A Vintage Halloween

Halloween celebrations go back as much a 2,000 years to a time when the ancient Celts celebrated of Samhain which was November 1st. The Celts believed that the night before was a time when ghosts of the dead came back to earth and could do harm to crops and they thought it was a time for the Druids to be able to predict the future.

During the celebration the Celts would wear costumes and try to tell each others fortunes as they danced around a huge bonfire. After the celebration was over they would re-light their hearth fires from the ceremonial bonfire to protect their homes for the coming year.

Celebrating Halloween in America became quite popular in the mid 1800s as many immigrants from Ireland brought their customs to the United States. By the late 1800s there was quite a movement in the U.S. to make Halloween a community style celebration with parades and parties.

With the celebration of Halloween going back so far, there are many items available that have an antique or vintage feel to them. Why not go a little unique this year and decorate with some of these old decorations and ideas?

Image Credit: From Pixabay

Halloween, Little Witch with Pumpkin Cauldron Art Print
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Jack-o-lanterns can be traced back to the story of Stingy Jack who was a greedy, gambling, and drinking old farmer. He supposedly tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him there by carving a cross on the tree trunk. The devil supposedly put a curse on Jack to roam the world for eternity with the only light being from a candle placed inside a carved turnip.

Americans changed to a pumpkin because they were larger and more readily available than turnips.

A humorous print to add to your decorating scheme for this Halloween.




Ghostly Gourds Art Print
Rockwell, Norman
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Unmarried women used to be told to sit in a darkened room and gaze into a mirror and wait for the image of their future husband to appear in the mirror. If they were destined to die a spinster, the a skull would appear in the mirror.

Halloween, Victorian Witch on Pumpkin Art Print
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Halloween used to be a lot spookier because the streets were dark or only lit by gas lamps and neighbors were a lot farther away. Shadows played tricks on you and the sound of dead October leaves blowing on the ground gave the impression that someone was behind you.

Black Cat with Halloween Precautions Art Print
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Copyright: A Vintage Halloween written on July 5, 2009 by BevsPaper (Beverly Owens)