What kind of holiday is Halloween?
What kind of holiday is Halloween?In fact, whatever they call it...Feast of Death, Samhain, All Hallows' Eve. The names Samhain and Halloween have caught on the most. By the way, if you have long been tormented by the question of where to put the emphasis in the last word, then anywhere. Both Halloween and Halloween are correct.On this day, it is customary to consider death and fear funny, to dress up in costumes of all kinds of evil spirits and have fun. Of course, the traditions of celebrating Halloween now and several centuries ago are very different, but people have not become less fond of the holiday over time.History of HalloweenThis holiday first made itself felt in the sixteenth century, and the name was obtained as a result of changing the phrase All Hallows Even, where Even is short for evening. The entire phrase can be translated as "Evening on All Hallows' Eve."It is customary to associate Halloween with the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which appeared in the 10th century. Initially, the Celts, who inhabited England, Ireland and northern France, were separated by only two seasons: winter and summer. October 31 was considered the day of transition from summer to winter. This day meant the end of the harvest, and this was a very significant event for that time. Later, for many peoples, this holiday began to include everything related to the supernatural. This date was usually accompanied by rituals to drive out demons from their homes and wild celebrations, and rituals are still performed in some countries.After some time, Halloween began to displace Samhain and independently gain a foothold in history as All Saints' Day.Since the 16th century, both Samhain and Halloween have been celebrated on the night from October 31 to November 1, and according to tradition, adults and ch** dress up as monsters, vampires and other evil spirits, and go from house to house asking for sweets. Most often with phrases like: "trick or treat," which is translated as "Trick or Treat" or "Trick or Treat." According to tradition, it is customary to give sweets, but if a person refuses, they jokingly wish him some trouble or threaten to do some mischief. Since the beginning of the 20th century, there has been a tendency to carry a Jack-O-Lantern, but more on that later.Halloween symbolsHistory of the Jack-O-LanternThere is a legend in Ireland: the stingy blacksmith Jack, who always did not mind dr**ing a bottle and generally did not lead a particularly godly lifestyle, somehow sat down in a tavern with the Devil himself. When the time came to pay the bill, Jack asked him to turn into a coin, and when the Devil did this, Jack put the coin in his pocket, where the silver cross lay. The ruler of the underworld found himself "in Christ's bosom," and could not return to his previous state. To free himself, the Devil promised Jack not to cause trouble for him for a year, and after his death he promised not to lay claim to the blacksmith's soul.The experience taught no one anything, and Jack tricked the Devil once again. He asked the evil one to climb the tree to pick fruit. When he climbed up, Jack scratched a cross on the trunk. Thus, he won himself another 10 years of a quiet life without the machinations of the Devil. But, alas, I did not live them. And when the time came to move to either Heaven or Hell, Jack was not taken to either one. Therefore, in anticipation of the day of judgment, Jack had to wander the earth, lighting his way with the coal that the Devil gave him as a farewell. He put the coal in an empty pumpkin.Hence the name - Jack-o-lantern or Jack-o-lantern, short for Jack of the Lantern.Nowadays pumpkin carving is an art. Competitions and tournaments are held, and in 2013 a record was set: 30,581 Jack-o'-lanterns were lit simultaneously in America.