Sad that Halloween has come and gone all too fast? See how Chatham County and Northwood students chose to decorate for the holiday and how some spent their day!
It’s finally the end of October, so you know what that means…it’s time for Halloween!
This time of year, millions of Americans chose to decorate for the occasion, with some even going above and beyond to create elaborate, spooky displays around their property. The holiday, which is celebrated every year on Oct. 31, originates from an ancient Celtic festival called “Samhain” which was first celebrated over 2,000 years ago. It was believed that ghosts of the dead returned to earth on that day, so people would wear costumes to ward off evil spirits. We now refer to this day of the year as “Halloween,” which is derived from “All Hallow’s Eve” or “All Saints’ Day,” which was a Christian celebration in honor of all the saints in the church. Historians have also traced part of the origin back to a Catholic celebration held the day following All Saints’ Day, which is known as “All Souls’ Day,” a day of remembrance for those who have passed in the last year.
Since the celebration’s origin, Halloween has evolved into a day full of fun, lighthearted activities such as pumpkin carving, dressing up in costumes, trick-or treating, going to festive parties and enjoying sweet treats. While we may take the ancient supernatural elements with a grain of salt, we still associate all things ghostly or haunted with the day itself.
This year, however, Halloween festivities had to be taken down a notch due to coronavirus precautions. But that didn’t mean all Chatham County residents lost their Halloween spirit–in fact, there was still a good amount of decorations to be found at almost every corner.
As for students at Northwood, their traditions of decorating for Halloween weren’t affected in the slightest. While some simply showed off jack-o-lanterns, others went all out with spiderwebs and skeletons.
Despite the pandemic, many students still found fun ways to celebrate Halloween, spending it with either close friends or family. Some participated in pumpkin carving, playing games or dressing up in costumes, while others opted to stay in to watch a handful of spooky movies or simply take the day to relax.
In order to share a remaining piece of the spooky spirit before the winter holidays arrive, The Omniscient looked to the larger community of Chatham County and compiled photos of Halloween decorations on display in local neighborhoods and public areas.
-Olivia McMurray
