On October 31st., people around the world will be celebrating Halloween.
Halloween as it is known in America, commonly involves dressing up in costumes and going “trick or treating” around one’s neighborhood for candy, telling ghost stories, carving Jack-o-lanterns, and decorating one’s house in spooky decor.
Many modern-day pagans, Wiccans and Satanists have adopted Halloween as a holiday to celebrate their beliefs in black magic, mysticism and the occult. Whether one views the holiday as innocuous or evil, its history reveals roots in religious traditions, pagan sacrifices and folklore.
The word “Halloween” actually comes from a contracted form of “All Hallows Eve” from the Catholic Church. Originally it denoted the evening before November 1, “All Hollows Day” (or “All Saints Day”). It was the Catholic day of observance in honor of all Saints in heaven, known or unknown. In fact, the holiday was considered to be one of the most solemn and significant observances of the Church year. In the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which means “end of summer”. Along the centuries, things got mixed up and turned into “Halloween”.
Trick for Treat
The custom of trick or treating probably has several origins. One of them says the Druids believed that, during Samhain, the dead would cause panic and destruction. To appease them, country folks would give food to the people who visited their homes.
Others say that in Ireland, peasants went from door to door to collect money, cheese, eggs, butter, apples, etc. in preparation for the festival of St. Columb Kill.
In the ninth-century, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes” made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars received, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.
The Witch’s Broomstick
The witch is a central symbol of Halloween.
The name comes from the Saxon wica (= the wise one). When setting out for a Sabbath, witches rubbed a sacred ointment onto their skin. This gave them a feeling of flying. Some witches rode on horseback, but poor witches went on foot and carried a broom or a pole to aid in vaulting over streams. In England when new witches were initiated they were often blindfolded, smeared with flying ointment and placed on a broomstick. The ointment would confuse the mind, speed up the pulse and numb the feet. When they were told “You are flying over land and sea,” the witch took their word for it.
Jack-O-Lanterns
Jack was said to be a shifty Irish villain so wicked that neither God nor the Devil wanted him. Rejected by both the sacred and profane, he wandered the world endlessly looking for a place to rest, his only warmth a glittering candle in a rotten turnip. Irish children used to carve out potatoes or turnips and light them for their Halloween gatherings and commemorated Jack.
Over 700,000 Irish immigrants came to the Americas during the Irish Potato Famine (1845-50).They brought with them traditions of Halloween and Jack o’Lanterns. As turnips were not as readily available as back home, they found the American pumpkin to be an adequate replacement. Today, the carved pumpkin is perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday.
Halloween Masquerade Mask
From earliest times people wore masks when disasters struck. They believed that the demons who had brought their misfortune upon them would become frightened off by the hideous masks. Even after the festival of Sa
mhain had merged with Halloween, Europeans felt uneasy at this time of the year. Food was stored in preparation for the winter and the house was snug and warm. The cold, envious ghosts were outside, and people who went out after dark often wore masks to keep from being recognized.
mhain had merged with Halloween, Europeans felt uneasy at this time of the year. Food was stored in preparation for the winter and the house was snug and warm. The cold, envious ghosts were outside, and people who went out after dark often wore masks to keep from being recognized.
I’ve bumped into those interesting information and wanted to share them with you. If you need any further information go the sources. Just take a look at
Have a nice time.
Elisabeth Prescher
Elisabeth Prescher é graduada em Letras pela Universidade Mackenzie e pós graduada em Educação Infantil pela FMU. Possui certificados de Proficiency in English pelas universidades de Michigan e Cambridge. É professora, pesquisadora, autora de readers, livros de apoio didático, gramáticas e livros didáticos de inglês para o Ensino Fundamental I, II e Ensino Mèdio. Passatempo favorito: escrever.
