It’s one of the most awaited holidays of the year, and most of us really prepare for the costumes and activities that we’ll be doing during this event. Since time immemorial, we’ve always been super excited to celebrate Halloween in our unique ways. But what is really the essence of this holiday and since when did the festivities begin?
“Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2020 will occur on Saturday, October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.”
Dating back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the Celts who lived over 2,000 years agao in the area that is now Ireland, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of harvest and the beginning of dark, cold winter. Winter is often associated to human death, and Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. That’s why the celebrated the Samhain on the night of October 31, when ghosts were believed to return to the earth. Although this holiday has a strong western origin, we Filipinos have come to adapt to this festivity due to the western influences that we got from the colonization periods of Spain and USA. Over the years, we’ve developed the tradition of doing trick or treats and other scare fairs as well to observe this thrilling night.
And although our celebrations this year might be quite different from before, there are still certain places where Davaoenos chose to observe this special day. One halloween event in Davao Oriental was hosted by Governor Generoso’s newest beach resort called Camp Bernardino de Lavigan. Their promo, Camp and Cauldrons, which included low buffet price rates and 3+1 for beer, was actually a success. If you missed this promo, no worries because this Davao Oriental Beach only has it starting. Check them out at campbernardino.com for more promos and updates!