Halloween is also known as; Hallowe’en, A jack-o’-lantern, All Hallows Eve and All Saints’ Eve or Samhain.

The holiday is celebrated in various countries most commonly in; Ireland where it originated, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and in some parts of Australia. Many Latin American countries also celebrate this holiday in what is known as Noche de las Brujas (Night of the Witches). It should be noted that the holiday is mainly celebrated regardless of religion and is mainly cultural in nature. Irish immigrants brought versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th century. Other Western countries adopted the holiday in the late 20th century.

Halloween is always on October 31 of each year and is celebrated with some of the following activities; ghost tours, trick or treating, “haunted house” visits and fireworks (in Ireland), costume parties, apple digging, pumpkin carving, bonfires, reading scary stories and watching scary movies.

The basis of this holiday was derived from the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. This festival was the basis for the modern holiday we know as Halloween and is based on the ancient Irish samain. The Gaelic culture initiated the celebration of Halloween to mark the end of the harvest season known as the Samhain festival, which is considered the “Celtic New Year”. Ancient pagans used this festival to take inventory and slaughter cattle for winter supplies. Many ancient Gaels believed that on Halloween, then known as October 31, the boundary between the living and the dead dissolved, with the dead becoming dangerous to the living by causing problems such as disease or damaged crops. The festivals, to prevent these problems, frequently included bonfires, where the bones of slaughtered cattle were thrown. Costumes and masks were worn at festivals in an attempt to imitate or place evil spirits.

Some symbols of your holidays:

The most prominent symbol in the United States for this holiday is the so-called jack-o’-lantern, a carved pumpkin lit by a candle inside. Originally from Europe, these lanterns were first carved from kohlrabi or turnips. The Celts, believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body that contained the spirit and knowledge, used the “head” of the vegetable to drive away any superstition. The name jack-o’-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambler, and hard-drinking old farmer who tricked the devil by carving a cross into the trunk of the tree that caused the devil to go to the tree and was later killed by the devil. caught. In revenge for being trapped, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside a hollowed-out turnip. In North America, pumpkin carving is associated with Halloween, where pumpkins were and still are available and are much larger, making them easier to carve than turnips. Many American families celebrating Halloween carve a pumpkin into a scary or comical face and post it on their front door after dark.

Particularly in the United States, the symbolism is inspired by classic horror movies, which contain fictional figures such as Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and The Mummy. Elements of the fall season are also prevalent, such as pumpkins and scarecrows. Houses are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween.

In short, Halloween costumes are inspired by the origin and history of Halloween itself and are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and demons. The costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as characters from TV shows like Hannah Montana, movies, and other pop culture icons. Some of the most popular costumes in recent years have been the; Hannah Montana Halloween Costume, Batman Halloween Costume, Indiana Jones Halloween Costume, Disney Halloween Costume, Queen of Hearts Halloween Costume, Princess Halloween Costume, Sailor Halloween Costume, Star Wars Costume Halloween costume, Snow White Halloween costume, Spongebob Halloween costume, Zelda Halloween costume, and Miami Ink tattoo costume.

Author

Sunday Sentinelli