The King's Port Inn would like to wish everybody a happy Halloween! Our town of Kennebunk is one of the best places in New England to enjoy Halloween. We have many historic houses and inns that date back to the early 1800's. Summer street, in Kennebunk, is a perfect example. These houses are usually decorated with ghosts and scary creatures, and offer a fun time for trick-or-treaters. It is also a safe place for families to go being a short walking distance from downtown Kennebunk.
The King's Port Inn would like to share a brief history of Halloween:
Although there is some debate on the origins of Halloween, if it believed to have been influenced by Christian dogma and the practices derived from it. Halloween is the evening before the Christian Holy Days of "All Saints Day". So, Halloween literally means "All Hallow's Eve", the day before All Hallow's Day. These Holidays are a time for honoring the saints and martyrs and praying for the recently departed souls who have not yet to reach heaven. In 609, Pope Boniface started this tradition at the Pantheon in Rome.
By the end of the 12th century the holiday evolved to the tradition of ringing church bells for the souls in purgatory. In addition, it was customary for criers dressed in black to parade the streets, ringing bells and calling on all good Chistians to remember the poor souls stuck in purgatory. Then in the 15th century, in Germany, groups of people, often children, began going door-to-door asking for soul cakes in exchange for praying for the dead.
It was also believed that Halloween provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the next world. In order to avoid being recognized by any soul that sought vengeance, people would don masks or costumes to disguise their identities.
On Halloween, in medieval Europe, fires were lit to guide those souls on their way and deflect them from haunting honest Christian folk. Households in Austria, England and Ireland often had candles burning in every room to guide the souls back to visit their earthly homes.
The modern day version of Halloween started in the early 20th century, with children going "guising" around the neighborhood. Trick or treating did not become widespread until the 1930's. In recent days, there has been a popular variant of trick-or-treating called trunk-or-treating. These are decorated car trunks that offer treats from a church or school parking lot. This being a safer alternative to going door-to-door.
We at the King's Port Inn hope you enjoyed this history. We have availability for Halloween and the month of October. We have premium King rooms for as low at $89.00 a night. Also, we have Jacuzzi suites starting at $109 a night. Each room includes free continental breakfast, free wi fi, and free parking. To make a reservation, please call us at 1-800-286-5767. We would be happy to hear from you.
The King's Port Inn
