What's the history behind Halloween? I'll explain it!

Meanwhile, the party has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, especially in Europe, Latin America, Australia, and East Asia.

On October 31, children dress up and call or knock at nearby houses decorated with pumpkins and lights and shout trick or treat! Giving a choice between becoming a teasing or something give treats. The residents then give the children sweets. Teenagers and young adults sometimes attend Halloween parties.

History

The name "Halloween" is derived from Hallow-e'en, or All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints' Day, November 1. In the Celtic calendar, the year started on November 1, so October 31 was New Year's Eve. The harvest was then in, the seed for the following year was ready, so there was time for a day off, the Celtic New Year or Samhain.

Samhain was also very special for another reason. On the island of Great Britain, Halloween was mainly celebrated by the Celts, who believed that on that day, the spirits of all the dead from the past year returned to try to take possession of a living body for the coming year.

The spirits that would arise from dead people were attracted by placing food for them outside the doors. However, to ward off evil spirits, the Celts wore masks. When the Romans invaded Britain, they mixed the Celtic tradition with their own, which, of course, involved the celebration of the harvest at the end of October and also the honoring of the dead.

In the 9th century, a European Christian custom crossed the sea and mingled with the Halloween celebration. On All Souls' Day (November 2), Christians dressed in rags went around the villages and begged for soul cake (bread with currants).

They promised to say a prayer for the donor's dead relatives for each loaf, thus hastening his release from the temporary punishments of purgatory and thus hastening his rapture to heaven. The trick-or-treat tour may have originated there.

Halloween in the United States

In the United States, the celebration was especially popular in the second half of the 19th century, when large Irish and Scottish immigrants entered the country. In the US, the famous jack-o'-lantern, a hollowed-out pumpkin that resembles a face, surfaced at this time. Worldwide this has become perhaps the most famous symbol of Halloween.

For much of the 20th century, Halloween in the US was primarily a children's celebration. During this children's party in the evening (often accompanied by an elder), the children go through the doors dressed up and ask for a treat (trick or treat).

The intention is to scare the person who opens the door a little. The resident often has candy at home, from which the children can choose. The houses that participate are recognizable by visible Halloween decorations.

From the 1980s onwards it became more and more a party for adults. The dress-up parties and the horror aspect became more and more important.

Jack-o'-lanterns

A jack-o'-lantern (sometimes also spelled Jack O'Lantern) is a typical Halloween decoration consisting of a hollowed-out pumpkin with a scary face carved into it. This pumpkin can serve as a lantern by inserting a candle or lamp.

Although the tradition of making these types of lanterns is part of Halloween worldwide, the name jack-o'-lantern is less known. The name is used, especially in America.

The tradition for making jack-o'-lanterns comes from Ireland. There are many stories about the origin of the lantern.

One of the best known is the story about the blacksmith Jack. One night Jack ran into the devil who wanted to take him to hell. Jack managed to trick the devil into a tree, then scratched a sign of the cross in the tree's trunk so that the devil could no longer leave the tree. Only after the devil had promised Jack that he would never go to hell did Jack remove the sign of the cross and set the devil free again.

Years later, when Jack died, he could not go to heaven because of his bad life, but the devil also did not let him enter hell because of the promise made. Since that time, Jack's soul has been wandering the earth according to the story.

The devil did throw red-hot coal after Jack when he sent him away from the Hellgate. Jack put the coal in a turnip he was eating, and that way, he got a lantern to light his way. According to this legend, the jack-o'-lantern is named after the blacksmith in this story.

Tubers were originally used to make the lanterns, but Irish immigrants to America soon discovered that the pumpkin was a lot more suitable for this purpose.