Origin and meaning of Halloween festival

Halloween is one of the most popular festivals in the world, held every year on October 31st. This festival is often known for its scary costumes, the warm and spooky images of elaborately carved pumpkin lanterns and the catchphrase "trick or treat" of children. However, to better understand the origin and meaning of Halloween, we need to go back a long way in the past.

Origin of Halloween

Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France. Samhain marked the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, a time when the Celts believed the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred.

The ancient Celts celebrated the New Year on November 1st, so they believed that on the night of October 31st, ghosts would return to earth, causing trouble and destroying crops. To ward off the ghosts and please the gods, they held bonfire ceremonies and sacrificed animals and crops. They also dressed up as ghosts to avoid being recognized by demons.

When the Romans arrived, they mixed Samhain with two Roman events: Feralia, a festival to remember the dead, and a festival to honor Pomona, the goddess of fruit, symbolized by the apple. From this combination, the traditions and symbols of Halloween began to form.

Halloween was originally called “All Hallows' Eve”. “Hallow” is an Old English word meaning “holy”, while the word “Eve” is a Scottish word meaning even. From the original name “All Hallows' Eve”, Halloween became the official name recognized worldwide.

Halloween became popular in the United States when Irish immigrants came to the country, bringing with them their cultural traditions. Here, Halloween changed and became a fun festival with activities such as dressing up, carving pumpkins and "trick-or-treating".

Nowadays, Halloween is not only an occasion for children and young people to dress up and participate in fun activities, but also an occasion to enjoy art, horror movies and explore traditional cultures.

The meaning of Halloween

Halloween is not only an opportunity for people to be creative with costumes, disguises and participate in fun activities, increase community connection and show altruism through charitable activities.

For children, Halloween is especially appealing because of trick-or-treating, where children dress up in costumes and go from house to house asking for candy. This is not only a fun activity but also helps children learn about courage and communication skills.

On a deeper level, Halloween is also an opportunity for us to face our fears, an indispensable part of life. By dressing up as the things that scare us, people seek to control and accept them. At the same time, Halloween also reminds us of the finiteness of life, encouraging us to live each moment to the fullest.

In many countries, Halloween is also a way to commemorate the dead and welcome the souls back to the world of the living for a short time. One of the legends about Halloween tells that, out of pity for the fate of Jack, a soul with no place to go, not allowed to go to heaven or hell, the living people gave him a day to have fun with them to relieve his loneliness.

To make Jack feel less alone, people dressed up as ghosts so that Jack could blend in with the crowd. This is also a meaningful and humane aspect of Halloween.

Overall, Halloween has many meanings, from honoring cultural history to humanistic spirit. It is an occasion for each person to freely express themselves, promote creativity and build solidarity in the community. Over time, Halloween has both preserved traditions and integrated new values ​​of modern times.