| In some places across the infamous Bible Belt, children will not be permitted to dress as ghost, witches or goblins. If these do so attire, they may be shooed away by people in the neighborhood. In fact, some youngsters simply will not be permitted to go out trick or treating this year. The holiday falls on a Sunday. Some communities are declaring that Halloween should be celebrated on Saturday. On the other hand, there are people that maintain that Halloween should be celebrated on October 31, period.
Traditions and rites: Popular custom "Trick or treat". On Halloween’s night, children knock at neighbor’s doors and scream: "Trick or treat!", soliciting sweets and threatening with tricks in case of refusal.
Ancient Celts celebrated one more holiday, connected with Halloween – Hunter’s Moon, last full moon before Samhain. It is considered that this is the time for highest psychic ascent and at this time, the boundary between the worlds become so thin that many creatures pass through the thin boundary. This is the time, when otherworld can influence more on Earth. At night, girls predicted. It is customary to throw two chestnuts in bonfire of Druids. If the fruits burn side by side, then the girl shall live in friendship & harmony with husband and if the chestnuts fall in different directions – then the girl and loved one shall get separated. Girl could see her future husband by sitting in front of a mirror with an apple in her hands. Falling of candlestick “Evil spirits want to put-off the fire in house” was considered bad omen by the Celtics. Very courageous citizens wear the dress wrong way and step out onto the streets in night hoping to encounter witch and hear their future directly from the witch.
Then why the pumpkin? Approaching of Halloween is signaled by hundreds of attributes in the form of pumpkins, which appear on the show-windows and stalls of shops. Already hundreds of years, Jack-o-lanterns are positioned in each window on October 31 to scare away the evil spirits. Pumpkin symbolizes the end of harvest and at the same time symbolizes the evil spirits and fire, which scares away the evil spirits.
Ireland’s legend about a drunkard miser named Jack gives information about the origin of Halloween’s symbol.
...One day on the eve of All Saint’s Day, Devil had set its eyes on a drunkard smith by name Jack, who was sitting in a bar. Jack agreed to offer his soul to Devil but only in exchange for a mug of ale (beer). To buy him the ale, devil turned into a coin. Cunning Jack put the six penny coin in wallet, in which he had a silver cross. Tormented by cross, devil begged for mercy and Jack let it go only after earning a ten year peaceful life for him. After 10 yrs, when the devil once again appeared, Jack in his last wish requested for an apple. Devil put Jack on its shoulders and tried to reach the apple branch. Jack quickly made a cross on the bark of apple tree. Devil hung in air and as a result, promised not to disturb Jack another ten years and would never take Jack’s soul.
Eventually, Jack died. God, naturally, refused to take sinful Jack to Heaven. Devil met Jack en route to Hell. “I cannot take your soul” – said the devil, fulfilling its promise. "Where to go?" – asked Jack. "To the place, from where you have come" - answered devil. Due to pitch darkness around, Jack requested for a light. And the Devil mockingly tossed him an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. Jack carved out a turnip (which was his favourite food), put the ember inside it to protect the fire from wind and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. Till date, Jack-o-Lantern wanders around the Earth waiting for Last Judgment and is a symbol of cursed spirit. In Ireland and Scotland, dreadful faces were made from cut turnips and potato and candle lights were placed in them. In England, dreadful faces are made from beetroots. With immigration, tradition migrated to America. Pumpkin, grown in continent, has taken on the ideal role of “Jack-o-Lantern”!
History of Halloween (halloween):
Halloween, which is being celebrated widely not long ago in America, is now gaining popularity in Russia. What do we know about Halloween and where from it has originated? Does Halloween mean more or a mere night, on which the children, dressed up in various otherworldly costumes, collect sweets?
Halloween is one of the ancient holidays in the world. Its history dates back to thousands of years starting from Celtic festival Samhain, Roman Pomonia Day (in the honor or orchard Goddess Pomona) and Christian’s “All Saints Day”. By strange manner, Celtic celebration in the honor of evil spirits and Christian’s worshipping all the sacred saints got combined.
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