Halloween

Half pagan, half Christian festival, in which Celtic and Catholic rites are mixed. Halloween or Halloween is originally a pagan holiday but it also has some Christianity. Halloween is a night of fantasy and mystery. The fear and terror of Halloween night comes from the belief that the dead return to visit us that night. The word Halloween has its origins in the Catholic Church. It is a contraction of the English prayer All Hallows Eve which means "The Day of All the Dead" and is a Catholic religious holiday that is currently celebrated on November 1 or 2 depending on the region where it is celebrated; but in medieval times, it was celebrated on October 31, coinciding with the Celtic celebration of the Samhain Festival. As we said, in its origins the holiday was called All Hallows Eve, but with the well-known contractions, so common in English, it was called "All Hallow E'en" and was finally called "Halloween". Halloween, which is celebrated today, began more than 3,000 years ago in Ireland as a harvest festival of the Celts. For whom, the change of seasons acquired a magical importance. In the 5th century BC, in the Ireland of the Celts, the Samhain festival was celebrated on October 31, which commemorated the end of summer and the beginning of a new year. When night fell, the festival of the dead was celebrated, so the spirits came out and roamed throughout the land. To appease these spirits, huge bonfires were made and the druids cast spells. It was said that during that night the spells and magic were more powerful than on any other day. When the Romans conquered the Celts, part of this celebration of the dead passed to Christian Rome. In the 4th century AD in Rome, Christianity tried to wipe out all things pagan and ancient religions. But the Celts could not completely abandon their customs, so the Christian church changed their name from Samhain to All Hallow's Eve and the reason for this celebration became the Christian adoration of all religious martyrs. The Christian church of the 7th century celebrated All Saints' Day in May, but people still expected the arrival of ghosts on October 31, so the feast of the saints was changed first to October 31 and later to the 1st or 2nd. November, so that it would not coincide with the Celtic celebration of the Samhain Festival. Like any holiday, Halloween does not escape the fact of having its own customs and rituals, specific to this celebration: Asking for Sweets: The custom of asking for sweets has its origins in Europe in the 9th century. At that time, every November 2, Christians went from town to town asking for "tortas de alma" which were pieces of bread with "currants." The more they received, the more they promised to pray for the donors' dead relatives, which carried the souls faster to heaven. In the 10th century the church changed the feast of the saints to November 2. Use of Costumes: On Halloween, it is customary for people to dress up; This custom having its origins in medieval Europe. In the medieval era in Europe, people wore masks when droughts or other disasters overwhelmed them. The masks were used to scare away spirits that brought evil to them. By extension to this belief, on Halloween, we dress up to scare away spirits and witches. But also, according to some historians, the custom of wearing costumes has another very different origin. During the times of the Middle Ages, some bandits took advantage of these beliefs (especially in which it was believed that on the night of October 31, the spirits return that night to visit us), and after committing their misdeeds, they went with the gossip that the spirits were to blame (who, of course, were never present to disprove them). These scoundrels dressed up to look like devils and horrors and make their story more believable, hence the custom of costumes! Nowadays, in some countries, children dress as ghosts to scare neighbors, being rewarded by them with the gift of candy. Use of Pumpkins with Lights: On the night of October 31, when the Celts left their homes to gather for the celebration, they had to leave a candle lit at the entrance of their house. If when they returned the candle had gone out, this meant that that year, someone in that house was going to die. But since on windy nights it was precisely the wind that blew out the candles, it occurred to them to protect it with a hollow pumpkin. Another version indicates that, a few years later, this festival arrived in the United States, brought by the pioneers, and was accepted as a tradition, integrating all the aforementioned details. It was a Catholic festival for small groups of faithful, which became extremely popular.