- What is Halloween and why is it celebrated 2023? Differences between it St. Martin’s and St. Catherine’s Day
- Where does it come from and why is it celebrated?
- What is being done on Halloween?
- Why are pumpkins important on Halloween?
In addition to the US, Halloween is also becoming more and more popular in Estonia. And since the holiday of witches and all sorts of evil spirits is coming up soon, we must admit that we are very big fans of Halloween at Sokisahtel! Such big fans of this holiday that, from time to time, for fun, we like to roll small decorative pumpkins across the entire office with a witch-like cackle. We even created our own Halloween sock collection! Some of us even have black cats snarling on the couch. Isn’t it nice? We will share with you the secrets of Halloween and the knowledge we’ve gathered about this spooky holiday! We also share a secret spooky recipe for a pleasant autumn pumpkin soup with you! Find your witch broom and get ready for the flight!
What is Halloween and why is it celebrated 2023? Differences between it St. Martin’s and St. Catherine’s Day
Halloween is held every year on October 31st, that in 2023 is a Tuesday. This tradition originated in the Gaelic festival of Samhain. This marked the end of the harvest period. When all the fruits were gathered, people went to the streets in costumes to celebrate. Wandering souls are not allowed to recognize people! According to a legend, these souls were able to return to Earth on that day and move around the streets. The day after Halloween, people lock their doors again and everything is back in place! Although it is most widely celebrated in the US, the rest of the world is quickly catching up too, as it’s becoming more and more popular especially amongst young people.
By the way, the Martin’s Day (Mardipäev) and Catherine’s Day (Kadripäev) that are more native to Estonia actually have many similarities with Halloween in terms of costumes and trick-or-treating.
Where does it come from and why is it celebrated?
Halloween is not a purely American holiday! Although the holiday is nowadays held mainly there, Halloween was originally from Ireland. One of the lesser-known traditions was for single girls to look for their future husbands. Various rituals were performed to find love. Today, Halloween is mainly celebrated by children and young people. The emphasis is on parties, finding candy, and dressing up in costumes. 🍬
What is being done on Halloween?
The main traditions of Halloween have remained but many new ones have become part of the holiday as well.
In addition to people’s costumes, their pets are also dressed as cartoon characters during Halloween. Instead of candy, small gifts have been offered: keychains, toys, and hair bands. By the way, a great choice is to use Sokisahtel’s Halloween socks as gifts instead of candy.
The kids love candy – TRICK OR TREAT!
Candy is the best part of Halloween. In the USA, asking for candy has taken on a huge dimension – during Halloween, a child brings home about 11,000 calories worth of candy! And what’s especially funny, 86% of parents admit that they go to the child’s Halloween candy bag looking for sweets. It is difficult to put an end to all this sweetness’ addiction
A little trick! Put a couple of Sokisahtel’s Halloween socks into the bag for the child who appears behind your door! The taste of the candy lasts for a short time, but the socks last longer!
Scary movies and spooky houses
If you like scary things, a must-visit place is the longest spook house in the world in Alberquerque, America. There are almost 2.2 kilometers of horror trails to walk through. Believe us, when you go through it, nothing will frighten or scare you anymore during Halloween! The witch jumps out from the corner – all good, you get to pat a little witch cat and walk forward. However, until such a scary Halloween spook house is created in Estonia, you can continue witchcraft among your friends!
Horror movies are a big part of Halloween and they get scarier every year! If you’re a big friend of horror movies, search for your favorites or find out if a new movie has come out, invite your friends together and have a fun Halloween-themed movie night together!
Costumes for children and the costume of a Sock Monster
In the old days, costumes were made from easily available things such as bed sheets for ghosts, hand-made masks to hide behind them, and animal skins to cover themselves. Luckily, there are many more costume options today. Whether you buy a costume or make it yourself, you can find good ideas everywhere! At Sokisahtel, we have been looking for our unused socks out of the bottom of the sockdrawer. Let’s make a great sock monster’s costume together!
What you need to make a Sock Monster’s Costume:
- Old bigger t-shirt
- Hat
- Pants
- Glue or thread and needle
- Socks/stockings of your choice (with holes, singles)
To create a Sock Monster’s costume, spread a t-shirt on a flat surface. Sew or glue socks and stockings to the shirt so that the shirt is evenly covered with socks. Do the same with the hat and trousers, let the socks hang over the edge of the hat, it’s even more fun!
Why are pumpkins important on Halloween?
In addition to pumpkins, faces were carved into other plants in the past. Instead of pumpkins, turnips, potatoes, and beets were used instead. Although potatoes with an evil face are probably not very scary. It was not until the 1800s that pumpkins began to be made to face, as the Irish migrated to America due to the Great Famine. Pumpkins were used instead of potatoes. One thing we are sure of – one scary Halloween pumpkin is better than ten tiny turnips!
How to create your own spooky Halloween pumpkin?
- Choose a beautiful pumpkin you’d like to carve
- Use a sharp knife carefully, then more precise cuts will come
- Sokisahtel’s tip: Usually, the part around the pumpkin that surrounds the stalk is cut off to get inside the pumpkin. We recommend cutting a piece under the pumpkin. That way, the pumpkin won’t sink in later. Because of this, it stays beautiful and lasts longer.
- Remove the soft content inside the pumpkin.
- Draw a face on the pumpkin with a marker to make it clear what the pumpkin will look like.
- Carefully cut the eye holes and mouth into the pumpkin and place a tealight in the pumpkin. This way it’s even scarier, and in the darkness of Halloween, the pumpkin head starts to glow
How to make pumpkin soup?
You will need:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- ~ 2 kg of pumpkin
- 1 l chicken broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- 120 ml whipped cream + a little more for decoration
Time needed: 50 minutes.
- First of all, strong flavors into the pot!
Heat the oil in a larger pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, fry in oil until golden.
- Now comes the pumpkin!
Add pumpkin pieces and chicken broth, season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil without the lid and reduce the heat to a low.
- You can already smell the good flavors!
Boil for about 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Remove the pot from the heat and crush with a hand mixer.
- Get ready now!
Stir in the whipped cream and season as desired. Garnish with Salt’s Up Angel’s Hair with chili threads, croutons, roasted pumpkin seeds, or chopped onions. The choice is yours! Bon Appetit!
We are SO ready for Halloween and hope you’re prepared as well! Get your costumes on, fill your stomach with a tasty soup and hop on your witch broom! If you haven’t learned this profession yet, our Halloween socks will help you to get into the right mood! There is a large variety available for children and men as well! Time to visit our stores or order from Sokisahtel’s webshop and you’re ready for Halloween!
