By Jennifer Outcelt, Creative Content Architect

You are likely spending today in a sugary haze as you weed through the cobwebs in your brain in an eerily pathetic attempt to accomplish the duties of your day job. Why? Because last night was Halloween!

If you happen to have spawned little clone goblins of your own, then you probably engaged in prolonged, yet dynamic battles all night; Getting them in costume. Getting them to eat real food before trick-or-treating. Getting them to dress warm enough to venture out in the Alaskan night. Getting them to say “thank you” after retrieving their confectionary bribes. Getting them to fight the urge to consume ALL the candy in one night. Getting them to bed while the surge of sucrose still coursed through their veins.

Today you might be looking at pictures with your coworkers, remarking at the adorableness of your little swamp lizard, cardboard astronaut, or zombie princess. But no doubt at some point last night, in the heat of battle, you thought to yourself, “Why?! Why, in the name of the Pumpkin King, why does this holiday even exist!?!”

You’d be right to question it. Honestly, you’d be right to question all cultural norms and traditions. Not because they are bad or antiquated, but to learn of your past and understand the context for all that you do in the name of “being an American”. I had no true understanding of the history around Halloween other than my personal experience, which only carbon dates back to 1994 where my first memories seemed to have formed. So, I looked it up.

I’m not sure where I assumed Halloween came from, but whatever I had thought, it was wrong. Take a peek (or boo) at this article from the History Channel’s website if you want to learn more about this beloved holiday. It might scare you how much you didn’t know.

https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween