What is the origin of Halloween?

Halloween is held on November 1st every year. It originated from the New Year festival of the ancient Celtic people. This people is mainly distributed in Northern Europe and extends to southern Scotland. Later, it migrated to Africa and America with the historical discoveries. . This time I have compiled the origins of Halloween for you to read and refer to.

Contents

The origin of Halloween

What month and day does Halloween fall on?

Halloween customs

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What to give to girls on Halloween

Why eat apples on Halloween? The origin of Halloween

The origin of Halloween: religious sacrifices. As for the origin of Halloween, there are many versions. The most widely circulated one is: more than 2,000 years ago, European Catholics designated November 1 as "the day of the saints in the world". "HALLOW" means saint. Legend has it that since 500 BC, the Celts (CELTS) living in Ireland, Scotland and other places moved this festival forward by one day, namely October 31st. They believe that this day is the official end of summer, the beginning of the new year and the beginning of the harsh winter. At that time, people believed that the souls of their deceased friends would return to their former homes on this day to look for souls in living people so as to be reborn. This was the only hope for rebirth after death. The living people are afraid of the souls of the dead coming to seize their lives, so people put out furnace fires and candlelights on this day so that the souls of the dead cannot find living people. They also dress up as monsters and monsters to scare away the souls of the dead. After that, they will rekindle the fire and candlelight and start their life in the new year.

Halloween is actually a festival that praises autumn, just like May Day is a festival that praises spring. The Druids, the priests of ancient Gaul, Britain and Ireland, had a grand festival to praise autumn, which lasted for a whole day from midnight on October 31 to November 1 the next day. They believe that on that night, their great god of death, Saman, summoned all the ghosts of the people who died that year, and these evil ghosts were punished by being reborn as animals. Of course, just the thought of such a ghostly gathering was enough to scare the simple-minded ignorant people at that time. So they lit a bonfire that reached into the sky and closely monitored these evil spirits. This is how the idea that witches and ghosts were everywhere on Halloween began. To this day, some people in some isolated areas of Europe still believe this to be true.

The ancient Romans also had a festival on November 1st, which was used to pay respect to their goddess Pomona. They roasted nuts and apples in front of a roaring fire. Our Halloween seems to be a combination of ancient Roman festivals and Druid festivals.

Halloween activities turned out to be very simple, and most of them were held in churches. But throughout Europe, people regard Halloween as a good opportunity to have fun, tell ghost stories and scare each other. So people no longer use this festival to praise autumn, but let it become a festival for monsters, witches and ghosts.

<<< When is Halloween?

Halloween is celebrated on November 1st every year. It is a traditional Western festival. It is the busiest moment on the night before. Children will dress up as various ghosts and knock on doors, asking for candy, otherwise they will do tricks. Halloween originated from ancient Western European countries. In the belief of the Druids, November 1st is the new year.

Many peoples in the world have a festival to commemorate the return of the dead to the world, such as "Halloween" in the West, "Día de los Muertos" in Mexico, and "Week of the Dead" in Austria. "(Seleenwoche).

As well as China's "Hungry Ghost Festival" (called "Obon Festival" in Buddhism), this festival was also introduced to Japan in the Asuka Period with Buddhism during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and combined with local customs to form Japan Your own "Obon".

Halloween in English is actually the abbreviation of AllHallows'Eve, which is "the eve of All Saints' Day". In the calendar, it is a festival to commemorate the dead and saints. Most people believe that Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic harvest festival, also known as "Samhain".

The ancient Celts were the earliest prehistoric people to emerge north of the Alps on the European continent. Samhain is their New Year and the most important festival of the year. The weather starts to get cooler at the end of October, the harvest of crops is coming to an end, and the cold winter is about to begin in November. As the seasons turn, life changes for the Celtics.

The herders returned from the mountains, and no one plowed the fields anymore. People stored food, started to slaughter livestock, or stayed in the house to do some handicrafts to pass the time.

At this time of the turning of the seasons, the transition between the old and the new, the Celts believed that life also moved from the light (summer) to the dark (winter) side, and the boundaries between life and death became thin. , the undead and demons can easily cross between the two worlds.

So on the evening of the last day of the old year (i.e. October 31, sunset is the beginning of the day in the Celtic calendar), people lit bonfires, dressed up, and used fire and dance to drive away devils until the New Year. The first day (November 1st). At the same time, food is also prepared to invite the ghosts of the ancestors home. This is where trick-or-treat comes from.

<<< Halloween Customs

Trick or Treat without Invitation

The main activity of Halloween (Halloween Eve) is "Trouble without Invitation". Children dress up in various scary costumes and ring the neighbor's doorbell from door to door, shouting: "TrickorTreat!" Chocolates or small gifts. Some families even use sound effects and smoke machines to create a scary atmosphere. Most families are very happy to entertain these innocent children, so the candy they get in one night is often measured in bags, and the whole bag is carried home. In Scotland, when children ask for candy, they say: "The sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween." (The sky is blue, the ground is green, let's celebrate Halloween together), and then perform singing, dancing and other performances to win the candy.

Jack-O-Lantern

Jack-O-Lantern is the most well-known symbol of Halloween. In Britain and Ireland, locals originally lit candles in hollowed turnips to create jack-o'-lanterns, but immigrants to the United States soon adopted pumpkins instead because pumpkins were larger and easier to carve patterns on. Many families carve scary faces on pumpkins and place them on the door steps. Traditionally, this is done to scare away evil spirits or monsters.

Apple Bite

The most popular game on Halloween is the "Apple Bite Game". During the game, people let the apple float in a basin filled with water, and then asked the participants to bite the apple with their mouths without using their hands. Whoever bites the apple first is the winner.

Divination Game

In Ireland, there is a traditional divination game. Participants are blindfolded and choose one of several small dishes on the table. If the dish is filled with soil, it means that someone related to the participant will pass away in the coming year. If it is filled with water, it means that you will travel far, if it is filled with coins, it means you will get rich, if it is filled with beans, it means you will be poor, etc. In Ireland in the 19th century, girls would put slugs on a plate sprinkled with flour, and the traces of the slugs would be the appearance of the girl's future husband. In North America, it is said that if an unmarried woman sits in a dark room on Halloween, she can see the face of her future husband in the mirror. If they die before getting married, a skull will appear in the mirror. This custom has been very popular since the late 19th century, and related greeting cards are also sold.

Various Halloween Foods

Since Halloween is approaching the apple harvest period, toffee apples have become a holiday food. Other specialty foods include: corn candy, hot apple cider, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Traditional Halloween foods include apple cider, popcorn, pumpkin pie and witch-shaped spiced gingerbread cookies.

<<< What to give girls on Halloween

Candy

The custom of Halloween in the West is for a group of children to knock on the door of the neighbor’s house and ask for candy. Sometimes many people also receive "Trick or treat" messages, which are a stepping stone to asking for gifts for Halloween. So on Halloween, boys can choose beautiful candies or chocolates to give to their girlfriends, which is very suitable for the occasion. After all, most girls like to eat sweets, and the candies sold on the market now come in different packaging. It is easy to please girls by giving candies. .

Roses

There are almost no girls who don’t like flowers. Roses are a symbol of love and the best thing to satisfy a girl’s vanity. No girl can resist the joy of receiving flowers. , so if you really don’t know what gift to give, it’s always right to give your girlfriend roses.

Exquisite Dessert Gift Box

Halloween is of course a party. Cute Halloween-element desserts are the most beautiful decoration at the party. They are delicious and beautiful. I believe they will definitely win the heart of your girlfriend.

Skin care products and cosmetics

Young people like to put on all kinds of weird makeup for Halloween, and naturally it is indispensable when removing makeup at night. Women naturally love beauty, so they give them skin care products and cosmetics.

<<< Why eat apples on Halloween

In addition to Halloween, November 1st is also an important festival in ancient Rome called Pomona. Pomona is the "god of fruit trees" and is in charge of life and death, harvest and failure of all fruit trees. After Rome occupied the Celts, they also integrated Pomona and New Year's Day, forming the custom of eating apples on Halloween.

The apple harvest period is close to Halloween, so apples are also an indispensable holiday food during Halloween. The most common thing people eat is caramel apples, which are coated with a layer of sugar and then dipped in sugar. Nuts, marshmallows and other snacks are the most popular festive food from Halloween to Christmas. In addition, hot cider made from apples is also the most popular drink during this period.

At that time, the most popular divination on Halloween was to ask unmarried young people to bite an apple floating on the water or hanging on a rope. This is somewhat similar to the bouquet tossing tradition that is still popular at wedding receptions - the first person to bite the apple will be the next to get married.

Another tradition has a young woman peeling an apple in front of a mirror with a candle lit. As she peels the apple, the image of her future husband is divined and reflected in the mirror. Peeling an apple is also a way to predict life span. If you can peel a long apple peel, you will live longer.

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What is the origin of Halloween related articles:

★ The origin and origin of Halloween

★ The origin of Halloween in English Short version in Chinese

★ What are the origins of Halloween

★ Historical allusions to Halloween

★ Five brief introductions to Halloween legends

< p> ★ The origin of Halloween in English with translation

★ The origin of Halloween’s fun traditions

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