Your Guide to the Halloween Tradition
Since Halloween is just around the corner, families here in the UK will be preparing for the festivities – decorating the house with pumpkins carved into ghoulish faces and other such decorations, organising costumes for parties and trick-or-treating, bonfires, apple bobbing and far too many sweets for the kids!
To help get you in the mood, the following guide will explain the history of Halloween.
Origin
Also called All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve, Halloween is celebrated across the world on October 31, except for Norfolk Island which has their celebration in December.
The respected historian Nicholas Rogers explored the origins of Halloween and said that “some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain.”
Originally spelt as Samuin and pronounced as sow-an or sow-in, this festival was historically observed by the Gaels in Ireland. In the Old Irish language, this name roughly translated as “summer’s end”.
The term Halloween first emerged in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even (“evening”), meaning the night before All Hallows Day.
The latter commemorates departed souls who have not yet been purified and reached heaven, according to the beliefs of Christianity.
All in all, Halloween is best known as being of Celtic pagan origin. To this day, Celtic NeoPagans consider the season a holy time of year and Celtic Reconstructionists (who maintain traditional customs) make offerings to their ancestors and gods.
Symbolism
Over time, specific artefacts, decorations and symbols associated with Halloween developed. The carving of jack-o’-lanterns is derived from the custom in Ireland and Scotland of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory. It was only later that immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin, which became the norm since it’s larger and thus easier to carve than turnips.
Trick-or-treating reportedly has its origins in the late medieval practice of souling, where peasants would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls’ Day (November 2).
Further Halloween imagery which has become standard is derived from many sources, including national customs, works of Gothic and horror literature plus classic horror films.
Halloween throughout the World
Today, Halloween is celebrated in a great many countries across the world. While certain traditional imagery has become entrenched most everywhere, it is celebrated in different ways.
Where Halloween originated in Scotland and Ireland, traditional customs include holding parties and children dressing up in costume to go “guising” (trick-or-treating). Other norms in Ireland include lighting bonfires and having firework displays.
Because of their mass transatlantic immigration in the 19th century, Halloween took root in the United States and Canada, which then had a significant impact on how the event is observed in other nations. We now see Halloween celebrated in continental Europe, Australia, South America, New Zealand, Japan, and other parts of East Asia.
Conclusion
Whether you’re attending a party, stocking up on horror s or getting your kids’ costumes ready for trick-or-treating, Halloween is loved by all. These days you can easily pick up a wealth of Halloween styled sweets, costumes and decorations at your local supermarket store. There are also some great new attractions to be found online at an affordable price. One of my favourites that I discovered recently are illuminated Halloween hanging lanterns – not only do they cast an attractive glow to light the way for the children doing their rounds, they come in a simple pack which lets you transform them into spiders! A great addition to make a special night.
About the Author: Jasmine Chu is an independent retailer of Halloween hanging lanterns.
Processing your request, Please wait....
