, or pennies.
Chrissy: You have been listening to The Sound of Science on WNIJ, where you learn something new every day.
