Tuttle Chiropractic History of Halloween

With four weeks to go until Halloween, Tuttle Chiropractic Clinic thought it would be fun to share with you the history behind this eerily fun holiday. Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening"), also known as All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly celebration celebrated in a number of countries on October 31. Halloween is thought to have been influenced by Celtic folk customs and beliefs, some of which have pagan roots, and others that derive from Celtic Christianity. Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain", which comes from the Old Irish for "summer's end". Samhain was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It was held on or about October 31 November 1 and kindred festivals were held at the same time of year by the Brythonic Celts; for example Calan Gaeaf (in Wales), Kalan Gwav (in Cornwall) and Kalan Goav (in Brittany). Samhain and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century, and are still the Gaelic and Welsh names for Halloween. This fun holiday means many things to many different people. Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (also known as "guising"), attending costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. Tuttle Chiropractic wishes everyone a safe, fun and scary Halloween. October is National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM), and this years theme is Get Vertical! According to the American Chiropractic Associations (ACA) site, Get Vertical focuses on the importance of joint health at all stages of life and encourages everyone to use the month of October to get off their couches and office chairs, stand up and move. Dr. Justin Tuttle is a native of Peoria, IL and is a graduate of St. Vincent de Paul and Peoria Notre Dame High School. After completing an undergraduate degree in Business Leadership from Purdue University Dr. Justin Tuttle began his Chiropractic training at Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, Iowa, where he graduated in 2005.