Hallow Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
Hallow Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
An evening holy unto evil, death, and divination. Witches, black cats, pumpkins, candles, masks, parties and pranks. What comes into your mind? Yes, its Halloween. But before going to festivities let's focus first on its humble beginnings.
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
Now going back to the present, Halloween as we all know is distinguished the other way around. Not much of cold winter chills but instead it was changed by warm fun festivities which includes parades and town-wide parties. Trick-or-treating which is the star of the event is observed not just in America but worldwide. Children sometimes even adults wear their costumes go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy, or sometimes toys. Now on the 21st century, it is one of the fastest growing industry, this marketplace evolve and blossom to become a nearly $5 billion dollar business. Not to mention, Halloween is widely accepted to be the second largest decorating holiday after Christmas! With fresh enthusiasm every year from children, teens and adults, spending on the holiday continues to create a strong business environment for retailers. Truly, Halloween is a great holiday for children and adults. We all have a wonderful time celebrating this memorable holiday. It really became a global phenomenon, from a Pagan ritual to a party night.
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