The origins of Halloween, celebrating in Greater Cincinnati

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - As people across the globe prepare for “Spooky season,” residents in the Greater Cincinnati Area hang their haunting decorations and prepare for their unique traditions for Halloween.

What was once an ancient Celtic festival is now a Westernized month-long string of events filled with candy corn, scary movies, the color orange and costumes.

Halloween is an old Samhain tradition that marked the end of summer and “the harvest,” signifying the start of darkness and winter - a time of year that the Celts often associated with death, according to the History Channel.

The origins of costumes & what’s trending

Since the early times of these festivals, people have always dressed in some kind of costume or disguise, such as animal skins and masks, for centuries during Halloween celebrations.

But it wasn’t until the mid-1900s that costumes began to modernize into what we know today.

A report conducted by Frightgeist collected data from Google Trends to decipher the most popular costume themes of 2023.

The top costume themes in the Greater Cincinnati Area as of Oct. 13 are Barbie, renaissance, witches, fairies and Wednesday Addams.

Candy & the idea of trick-or-treating

While it is unknown when and where the phrase trick-or-treating came from, the origins of the act are traced all the way back to the ninth century, according to the History Channel.

After Christianity spread to Northern Europe, Nov. 2 was designated as All Souls’ Day, which often consisted of celebrations that were similar to the Celtic festival.

Editors with the channel report that poor people would visit the homes of wealthier families and receive pastries called “soul cakes.” In exchange, the poor would promise to pray for the families’ dead relatives.

In 1951, trick-or-treating became a firm tradition in United States pop culture after the term was depicted in a Peanuts comic strip, the History Channel said.

The National Retail Federation reports that Americans are expected to spend $3.6 billion on candy this year.

Based on each city’s website and Facebook pages, most neighborhoods across the Tri-State will have trick-or-treating on Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.

Kentucky

• Newport: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Florence: Oct. 24 from 6-8 p.m. at Thomas More Stadium, 7950 Freedom Way.
• Covington: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Independence: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Bellevue: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.

• Boone County: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Fort Wright: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Fort Mitchell: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Edgewood: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Crescent Springs: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Crestview Springs: Oct. 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Crestview Hills Town Center.
• Lakeside Park: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Ludlow: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Cold Spring: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Dayton: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Fort Thomas: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Highland Heights: Oct. 31 from 6-7:30 p.m.
• Silver Grove: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Southgate: Oct. 31 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Wilder: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Alexandria: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.

Ohio

• Hamilton: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• West Chester Township: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Liberty Township: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Trenton: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Goshen Township: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Madeira: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Loveland: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Blue Ash: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Batavia: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• St. Bernard: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Oxford: Oct. 31 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Lockland: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Mt. Healthy: Oct. 20 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at 1546 Hill Ave.
• North College Hill: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Mariemont: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Montgomery: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Wyoming: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Deer Park: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Norwood: Oct. 29 from 6-8 p.m. Trunk or treat at the Norwood Recreation Center.
• Silverton: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Lebanon: Oct. 31 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Mason: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Franklin: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Indian Hill: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• North Bend: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Maineville: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Deerfield Township: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Forest Park: Oct. 31 from 4-8 p.m. at the Forest Chapel UMC and the Parkdale Library.

Indiana

• Lawrenceburg: Oct. 29 from 1-3 p.m. for trunk or treat at Ludlow Hill Park, and Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
• Aurora: Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.

When it comes to giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, some people may want to buy the most popular kinds.

According to the Candy Store, Blow Pops were Ohioans’ favorite candy and Reese’s Cups were voted best in Kentucky.

Don’t see your neighborhood for trick-or-treat times? Please click here to let us know! These times will continue to be updated throughout October.

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