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It's the night of fire and ghosts, of witches and magic! It's an Anglo-Saxon name, so it's a very old story!! Halloween is the night of October 31st , just before the traditional Christian celebration of November 1st.
When the Romans invaded Britain,
they added some elements taken from their own celebration of November
1st, in honour of Pomona, goddess of the fruits
and trees. This is the origin of the hollow pumpkin with a candle
inside, a traditional symbol of Halloween (and now a stereotype) to frighten evil spirits.
When Christianity became strong, the new faith changed the
tradition, and pagan spirits became Christian Saints. This was a common
change all over Western Europe as Christians spread, and in this case it is the origin
of the word The old Celtic tradition of bonfires survived in Scotland and Wales until modern times. Druids no longer exist, but the presence of ghosts, witches, and everything concerning "the other side" is still a very important part of this celebration in the British Isles and the United States. Nowadays, and perhaps due to globalization, Halloween is a very popular night not only in Anglo-Saxon countries, but in many places all over the world. Children in disguise walk along their neighbourhood asking for sweets. Shouting "Trick or Treat!!" they threaten their neighbours: the message is fairly clear: "If you don't give me some sweets, I'll be naughty and play pranks on you!!" |
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What's
Halloween?
The origins of Halloween are in the old and mysterious Celtic
world: on this special night called "Samhain"(which meant
"The end of the Summer") the druids used to light big bonfires
to keep away
the evil spirits. Halloween was the
night when those horrible ghosts came back to our world and visited the places
where they had lived. Besides, this was the end of the
year for the Celts, and it was the right moment to foresee the future with magical rituals... and to know who would get married in
the new year!!. 
"Halloween", which comes from "All Hallows'
Eve" a Catholic festival dedicated to the
dead.(
