Halloween in the United States is marked by carved and lighted pumpkins (jack-olanterns), scary scenes of witches and haunted houses, and people, especially children, dressed in costumes. The children go from house to house in their costumes asking for handouts of candy by saying, trick or treat. (If someone comes to your door, you should have wrapped candy or small coins to give each child. Some towns designate specific hours for these activities.) Halloween has become a major commercial event. Of the more than six billion dollars spent each year on Halloween, approximately one-third goes for candy. The name Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Hallows Day, also called All Saints Day, a commemoration of saints of the Christian church on November 1, established by the church in the eighth century. However, the symbols and associations of Halloween date back to Celtic practices in ancient Britain and to Roman rites brought to the British Isles in the first century A.D. For the Celts, October 31 marked the end of the year, with associations of the end of the harvest, the start of the lean months of winter, and death. Bonfires and lanterns were lit to scare away ghosts. It was thought that disguises could fool the spirits of the dead. The food that was offered to wandering souls fit the traditions of the Romans, who also had a harvest festival at this time. Under the influence of the church, these practices were turned into providing soul cakes for the poor and gradually blended together. The Halloween symbols and traditions that one sees today are the result of more than two thousand years of folk tradition and religious practices, with carved pumpkin lanterns, witches and ghosts, costumes, and distribution of food.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 16:57:26 +0000
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