A favorite holiday is on the horizon. That’s right, it’s autumn! Before we kick off the holiday season of festivals with our annual Thanksgiving feast, we spend weeks preparing for what many consider one of the most anticipated holidays of them all. Trick or Treat! It’s Halloween!! But before diving into the celebrations that have become synonymous with Halloween in Florida, let’s take a moment to reflect back on Halloween and exactly why it is so popular.
All Hallows Eve
First and foremost, Halloween is one of the oldest holidays. It dates back more than 2000 years to Celtic celebrations tied to the end of the harvest. Spirituality was essential to their culture like most cultures of the times. November 1 marked the beginning of the Celtic calendar year called All Hallows. They believed that on October 31, spirits returned from the dead to destroy crops. It was called All Hallows Eve. In order to quell these spirits and protect their crops they held festivals honoring the dead by lighting great bon fires and wearing masks. The festival was known as Samhain.
When the Romans conquered the Celtic lands, over a period of 1000 years they gradually incorporated the festival of Samhain into their own holidays of All Souls Day (November 2) to honor the dead and All Saints and Martyrs Day (November 1) to honor perished Saints and Christian martyrs. The Romans kept the Celtic name for the holiday as All Hallows, but the Pope adopted a more religious format. They called it All-Hallowmas or Alholomesse. October 31 remained All Hallows Eve, and eventually became Halloween. The Roman celebrations included bonfires, parades and dressing in costumes similar to the festival of Samhain.
Origin of Modern Day Halloween
The history of trick or treating can be traced back to All Souls Day where poor families went about asking for food. Wealthier families gave them soul cakes (small round cakes filled with raisins or currants and sweet earthy spices like allspice, cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg) in exchange for a promise to pray for the dead of the family showing such generosity.
The legend of the Jack O’ Lantern originated from an Irish myth. The devil invited a man called Stingy Jack to have a drink. In the end, the devil forced Jack to wander the dark nights with only a burning coal inside a turnip to light his way. He became known in myth as Jack of the Lantern which evolved to Jack O’ Lantern.
One of the most interesting things about Halloween is how it was able to transcend so many different cultures over such an enormous period of time and still maintain its importance and its root beginnings. Sure, moder culture manipulated it and commercialized the holiday like everything else, but its origins are not lost even in the world we live in today. After all, who knows who is watching you even as you read this blog article! Perhaps Jack O’ Lantern is outside your dark window right now!
Scared yet? If legend isn’t enough, there are plenty of statewide can’t misses for Halloween that are worth exploring. Below is a list, not in any particular order!
Halloween Horror Nights – Universal Studios, Orlando
This annual even begins in late September and runs through Halloween. Universal is transformed after the park closes into a realm of monsters and haunts that patrol the streets lurking in the mist and bushes waiting for unsuspecting victims. Each year carries a different theme that showcases everything from notorious Hollywood creeps like Michael Meyers to original creations designed especially for the event such as Bloody Mary. Universal scatters an array of haunted houses throughout the park to support the annual theme.
The studio devotes a lot of time and attention to Horror Nights. Hundreds of actors audition and train specifically for the event. As soon as the curtain closes on one year, the Studio immediately begins working on the next year’s event. Horror nights is not for the squeamish or the very young. Universal meticulously creates its haunted houses designed to scare the daylights out of anyone regardless of age. Admission is separate from a day pass so plan accordingly. It gets crowded with long wait times particularly on weekends as you get closer to Halloween.
Scream-A-Geddon – Dade City
This is a newer Halloween attraction located in the sleepy town of Dade City. It is an interesting alternative to the crowds of the big theme parks. With a good number of haunted houses, a midway and even a haunted hayride, Scream-A-Geddon puts a rural twist on Halloween that some might argue are actually scarier than some of the big budget Halloween attractions. Prices are less, lines are shorter, and the thrills are all around.
Fright Nights – West Palm Beach
If you’re in South Florida, check out Fright Nights at the South Florida Fair Grounds. This small festival centered around the ultimate scare features haunted houses, music, food and carnival rides. It is well planned and kept fresh from year to year. Check it out!
Whispering Pines Haunted Hayride – Milton
OK, so you want something more relaxing and a place you can bring the kids. Stop by Whispering Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Milton just outside of Pensacola. You’ll be taken in comfort accompanied by haunting music through the tree farm and surrounding forest, home of ghosts and goblins. The super young family members may still be a little frightened, but hey, it’s Halloween. Everyone is entitled to a good scare!
Howl-O-Scream – Busch Gardens, Tampa
Howl-O-Scream is Busch Gardens answer to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. The events are very similar, and one could get into an endless debate over which one is better depending on which part of the state you live in. The general consensus is there is not much difference in quality or the level of scare, but Howl-O-Scream is a tad less crowded due to the number of tourists who flock to the Orlando theme parks. It’s worth the price of admission and you can many of the park’s famous roller coasters if haunted houses are not your thing!
Orlando Haunted Maze – Orlando
This is a private home that transforms into a haunted house a few weekends around Halloween. All proceeds go to charity. If you want to avoid crowds perhaps this is for you. It’s small in scale, but big on thrills. Oh, you will have to sign a waiver. Enter at your own risk.
Long and Scott Farm’s Corn Maze – Mount Dora
What is Halloween without a good corn maze? We have the ultimate at Long and Scott Farms in Mount Dora. These people design some awesome mazes! They are open on the weekends in October with a wide variety of things to do for all ages. In addition to their 7-acre corn maze that they redesign each year, try out fishing or a relaxing autumn hayride. The kids can play on the playground while you browse the market. This is great family friendly outdoor fun. You know it’s special when they have to show you an instructional video before entering the maze!
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party – Magic Kingdom, Disney
World
Of course, the mouse has to get in on the Halloween action as well. The party is a separate
ticket from the daily admission to the park just like Horror Nights and Howl –O-Scream. This is probably a once in a lifetime event for the kids and definitely for the parent’s pocketbook. But if you love the mouse and can’t get enough Disney, this is your event. Kids under 14 can dress up (within reason; no masks) and trick or treat throughout the magic kingdom. There are costumed characters, parades, Disney icons and a Halloween themed fireworks show all set to celebrate, what else? The Disney villains! Only Disney can celebrate All Hallows Eve in such a fashion that is not so scary and make wishes come true even in the presence of ghouls and witches.
Okay, we covered most of the state, but these are just a handful of places you may want to explore in Florida this Halloween season. For a list of more, visit http://www.floridahauntedhouses.com.