Halloween, the scariest festival of the year, is celebrated in various parts of the world today, October 31, which is also the eve of “All Saints’ Day” in the Christian calendar. Halloween is a shortening of “All Hallows’ Eve” or “All Saints’ Eve.”
Although of Christian origin, in much of Europe and most of North America, the observance of Halloween is non-religious and has become a fun occasion where adults and children dress up in the funniest or scariest themes to offer or receive candies and chocolates.
Origin
Halloween has its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Great Britain and Ireland. On the day corresponding to November 1 in contemporary calendars, it was believed that a new year would begin. This date was considered the start of the winter period, the time when herds were returned to pastures.
During the Samhain festival, it was believed that the souls of those who had died returned to visit their homes, and it was thought that those who had died during the year traveled to the other world. People would light bonfires on hilltops to rekindle the fire in their hearths for winter and to ward off evil spirits, and sometimes they would wear masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts that were believed to be present.
It was in this way that beings such as witches, goblins, fairies, and demons became associated with the holiday. The date was also considered favorable for divination on matters such as marriage, health, and death.
In the United States
Together with other festivities, the celebration of Halloween was widely prohibited among the early American colonists. When a large number of immigrants, including the Irish, arrived in the United States from the mid-19th century, they brought their Halloween customs with them, and by the 20th century, Halloween had become one of the major holidays in the U.S., especially among children.
Halloween became associated with a series of activities. One of them is the practice of making generally harmless pranks. Celebrants wear masks and costumes for parties and for trick-or-treating. Children go from house to house with the threat that they will play a trick if they do not receive a treat, usually candy.
Along with skeletons and black cats, the holiday incorporated scary beings such as ghosts, witches, and vampires. Another well-known symbol is the jack-o’-lantern, a hollow pumpkin, originally a turnip, carved into a demonic face and illuminated with a candle inside.
And after two years in which the celebration was contained due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year Halloween lovers are more excited than ever to return to the streets after dark.