Halloween: The Most Popular Holiday.
What is the Halloween party?
Halloween is a folk festival and traditional pagan native of the Anglo Celtic islands, celebrated on the evening of October 31st, eve of the Christian holiday of All Saints’ Day. Its name is a contraction of the English all Hallows-eve which means the eve of all Hallows` day.
Halloween is introduced in the United States and Canada after the massive arrival of Irish and Scottish emigrants, notably following the great famine in Ireland 1845-1851.
Halloween gained popularity in the 1920s ,and it is on this new continent, lanterns jack o-lanterns made from pumpkins, of local origin, replace turnips used in Europe.
Nowadays Halloween is celebrated, mainly, in Ireland, Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
What is the role of children in Halloween?
The best-known modern tradition is for children to disguise themselves with frightening costumes like ghosts, witches, monsters or vampires and go door-to-door asking for treats with the formula: Trick or treat! Which means “sweets or a spell!”
How is the evening of Halloween?
The evening can be marked by bonfires, fireworks, children’s games, reading horror tales or Halloween poems, broadcasting of horror films but also the holding of the masses of the early Halloween in its strictly religious component.
Why do we use pumpkins for Halloween?
According to the legend, the night of October 31st was considered as the day when the deceased disguised as monsters to visit the living. Also before going to sleep, the inhabitants leave food on the table and a lit log in the fires so that the dead can warm up and regain strength before returning to the realm of the dead.
The pumpkin is also a reference to the Irish legend of Jack o ‘Lantern. Avare and drunkard Jack would have defied the devil by promising to sell him his soul against favors. To punish him, at his death, the devil refused him, He is forbidden to enter paradise, he is condemned to wander eternally between the two worlds, in darkness, and then asked for an ember as a last favor to the devil. He accepted, and Jack digged a turnip to shelter his ember and used it as a lantern. Since that day, he was nicknamed Jack o ‘Lantern, he reappears each year to Halloween, the day of his death. The Halloween symbol is then a scalloped turnip containing a candle in its center.
In the United States, the pumpkin has replaced the turnip because being wide and easy to dig; it is more suitable to be used as a lantern.
Why are Halloween colors orange and black?
The Celtic festival honored the God of death associated with black, but the Romans also feasted the Goddess Pomona, provider of fruit and tree with which was associated the orange color.
What do we eat in Halloween?
Halloween is a very sweet party! We eat sweets, candies, cupcakes, brownies; all pastry decorated with orange and black Halloween colors. Pumpkins are also in the spotlight with original recipes!