Numerous people from all over the world celebrate Halloween every year — a holiday that goes back centuries and the traditions of the ancient Celts. On this day, the streets are filled with witches and other wickedness when the sun goes down. The houses are decorated with pumpkins and all kinds of paraphernalia.
A house or apartment decorated in the spirit of Halloween looks bright and extraordinarily — just right for a festive party. And if you consider yourself a fan of this holiday, you definitely should read our article. We are going to tell you the history of Halloween and how to decorate your house for the celebration.
The History of Halloween:
Originally, this holiday was called All Hallows Even, or All Hallows Eve. Later it became known as Hallowe’en, and eventually, Halloween. It’s celebrated annually from the night of October 31 to November 1. The history of Halloween dates back to the pre-Christian era. The Celts divided the year into two seasons — summer and winter. This day — October 31 — was the final day of the year for them. People finished harvesting and prepared for the winter season.
The new year’s celebration took place on this very night. The Celts believed that the world of the living and the world of the dead open their Gates, and the spirits and ghosts enter our world. The Celts put out the lights in the houses and put on animal skins to scare away invaders. They left food for the spirits by the door and gathered around the fire, and sacrificed animals. Read more about When Should You Insulate Your Water Heater and Other Pipes?
These traditions had passed down from generation to generation without losing their relevance for a long time. Today, a previously creepy holiday has lost its primary essence. It’s just a festival with dressing up, decorating your home, and fun parties. Halloween is widely celebrated in the United States and Canada, where it’s most popular. The largest festivities are held in Los Angeles and New York.
The Main Symbols And Attributes Of The Holiday:
The main symbol of Halloween is a jack-o’-lantern. It’s a hollow pumpkin with a sinister grin carved on it and a lit candle placed inside. This attribute wards off evil spirits that are plenty around on All Hallows Eve.
Fallen leaves are one of the main accessories of this holiday. Therefore, don’t rake leaves for two weeks, then make the most of them for decoration. Read more about funny new year.
Other irreplaceable attributes of the holiday are: terrifying pictures, ghosts, bats, bouquets of dry branches and leaves, scary custom body pillows, candles and candlesticks with scary inscriptions, images of witches and their accessories (a pointed hat, a pair of old shoes, a broom), and skeletons, skulls. The main colors of the holiday are black and orange.
The old tradition of “Trick or Treat” has become a favorite entertainment for children. Kids put on costumes of ghosts and evil spirits and try to scare adults, shouting: “Trick or Treat.” And the neighbors, in turn, appease the little “demons” with candies.
How To Decorate Your House For Halloween:
It’s worth saying that various items can be used to decorate a home on Halloween. These elements can be very different. The main thing is to create something creative and scarier. Take everything you have at hand — glue, sticky tape, gauze, and candles — you won’t have to decorate your home only but create a spooky atmosphere as well.
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Outside the house
Festive-style decoration begins with the front door or backyard if we are talking about a private house. You can decorate the door with colored paper: combine black silhouettes of bats, ghosts, witches on a broomstick with bright orange pumpkins and gauze spider webs.
A garland like a Christmas one, but made from dry branches and decorated with blackbird feathers, will add a sense of an abandoned place. In a private house, it’s advisable not to remove fallen leaves for several days — the decor will look even more natural.
Halloween can’t exist without pumpkins. You can arrange them near the front door in any order or create original compositions from them. Use cardboard bats, spider webs, and various garlands to decorate the front door. You can also place mummy statues at the entrance. Your guests will be impressed by such a sight.
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Window decorations
If there is neither time nor energy for a complex decor, then dip your hands in red paint and swipe across the window in several places. It will look intimidating. Some carnival or art stores sell red hand stickers that don’t leave marks.
Window decoration is a distinctive flight of fancy with minimal costs. You just need to buy stencils in specialized stores. If you didn’t have time to purchase them, and the store is far away, or the needed items are sold out, then you can do everything yourself — paper, scissors, and the Internet will come in handy. Such a pastime won’t help decorate the house only but will entertain kids and relieve stress for adults.
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Room decorations
Decorating and designing a home in Halloween style involves thousands of bright ideas. Your goal is to create the image of an abandoned, uninhabited place. Remove from the sofa and tables all modern design elements of decoration in the form of trendy face pillows or the ones with bright covers, vases, colored tablecloths, and so on.
Cover the furniture with old white sheets, ideally with holes in them. Horror books in the “dust” will look appropriate. The lighting in the room should be dim and mysterious.
Should I Decorate A Bedroom?
Everyone should decide on their own whether it’s worth decorating a bedroom for Halloween. In any case, no horror design should be in the children’s rooms: even a pumpkin with a lit candle inside will look ominous in the dark. In the adult bedrooms, you can create any atmosphere depending on your taste.
Halloween is an unusual holiday filled with strangeness, bright colors, mystical home decor. But it doesn’t have to be creepy at all. On the contrary, it’s a great reason to meet friends and have a lot of fun.
True lovers and fans of this holiday decorate not only the front door, the living room, and the backyard. They completely stylize the kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and even the garage as well. In any case, this is a motive to diversify the interior design and spend time with family and friends. Add some Halloween to your home, have a good time, and beware of ghosts and evil spirits! Good luck!
