Halloween

The origin:

Halloween has its origins in Ireland: since around 700 BC. The Celts celebrated “Samhain”, one of their most important festivals, on October 31st. They celebrated their harvest, the start of the cold season and the beginning of a new calendar year. The Celts also believed that on this day the underworld was open and an encounter between the living and the dead occurred.

To scare away evil spirits, people dressed up in scary costumes and haunted the streets even at night. Large fires were supposed to keep evil spirits away. There were small gifts ("treats") in front of the houses that were supposed to appease the spirits and prevent them from committing misdeeds.

The church referred to the pagan festival in the 9th century as "All Hallows Eve", the evening before All Saints' Day. The current word “Halloween” was later changed from this. Since the 19th century, Halloween has become increasingly popular, brought to America by Irish immigrants. The most well-known custom involves children dressed in scary costumes going from house to house and asking the residents to give them candy with "trick or treat" saying "trick or treat" or else they will play tricks on them. Nowadays, the Halloween tradition has spread almost all over the world.

Copyright: gardnerian.de