Happy Halloween 2021!
How did the Halloween holiday come about? According to history.com “The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.”
The word Halloween precisely means “Hallowed Evening," and prior to this was referred by “early European celebrators as All Hallows' Eve. All Hallows' Eve (October 31) and All Saints' Day (November 1) both paid homage to saints ("hallows" = saints),” according to the article “What's the Real History of Halloween—and Why Do We Celebrate It on October 31?” by Blair Donovan from Country Living Magazine.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the Center for Disease Control and the Connecticut Department of Public Health has issued guidelines regarding the traditional Halloween activities this year.
The CDC updated its holiday advice for Halloween 2021 during another year of COVID-19. They are saying that outside activities such as Trick or Treating are low risk activities because it is outside. They are recommending that people who do this activity still wear a surgical mask underneath their costume masks and to get vaccinated against the virus if you have not done so already. Also, people who pass out treats to the Trick or Treaters should also wear a surgical mask too.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC Director, noted people should not gather in large settings outside and shout like you are at a football game from the WEB MD article “CDC Director Encourages Halloween Trick-or-Treating”. They are also recommending people get vaccinated from the COVID-19 Virus to minimize the risk of getting it.
The Connecticut Department of Health suggested instead of “in-person house parties host virtual Halloween events, e.g., virtual costume contests, Host drive-by Halloween events…Prepare candy scavenger hunts at homes with your household members…Have a Halloween movie night with the people in your household. They are recommending the traditional trick or treating be avoided this year because it is a high-risk activity due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. They also issued guidelines for people who would like to pass out candy to trick or treaters such as wear a mask while giving out treats, use a hand sanitizer before giving out the goodies, remain six feet apart from the trick or treaters and place the candy inside the bag for them instead of them taking it from your candy bowl.
It was 10 years ago on October 29, 2011 that Winter Storm Alfred struck the state with two feet of snow causing many communities to cancel Halloween according to WFSB TV, Channel 3. The good news is that there will not be any more snow to ruin everyone’s Halloween plans. The National Weather Service website is not predicting any snow for Saturday and the nighttime temperature will be in the low 50 degrees. On Sunday, the forecast calls for “A chance of rain before 8am, then a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%,” from the National Weather Service
For more information about Halloween and guidance from the CDC, the Connecticut Department of Public Health please click on the links below.
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/a40250/heres-why-we-really-celebrate-halloween/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/celebrations.html
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20211025/cdc-director-halloween-trick-or-treating
https://www.vaccines.gov
https://portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal
https://portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal/COVID-19-Vaccination-Walkup
Have a Happy & Safe Halloween! Enjoy the videos!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQNXbv3LCfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe93CLbHjxQ
No comments:
Post a Comment