As we all know, especially if you’ve been driving around Greater Pittston, it’s Halloween time and of course, since West Pittston self-declared themselves Halloweentown, you just might see some pretty well-done decorated houses for Thursday’s night of ghouls and spirits.
I’ve done some research on spooktacular holiday and found many facts I did not know including its origins.
Halloween, celebrated each year on Oct. 31, is a holiday filled with costumes, decorations, and traditions that reflect a blend of ancient beliefs and modern interpretations. The origins of Halloween date back thousands of years and are rooted in a mix of Celtic, Christian, and folklore traditions. Understanding Halloween’s origins requires a look at the cultural practices of the Celts, the influence of Christianity, and the evolution of customs through time.
The earliest known roots of Halloween can be traced to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which dates back over 2,000 years. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, a time that the Celts associated with death.
The Celts, who lived in regions that are now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated Samhain as a time when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead was believed to be at its thinnest; this thinness between worlds, allowed spirits to pass into the mortal world.
During Samhain, the Celts believed that spirits of the dead could return to Earth, potentially causing trouble, damaging crops, and even affecting the fortunes of the living. To protect themselves and appease these spirits, they lit bonfires and wore costumes, often made of animal skins, to disguise themselves. The purpose of these disguises was to confuse and repel any harmful spirits they might encounter. Additionally, the Celts offered sacrifices of animals and crops to appease the gods and spirits.
This association of Samhain with darkness, spirits, and the supernatural laid the groundwork for many of Halloween’s themes, including ghost stories, costumes, and an air of mystery.
Black cats, ghosts, bats, and witches have also become emblematic of Halloween, largely due to their historical association with superstition, magic, and mystery.
Witches, in particular, have long been associated with Halloween because they were believed to possess the power to commune with the supernatural.
In medieval Europe, people feared witches and believed they could summon spirits on Halloween night. This fear, combined with Christian teachings, solidified witches as a key symbol of Halloween and the supernatural.
No matter what you know about Halloween, it’s a tradition that you have been doing since you were as young as a baby when you’re parents dressed you up thinking you were the cutest baby ever.
Halloweentown has a website were you can identify houses participating in the Halloween ritual.
You can point your browser to www.wphalloweentown.com where you will be able to find a map of the borough to find the hotspots for displays.
The site also includes a gallery of photos of decorated houses, people in costumes, and new for this year, information on a scavenger hunt.
To go directly to the scavenger hunt page, go to https://tinyurl.com/fd6scvn5. It is there you will find rules and regulations on the hunt. It looks like fun so have fun.
You can also find West Pittston Halloweentown on Facebook and soon TikTok and Instagram.
Of course once we get past Halloween, we set our attention to Thanksgiving and Christmas and as many readers know of my love for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, I’ve been reporting on the Greater Pittston Santa Squad (GPSS) and their 2024 Christmas drive, which you will read about in today’s edition.
I have to admit; I just thoroughly enjoy working on articles and doing photo work when it comes to the GPSS. These folks work so hard to make sure at minimum, 1,600 children in Greater Pittston have a great Christmas holiday.
Yes, you read right, 1,600 children who the GPSS makes sure they get at least five gifts in their Christmas bag.
If you’re doing the math, that is 8,000 Christmas gifts GPSS collects for our children in Greater Pittston. These gifts go to financially disadvantaged families and it is an eye-opener on the need in our area.
Most of us live in nice cozy homes while there are those not as fortunate. Some of the families range from disabled parents to parents losing their jobs due to downsizing or their employers closing their doors.
GPSS is no fly-by-night organization, let me tell you, they are a well-oiled machine and they have a tried and true system from securing Angels for the children’s wish lists to collecting, logging in, bagging and finally distributing the toys and clothing to the children.
Their Christmas season is 12-months a year for planning, raising money and strategizing for the upcoming Christmas season.
The GPSS board of directors makes democratic decisions and then there are the volunteers helping with the work come crunch time. It takes a village, as the saying goes.
After calling the former Seton Catholic gym home for the past two Christmas campaigns, GPSS will, yet again, be looking for another warehouse/headquarters for the 2025 Christmas drive.
Quote of the Week
“On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises from his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys to all the children.” — from It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Thought of the Week
“I am the who when you call, ‘Who’s there?’ I am the wind blowing through your hair. I am the shadow on the moon at night. Filling your dreams to the brim with fright.” — from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
Bumper Sticker
“There’s a little witch in all of us.” — Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic
