Thousands of years ago, an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in) took root in the Old World. Samhain was a night to celebrate the end of summer and harvest, before the long, dark winter began. The celebrants built huge bonfires and dressed in costumes (usually animal heads/masks and skins), believing that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth to cause trouble for the living, so it was best to blend in with the ghouls.

Over the years, other cultures and myths mingled with the original Celtic tradition. Immigrants brought Samhain to America and it eventually morphed into the Halloween we know and enjoy today. Halloween has become a billion-dollar industry and the second largest commercial holiday in the US, enjoyed by adults and children alike. But, it seems one night a year just wasn’t enough for our monsters, ghouls and goblins.

Today, our love for all things monstrous seems to be overflowing to fill our lives year round. Gothic weddings are all the rage and many birthdays are celebrated in dashing zombie style. Vampires are still popular for their dark, sexy and desirable selves, but werewolves — or lycans if you prefer – are giving them a howl and a run for their money.

The undead have invaded TV and movie screens galore, the brain eaters have won the light of day. Witches are powerful and popular, no burning at the stake for these modern ladies. Frankenstein has a not-so-lovely bride now, and possibly a few little Franks running around to boot.

We can’t get enough of supernatural and paranormal stories; things that go bump in the night frighten us, but equal scarily impressive box office sales. We even have ghost hunters, intrepid living souls who explore haunted places while we watch from the safety of our living rooms, vicariously experiencing real life chills and thrills.

It seems we as humans are drawn to the strange, scary and creepy to fill some sort of deep craving within us. And on that note, it seems right to end this topic with a Monster Mash video.

 

Happy Halloween!