Corb7 International October 31, 2018 Newsletter

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International Business

Big Business!

Halloween!

Happy Halloween and Business is Booming!

Are you cashing in on the holiday? Halloween is now the second-largest commercial holiday, second only to Christmas.  In the United States alone, over 180 million Americans are expected to partake in festivities, spending an estimated $9 billion. Thus, it is safe to say that October 31st is not just for kids anymore.

For adults looking to escape the routine of everyday life, Halloween offers an opportunity to use their imaginations, become anything they want or simply poke fun at their favorite political target. So, if you are attending or throwing a party, giving candy to children, carving a pumpkin, visiting haunted houses, congratulations because you are doing much more than escaping, you are pushing the business of Halloween to the main financial pages.

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International Business

How Did It Start?

A Pagan Holiday?

It is widely believed that the ancient origins of Halloween dates back to the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland believed that the dead returned to earth on Samhain with the end of summer. The superstitious belief of the day was that to avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark in the hopes of being mistaken as fellow spirits.   The Christian influence over the spooky holiday came as a celebration of the day before of All Saints’ Day, which is November 1st of every year and also known as All Hallows’ Eve and thus the contraction of the name to Halloween.  Pope Gregory IV replace the traditional pagan festival when the newer saintly holiday was melded with the well-established Celtic ceremonial rites.

In North America, trick-or-treating has been a Halloween tradition since the late 1920s and the commercialization of the holiday naturally followed.  It is thought that this custom was an outgrowth of the British and Irish tradition of going house-to-house collecting food for the poor while wearing costumes at Halloween dating back to the 16th century.

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International Business

Halloween Destination Trips!

Want to Plan a Trip?

As we conclude our fun look at this frequently misunderstood holiday, it might be fun to consider some of the top locations to celebrate.  From Transylvania to Northern Ireland, the video offered below is a quick look at those options.  Enjoy and of course … Happy Halloween!