The day of vampires and werewolves

Halloween is just around the corner!

Halloween is almost here – have you also decorated your home with scary decorations?

If you’re looking to celebrate Halloween on holiday in family hotels in Italy, you’ll find that the tradition isn’t very well known here. Many South Tyroleans decorate their windows with pumpkin lanterns, but scary costumes aren’t usually worn. The tradition originally comes from the Celtic festival of Samhain, during which evil spirits were driven away with bonfires and costumes. When Pope Gregory III set 1 November as the All-Saints’ Day holiday (or All Hallows, back then) in the 8^th century, the evening before, 31 October, became known as “All Hallows’ Eve” – and that’s where the name Halloween comes from. The pumpkin lanterns with their scary faces – also known as Jack o’ lanterns – came later, as a way of driving away evil. The tradition of going “trick or treating”, which is very popular in the USA, only appeared in the 1930s, with children playing tricks on their neighbours if they didn’t give them any sweet treats.

The Wachtler family
Post Alpina – Family Mountain Chalets ****^s

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