The True Deathly Origins Of Halloween

It may still be hot and humid outside, but that is apparently isn't stopping various stores from already trotting out their Halloween merchandise. If you, too, want to get in the proper spooky spirit, here's an excellent video from Ask a Mortician about the history of Halloween that can set the mood a lot better than pumpkin decorations in the 85-degree heat ever could. History, after all, is always applicable.

The Ask A Mortician series, run by Caitlyn Doughty, is always delightful and informative, whether telling you all about what happens to your breast implants once you have abandoned them for the great beyond or getting real about grief. Therefore, it seems only natural that we could get some quality Halloween information from her, too. After all, Halloween is associated with death, what with all the skeletons and ghosts and potentially fatal levels of sugar that go hand in hand with October 31.

I mean, nowadays, Halloween is a holiday that mainly features candy and cute children in adorable costumes — and also drunken adults in slutty and potentially racist costumes, but we tend to focus more on the kids. Still, that's not what Halloween was always like. So, what are some takeaways from this lovely, death-y video?

Halloween Used To Be The Celtic New Year

It was the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark, winter-y times, so for the Celts it was the time when the line between living and dead was thinnest.

The Christians Turned It Into A Festival Of Catholic Saints

Roughly the same dates, but a very different meaning.

In The 1930s, Trick-Or-Treating Was More Like Extortion

Rather than groups of adorable children, it was more like gangs of teenagers roving door to door threatening to mess up people's houses unless they got their sweets.

Check out the full video to learn more and to get in a proper Halloween spirit. It's coming up sooner than you think.

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