It's Halloween time! I bet by this hour your Instagram feed is flooded with costumes and pumpkins! Because tomorrow is Halloween! This scary festival is celebrated on 31 st October every year. All we can associate is getting dressed up scarily, watching eerie movies and trick or treat. But have you ever wondered why this is celebrated? Why do people roam around in gothic clothing and costumes?
This day is celebrated before the All saints Day which is an important day in the Christian calendar. The word Halloween is derived from Hallowe 'en meaning holy evening. But if this day is holy, then why so much scariness is associated with it?
Halloween marks the celebration of Celtic festivals of Samhain, marking the end of summers. They believed that evil spirits would damage the crops of the next season. Hence began the tradition of lighting bonfires and setting up elaborate dinners to scare away evil spirits.
Last year, exactly during this time we were in Sydney, Australia. On this particular evening, we were at one of the most prominent amusement parks of Sydney, The Luna Park. Thankfully the rides were closed and Halloween party was taking place in full swing. So we not only got to witness eerily dressed people but also took part in the revelries! Some of them scared us too, but in the end we had a real gala time. There is nothing like travelling during special festive Season.
The city of Sydney is divided into two main parts North and South Sydney; separated by the Harbour Bridge. You can either take a ferry to the Luna Park from the Circular Quay or can cross the bridge on foot...like we did. After our stint at Luna Park, we roamed around the neighbourhood and spotted many Halloween decorated homes.