Halloween is an exciting time for many students at Northwest, but some don’t know where it comes from. Halloween originates from the Celtic festival of Samhain. During this festival, people would dress up in costumes and light bonfires to ward off ghosts. It represented the end of summer and the beginning of winter, something often associated with death and scarcity. Celts believed that on this day ghosts could come back to our world and cause trouble. Additionally, they believed that the ghosts made the Druids (Celtic priests) able to make more accurate predictions about the future. These predictions brought comfort to people trying to survive a long and cold winter. As time moved on, All Saints Day on November 1st began incorporating aspects of Samhain. The night before All Saint’s day was known as Hallows Eve, now Halloween. Celebrations of carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating developed as the holiday became more widely celebrated. While Halloween wasn’t popular in England, it was among European colonizers in Maryland. The holiday spread throughout the United States and many choose to celebrate it today. It’s become so popular that one-fourth of all candy sold annually is purchased for Halloween and $490 million is spent on buying costumes for pets.
This year Halloween in the Haus will be full of fun. The holiday will be kicking off the first Spirit Week of the year on Monday the 31st and the Social Committee is working hard to make it exciting. They are planning on decorating the hallways, hosting spooky activities, and maybe even having a costume contest for students and faculty. All in all, it’s shaping up to be an exciting, candy-filled day!
Halloween is celebrated in and outside of school, and it can sometimes be difficult to find something fun and safe to do the night of the holiday. If trick-or-treating is your thing, check out The Lakes on Mercer Island. Cars are blocked off from entering the neighborhood and every house has fun decorations. It’s definitely the Candy Cane Lane of Halloween. Capitol Hill has been a hotspot for trick-or-treating for a long time and this year is no exception. Many businesses in the Northwest School area will be handing out candy! Additionally, there is a costume parade called Halloween where you can show off your (and your pet’s) costume in Volunteer Park. If you’ve moved on from your trick-or-treating days, there are still many fun activities you can take part in. Bill Speidal’s Underground Tour is offering a paranormal experience where you can hunt ghosts in the underground. Take a road trip and visit Maris Farms Haunted Woods in Buckley, Washington, where you can take a journey through the corn and encounter weird creatures and scarers. If being frightened doesn’t sound enticing, they have a less scary option of the Flashlight Maze & Night Wagon Ride. Lastly, have fun and give back to your community at Frightville on Whidbey Island, a haunted house where 100% of their proceeds are donated to the Boys and Girls club. Whatever you choose to do this Halloween, be safe and have fun!
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