A Halloween Tale

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It's almost Halloween and I am pretty sure many people are wondering how this event came about. Things such as pumpkins, ghosts, Halloween black cats, and vampires are some of the other stuff that get associated with eve of October 31st. Where did everything start and how did Halloween turn into what it is now?

Halloween Costumes
According to an old tale, Halloween started out as the Winter's eve, which was also known as the eve of Samhain. It was what the Celts observed as their New Year's Eve. The people back then believed that during this time, the spirits of the dead come back to take over the bodies of those who are still living.

This story scared everybody and they decided to think of different ways to stop these spirits from haunting them and possessing their bodies. That is how dressing up in scary costumes began. They started to leave their homes dark and cold, making it look like nobody alive was residing there. They also wore ghoulish costumes and creepy attire while parading and walking around the town. They made lots of noises so that the spirits would get frightened of them and go away.

Halloween Black Cats
In olden times, especially in ancient Egypt, cats were treated as gods. People would offer food, treasure and themselves to these creatures because they believed cats would bring them good health and luck. However, this practice changed and cats were suddenly considered as evil. The people believed that their breath and teeth cause misfortune and contained poison. There was one instance when a peasant unsuspectingly swallowed cat hair and suffocated. This incident just further instigated cats as bad and mean animals. Because they are also nocturnal living things and they move around a lot at night, they were considered to be servants of witches.

Since then, the persecution of cats became rampant. According to history records, the first cat to be persecuted was in Metz, France in 962 A.D. It happened on a Wednesday and because of that, the event was called Cat Wednesday in the coming centuries. The persecutors believed that these cats were really witches in disguise who were going to do bad and evil things. The first official persecuting event was led by Pope Gregory IX.

Over the years, the story of Halloween and black cats has evolved. Nowadays, different countries and cultures all over the world have varying practices and habits with regards to this matter.  

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