What is Halloween and why do we celebrate it?
Halloween is a festival celebrated in the United States in which small ghosts and witches dressed in scary faces and scary costumes are seen walking in the streets, markets, parks and other places. Large pumpkins are often seen outside the houses with fantastic figures carved on them and candles burning inside them. Scary structures appear outside many houses and if you pass near them, they give you a heart-wrenching laugh.
Historians say that Halloween can be traced back to the pre-Christian era in Britain, Ireland and Northern France, where Celtic tribes celebrated the festival on October 31 every year. According to their custom, the new year started from November 1. Due to climatic conditions, harvesting of crops in these areas would end by the end of October and cold and dark days would begin from November. Winters were also attributed by the tribes to the days of death as most of the deaths occurred during this season.
The tribes believed that on the night before the beginning of the new year, i.e. the night of 31st October, the border between the spirits of the living and the dead softened and the spirits could enter the world and harm people, livestock and crops. Celtic tribes would light huge bonfires, distribute grain and sacrifice cattle on the night of October 31 to appease the spirits. On this occasion they wore animal skins and decorated their heads with animal horns.
What is Halloween and why do we celebrate it?
When Christianity came to dominate these areas in the 8th century, Pope Boniface IV declared November 1 as ‘All Saints’ Day’ to end this ancient festival. This day was called ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ in those days which later became Halloween. Despite the efforts of the church, the importance of Halloween could not be reduced and people continued to celebrate this festival in their own way.
After the discovery of America, a large number of Europeans settled here. They also brought with them their own culture and customs and festivals. It is said that Halloween was originally celebrated on a small scale locally by European immigrants in Maryland and southern communities. In the 19th century, a large number of people from Europe immigrated to America, including a large number of Irish people. Their arrival gave the festival a big boost and popularity and many new things were introduced, most notably, the trick-or-treat, which is the most important part of the festival today.
By the end of the 19th century, Halloween parties were becoming common in America, attended by both children and adults. In these parties, along with games and food, scary costumes were worn. Newspapers of that era used to publish such advertisements, encouraging those who would be able to dress in such a way that people would be shocked to see them.
In the twentieth century
Around 1950, Halloween became more of a cultural festival than a religious one, with immigrants from other parts of the world participating in their own style. Gradually, the business sector also began to market innovative costumes and other things to get their share of Halloween and marketing them on a scientific basis. Even now, Halloween has become a huge cultural festival with billions of dollars in business.
These pumpkins are called the jack-o’-lantern
Pumpkins have a long history with Halloween, though evil faces have not always been made from pumpkins.
Their origin stems from an Irish legend about miser Jack, who cheated the devil for his financial gain. When Jack died, God didn’t let him go to Heaven, and Satan didn’t let him go to Hell, so Jack was condemned to wander the earth forever. In Ireland, people began carving evil faces out of turnips to scare away Jack’s wandering spirit. When Irish immigrants moved to America, they began carving jack-o-lanterns out of pumpkins, as they were native to the area.
Folk tales about Stingy Jack were quickly incorporated into Halloween, and have been carving pumpkins or turnips ever since.
