How did we get to costumes and going from house to house threatening to do a “trick” if we don’t receive “treats”? Halloween or “night of the witches” is a popular celebration in the United States, but its impact has been such that many cultures beyond the Anglo-Saxon world have adopted it. Every October 31st, the streets of neighborhoods are filled with witches, superheroes and heroines, terrifying clowns, vampires, ghosts, monsters, or any costume that the imagination allows.
The phrase “All Hallows’ Eve” is an abbreviated version of the word Halloween.
All Souls’ Day, a Christian celebration usually observed with familial get-togethers and solemn supplications to pay tribute to all the holy individuals, is commemorated on the initial day of November by families hailing from various countries, ranging from France to Mexico.
November 2nd is the Day of the Souls, the day after All Saints’ Day. Every October 31st, Halloween is celebrated, known as All Hallows’ Eve. The festival in medieval England, known as All Hallows, took place on November 1st. These days were designated as a celebration of the saints and a time to pray for the deceased souls.
We tell you here. Halloween’s origin dates back to pagan and Celtic traditions. But when did it all start?
Halloween, which was observed by the Celts two millennia ago, traces its roots to an ancient pagan celebration known as Samhain. This festivity, held in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the northwest of France, occurred on the first day of November to honor the onset of winter and the completion of the harvest season. The Celts held the belief that Samhain marked a period when departed souls revisited the realm of the living to pay a visit to their dwellings.
Professor Joseph Nagy of the Department of Celtic Literature and Languages at Harvard University explains on CNN, “It seems that the time we now call November was designated by the Celts-speaking peoples, who mainly represented the Irish, as the beginning of winter and the end of the harvest.”
The tradition of using masks started here when the villagers used masks to avoid being recognized, as it was believed that ghosts could recognize them. According to Britannica Encyclopedia, there are not many written records that clearly explain how the ancient Celts celebrated Samhain, but it is said that they lit bonfires on the hilltops to ward off evil spirits during the festival.
People going from house to house in areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland asked for a prayer in return for small breads known as “soul cakes”, which started a tradition.
Adults also went from door to door asking for food and drink in exchange for a song or dance.
The traditional use of carved pumpkins as lanterns on Halloween originated in Scotland and Ireland, where people originally used turnips or beets.
Jack, a man named Jack-o’-lanterns, was forced to walk through the coal mine to the land with his flashlight always turned on, and he couldn’t go to heaven or hell. This legend is called the Irish legend.
The term Jack-o’-lantern can also be traced back to the nocturnal sentry who illuminated the street lanterns every evening.
In the 19th century, immigrants from Ireland and Scotland brought Halloween to the United States. Regarding black cats, fire, and witchcraft, Haitian and African immigrants brought voodoo beliefs.
From Samhain to Halloween in the United States
The United States is the country that celebrates Halloween in a big way. The holiday, also known as “night of witches,” arrived in American territory with Irish immigrants who settled in the mid-19th century, complete with their costumes. By the 20th century, Halloween had become one of the main festivities, especially popular among the younger ones.
Nagy said: “For the style and things like nuts and fruits asking, they had a practical door-to-door approach and in the United States, the Irish immigrants really threw roots celebrations when they arrived.”
In other countries, not only in the United States but also, Halloween became the candy celebration it is today, added, over time, it became more commercialized and then.
The scenario of the party consists of inflatable dolls and neon orange lights, bat paper, skeletons or witches, graves, fake spider webs, carved pumpkins, buildings and houses with spooky decorations, something very eye-catching in the United States. To accumulate a greater amount of candy in your pumpkin and celebrate the “trick or treat” you go out to the streets of your neighborhood dressed up. The only limit to dress up for Halloween is your imagination. Now it is customary to use a variety of costumes ranging from terrifying clowns and superheroes to vampires and witches.
Families also commonly share frightening tales around a campfire or snuggle together to watch horror films.