NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Halloween's celebration of mingling with the dead has roots in ancient Celtic celebrations of Samhain

  • Written by Tok Thompson, Professor of Anthropology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
imageHow did Halloween get associated with the spooky?SolStock/Collection E+ via Getty Images

As Halloween approaches, people get ready to celebrate the spooky, the scary and the haunted. Ghosts, zombies, skeletons and witches are prominently displayed in yards, windows, stores and community spaces. Festivities center around the realm of the dead, and...

Read more: Halloween's celebration of mingling with the dead has roots in ancient Celtic celebrations of...

More Articles ...

  1. 4 reasons affordable housing is slow to recover after disasters like hurricanes, and what communities can do about it
  2. Why do people have slips of the tongue?
  3. Using the ocean to fight climate change raises serious environmental justice and technical questions
  4. What's a cold war? A historian explains how rivals US and Soviet Union competed off the battlefield
  5. Republicans say crime is on the rise – what is the crime rate and what does it mean?
  6. With memories of embarrassments still fresh, election pollsters face big tests in 2022 midterm elections
  7. Why are so many people delighted by disgusting things?
  8. When Filipino parents in the US encourage their children to talk about their feelings and promote cultural pride, their children's mental health improves
  9. Newly available over-the-counter hearing aids offer many benefits, but consumers should be aware of the potential drawbacks
  10. Georgia's GOP overhauled the state's election laws in 2021 – and critics argue the target was Black voter turnout, not election fraud
  11. Corporate spending in state politics and elections can affect everything from your wallet to your health
  12. The US isn't at war with Russia, technically – but its support for Ukraine offers a classic case of a proxy war
  13. Why so many people have moved to Florida – and into harm's way
  14. Disasters like Hurricane Ian can affect academic performance for years to come
  15. Not all Asian Americans vote Democratic -- and the political leanings of different Asian ethnic groups vary
  16. A new type of material called a mechanical neural network can learn and change its physical properties to create adaptable, strong structures
  17. UK prime minister forced from office amid economic turmoil, chaos in parliament and a party in disarray
  18. Wildfires reshape forests and change the behavior of animals that live there
  19. How college in prison is leading professors to rethink how they teach
  20. Why the GOP’s battle for the soul of ‘character conservatives’ in these midterms may center on Utah and its Latter-day Saint voters
  21. Colonoscopy is still the most recommended screening for colorectal cancer, despite conflicting headlines and flawed interpretations of a new study
  22. HBO's 'House of the Dragon' was inspired by a real medieval dynastic struggle over a female ruler
  23. AI is changing scientists' understanding of language learning – and raising questions about an innate grammar
  24. 'Nobody said anything because they feared being benched' – how abuse is baked into American sports
  25. Experts grade Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube on readiness to handle midterm election misinformation
  26. How Bob Dylan used the ancient practice of 'imitatio' to craft some of the most original songs of his time
  27. Anxiety detection and treatment in early childhood can lower risk for long-term mental health issues – an expert panel now recommends screening starting at age 8
  28. Getting to 'net-zero' emissions: How energy leaders envision countering climate change in the future
  29. How the costs of disasters like Hurricane Ian are calculated – and why it takes so long to add them up
  30. Crippling civilian infrastructure has long been part of Russian generals' playbook – Putin is merely expanding that approach
  31. Soaring inflation prompts biggest Social Security cost-of-living boost since 1981 – 6 questions answered 
  32. Bees face many challenges – and climate change is ratcheting up the pressure
  33. It's taking more time to cast a ballot in US elections – and even longer for Black and Hispanic voters
  34. Jan. 6 Committee's fact-finding and bipartisanship will lead to an impact in coming decades, if not tomorrow
  35. Rainbow fentanyl – the newest Halloween scare
  36. Russia is enlisting hundreds of thousands of men to fight against Ukraine, but public support for Putin is falling
  37. What the Jan. 6 committee could learn from the failures of truth commissions to bring justice and accountability
  38. Male birth control options are in development, but a number of barriers still stand in the way
  39. Challenges to voters are growing before the midterms -- and have a long history as a way of keeping down the Black vote
  40. Black women endure legacy of racism in homeownership and making costly repairs
  41. 'Silent Spring' 60 years on: 4 essential reads on pesticides and the environment
  42. Quiet quitting and the great resignation have a common cause – dissatisfied workers feel they can't speak up in the workplace
  43. Body piercings may be artistic, but they bring risks of infection, allergic reactions, scarring and urine leakage
  44. Young immigrants are looking to social media to engage in politics and elections – even if they are not eligible to vote
  45. Good faith and the honor of partisan election officials used to be enough to ensure trust in voting results – but not anymore
  46. Genetically engineered bacteria make living materials for self-repairing walls and cleaning up pollution
  47. Who invented music? The search for stone flutes, clay whistles and the dawn of song
  48. The 5,000-year history of writer's block
  49. Headcovers have always been political in Iran – for women on all sides
  50. How to steer money for drinking water and sewer upgrades to the communities that need it most