Wesley Berry, AAF
Halloween is an ancient holiday with many traditions. Children dress in costumes representing the latest characters to hit the big screen or in classic movie-monster garb. Adults throw costume parties with fabulously spooky decorations or gorgeous orange and black themes. It's all a great deal of fun, but one thing Halloween isn't is a holiday that's usually associated with flowers-but it should be!
Halloween began among the Celts who lived Ireland, Northern France, and the UK 2,000 years ago. At that time, they celebrated the New Year on November 1. Since the beginning of autumn was so often associated with death due to the withering of the fields after harvest and the long, dark, cold winter ahead, the Celts believed that as the end of the old year began to blur into the new one, so to did the lines between the world of the living and the world of the dead become fuzzy. They felt that on October 31 the ghosts of the departed returned to earth and committed all sorts of tricks and evil deeds.
As part of the celebration, Celtic druids built enormous bonfires on which were sacrificed animals and crops. As part of the ceremony, the Celts wore costumes of animal heads and pelts, which lead to today's tradition of donning costumes.
Sometime before the 800s, Christianity began to spread throughout Celtic lands and the Celtic traditions were replaced by Christian ones. November 1 was changed from the New Year to All Saints' Day when saints and martyrs were honored. All Saints' Day was also referred to as All-hallows or All-hallowmas, thus today's name for the holiday-Halloween.
Halloween parties still involve costumes and spooky traditions, but to make the décor even more spectacular, party throwers should consider using flowers as an integral part of the decorations. Some ways in which flowers can be used at a Halloween party are:
Your local florist is likely to have many more fantastic Halloween flower ideas. If you're planning a party, be sure to talk to your florist ahead of time so that appropriate flowers are available on the party date. Your florist will also be able to suggest many flower varieties available in traditional Halloween colors.
About the Author:
Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers, a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established in 1946. As a major sponsor of local-library.com and Localschoolfinder.com, Wesley Berry has worked hard on behalf of improving literacy. Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web at www.800wesleys.com.
