Soon, all the little boos and ghouls will be roaming the streets in costume, searching for goodies. However, because of safety concerns, many parents would rather have Halloween parties than let their kids go trick-or-treating. For these people, the scariest part of the holiday is the thought of the messes, stains, and, perhaps, broken items that they will have to clean up. If you're facing this problem, you may have the solution right in your own backyard if you have a
gazebo.Every year, more people are putting their gazebos to practical uses, such as this. Although enclosed gazebos are best, even open ones can be used for parties, especially if you build a bonfire in the yard. After all, nothing evokes the spirit of Halloween like telling a good fireside ghost story, which has been a traditional part of the holiday for centuries. Moreover, the origin of Halloween is one of the best tales that you could tell.Unfortunately, most people don't know how it all got started. One reason that's true is because there are so many different ideas of the way it really happened. While some think it's a pagan holiday, others believe that it is somehow rooted in religion. The truth is that it's a little bit of both.It all started more than 2,000 years ago, by according to most accounts the Druids, a Celtic people that lived in and around Ireland and Northern Europe. It was initially tied to the celebration of Samhain, which meant summer's end, or November. Because, on the Celtic calendar, October 31st was the last day of the year, it was actually a gigantic New Year's Eve party except that it was November Eve.Samhain was a huge harvest festival that was full of rituals, including sacrificial fires that the Druids believed would pacify their gods and ensure that the sun would shine brilliantly after the long, dark winter. They would build these fires on hilltops and often throw the bones of slaughtered cattle into them. Many believe that the word, bonfire, is derived from these bone fires. Even today, hundreds of these traditional fires can be seen all over the countryside in Ireland on Halloween night.Not surprisingly, there was a lot of story-telling, dancing, and singing around the fire. It was also customary for the participants to dress in the skins and heads of animals, in an effort to disguise themselves as spirits and demons, so the actual spirits and demons wouldn't be able to tell that they were human. This is believed to be the origin of Halloween costumes.The Celts also believed that the souls of the dead would walk the streets at night. Because some spirits were thought to be malevolent, people would leave gifts and treats outside their doors to appease them, and ensure that their crops would be abundant the following year. This is one idea of how trick-or-treating got started.As you can see, the story of the origin of Halloween is quite fantastic; and, in any of its many versions, it will be a great one to tell while sitting around the fire this year. Then, if you really want to amaze them, tell them the one about how a wizard helped you build your gazebo; and if they don't believe you, take them to GazeboCreations.com and prove it.At GazeboCreations.com, the Gazebo Wizard will help you to design the gazebo of your dreams. In a few easy steps, you can select the material, size, and style that you want, then choose from the dozens of options he offers, including different types of flooring, insulation, decorative railings, wiring, fans, cupolas, roofing material and color, and much more. The wizard will help you to create as many gazebos as you wish, save them to your personal gallery, and change them any time you ask.Indeed, the Gazebo Wizard is no ghost story. You can find him at
GazeboCreations.com, along with design consultants and customer service representatives who are ready to assist you any time. To contact them (no, you don't have to have a sance), just call 1-888-293-2339, or e-mail
cs@gazebocreations.com.
