Halloween (Halloween) All Saints' Eve story and some facts. The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Halloween: history and traditions
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I was always prejudiced towards Halloween, until I learned an amazing thing: the ancient Aryan-Celts had this holiday! I had to dig into the blogosphere and that's what I got. The unknown page http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/amira29/75D9F0C53A6F60EA.html helped a lot.
History of the celebration of Halloween (Halloween)
Halloween is one of the oldest holidays in the world. In this strange holiday, the Celtic tradition of honoring evil spirits and the Christian tradition of worshiping all saints intertwined.
The history of Halloween dates back millennia, ranging from the Celtic Samhain Festival, Roman Pomona Day and Christian All Saints Day.
Centuries ago, the lands of modern Britain and northern France were inhabited by Celtic tribes. They were pagans and worshiped the sun god as the supreme god. The Celts divided the year into two parts - winter and summer. Throughout the winter, the sun god was held captive by Samhain, the lord of the dead and the prince of darkness.
The Samhain Festival, which was celebrated on November 1st, is the time when winter began. At this time, summer gave way to winter, day to night, life to death, and all barriers between the material and supernatural worlds were removed, the gates between them opened for one night. At this time, all the unfulfilled hopes and plans of the dead returned to earth again, and their souls descended to their homes. The souls of the dead could take on different guises, the wicked ones took over the animals, and the most dangerous ones - into the cats. On this day, all evil spirits descend to the ground.
On the night of October 31 to November 1, the druids - the spirits of wildlife - gathered in oak groves on the tops of the hills (the Celts considered oaks to be sacred trees), lit fires and made sacrifices to evil spirits to appease them. And in the mornings, the druids gave people coals from their fires so that they kindled the hearths of their homes. The fire of the druids warmed houses during the long winter and protected the house from evil spirits.
At night, the girls wondered. You can throw two chestnuts into the druid fire. If the fruits burn nearby, then the girl will live in friendship and harmony with the sweetheart, if they roll in different directions, their paths diverge in different directions. The girl could see her future husband by sitting in front of a mirror at midnight with an apple in her hand. A falling candlestick was considered the worst omen. “Evil spirits want to extinguish the fire in the house,” the Celts believed.
At the beginning of our era, the Romans conquered Celtic territory, bringing with them their traditions and festivals. On the night of October 31 to November 1, they celebrated the Day of Pomona - the goddess of plants.
In the 9th century, when Christianity spread to Great Britain, these ancient traditions were mixed with another holiday - the Catholic Day of All Saints - All Hallows Even, or All Hallows Eve. Later it became known as Hallowe`en, and in the end - Halloween.
Today, from the ancient pagan holiday, a set of amusing fascinating traditions remains. On this night, it is customary to dress in costumes of evil spirits and arrange masquerades. In my opinion, one should not miss a rare chance to feel like a witch or a demon. An integral symbol of Halloween is the pumpkin head. The inside is removed from the pumpkin, the face is cut out and a candle is inserted inside. The pumpkin symbolizes at the same time the end of the harvest, the evil spirit and the fire that scares him away. So strangely, ancient beliefs are concentrated in one subject. On this night, children knock on houses shouting: `Treat or trick!` - `Treat or regret!`. If you don't make a sacrifice, these little evil demons can make cruel jokes on you, such as smearing soot on the door handles.
It is a pity that the ancient meaning of Halloween is being forgotten behind this entertainment. Halloween is intriguing with its mystery, its mythical significance. This holiday is an attempt to understand the connection between our worlds and the other worlds. Halloween is a passage, a gateway from one world to another. This gate, like any other, is paradoxical. Being between two worlds, they belong at the same time to both of them - and neither of them.
Samhain is the gateway to winter. We still tend to perceive winter with dislike and disgust. It seems that all living things are dying. However, the coming of death is by definition the coming of life. The white desert where Samhain lives is extraordinarily beautiful. She is freed from all that is superfluous, superficial. His time is the time to throw off the burden of worries and vanities that have accumulated over the summer and have lost their meaning, following the example of trees that are freed from leaves that have outlived their life. After all, if the trees do not throw them off, the dead leaves will not give them the opportunity to come to life again in the spring.
Legend has it that on this night Samhain opens the gates to the past and the future. Two elements become available in the present. This is the time when a person is not limited by the cell of his time and can realize his place in the web of eternity.
However, the transition to another space or time is usually painful. The gate is well guarded. Halloween witches and demons are the shadows of the gatekeepers. From our side of being, they seem to be frightening incarnations of evil. 
Halloween traditions
Today, from the ancient pagan holiday, there is a set of amusing and fascinating traditions. On this night, it is customary to dress in costumes of evil spirits and arrange masquerades. Agree, not often you have a chance to feel like a witch or a demon. An integral symbol of Halloween is the pumpkin head. The inside is removed from the pumpkin, the face is cut out and a candle is inserted inside. The pumpkin symbolizes at the same time the end of the harvest, the evil spirit and the fire that scares him away. So strangely, ancient beliefs are concentrated in one subject. An indispensable attribute of Halloween is the "Trik or trak" rite. On this night, children knock on houses shouting: "Treat or trick!" - "Treat or regret!". If you don't make a sacrifice, these little evil demons can make cruel jokes on you, such as smearing soot on the door handles.
Following Celtic legends, on the night of October 31 to November 1, the Druids - the spirits of wildlife - gathered in oak groves on the tops of the hills (the Celts considered oaks to be sacred trees), lit fires and made sacrifices to evil spirits in order to propitiate them. And in the mornings, the druids gave people coals from their fires so that they kindled the hearths of their homes. The fire of the druids warmed houses during the long winter and protected the house from evil spirits.
The Celts believed that on New Year's Eve, the border between the worlds of the dead and the living opens, and the shadows of the dead come to visit the earth in the past year. 
In order not to become the prey of the dead shadow, people extinguished the hearths in their houses and dressed up as scary as possible - in animal skins and heads, hoping to scare away the ghosts that crawled over the open border. The spirits put out treats on the street so that they were satisfied with this and did not burst into the house. On this night, predictions were made, animals were sacrificed, and then each took a tongue of the sacred flame to his home to light the winter hearth.
If you really want to see the witch, there is one sure way - at midnight, go out into the street, dressed upside down, and walk backwards. Have a nice meeting!
Another Halloween Story
Halloween is one of the most ancient holidays on our planet.
The holiday Halloween (Halloween or Savin - Samhain), or as it is also called (Hallow Evening) which translated into Russian means - the eve of All Saints' Day, is celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1, in this unusual holiday they intertwined at first glance conflicting customs, the Celtic tradition of praising dark spirits, and the Christian tradition of the worship of saints.
The first holidays were organized by people more than a thousand years ago, the founders of this holiday are the Celtic festival Samhain, the Roman day of Pomona and the Christian All Saints Day.
Celtic tribes lived in the ancient lands of what is now England and in the colder parts of France. These tribes were pagans and, like all pagans, they worshiped the elements of nature, their most revered god was the Sun.
With the arrival of winter, November 1 - the sun god was captured by (Samhain) Sowin - this is the lord of the dead and the prince of darkness. 
The Celts also believed that the (correct) day begins with sunset, and on that night the mysterious doors of the dark world were opened, all the barriers between our material and otherworldly worlds were removed, and the inhabitants of the dark hell fell to our earth, the door between the worlds opened only for one night.
At this most mysterious time, all the unfulfilled plans, the hopes of the dead again came back to the mortal earth, and their wandering souls returned to their homes. All the souls of the dead usually took on different witchcraft guises - evil spirits were placed in the bodies of animals, but the most evil demons in black cats.
In order to appease these demons, eerie scenes took place - bonfires were lit and sacrifices were made. 
On the day of Samhain, all otherworldly energy lands on earth.
To see their betrothed, the girls sat down in front of a clean mirror, exactly at midnight, holding an apple with one hand.
It was also believed that if a candlestick fell in the house it was a "bad" sign (dark spirits are trying to extinguish the source of fire in the house), the Celts believed in this.
Even in our time, some of the listed signs still live.
From the first days of our era, the victorious Romans conquered all the Celtic lands, bringing with them new seeds of their traditions and religious holidays. The Romans themselves celebrated the night of October 31 to November 1 "Pomona Day", it was their goddess of living plants.
After the lapse of time, when the Romans conquered all the lands of the Celtic tribes, in these territories the Celtic holiday "Samhain" was replaced by a new holiday of the conquerors - the day of "Pomona" - the goddess of living plants. Since the Romans themselves celebrated the day of the dead on this day, both holidays were smoothly intertwined and were celebrated on both sides without any problems.
The holiday was established in the form in which we know it today by the EFFORTS of the Catholic Church in the 8th and 9th centuries, when Pope Gregory the 3rd and Gregory 4th, postponed the Catholic holiday "All-Hallows-Even" (sometimes also called ~ All-Hallows-Eve) from May 13 to November 1.
As a result, Halloween became known as Hallowe ~ en, and in its final form - Halloween.
There are two opposite versions of why, on Halloween, small children disguised as horror stories go from house to house and calid (as in Russia and Ukraine with Belarus):
1. Children, wearing masks of evil spirits, knock on all houses and shout: Help or it will be worse! - collect sweets (victims) that should appease them. And if you don’t offer them your sacrifice, these little evil spirits can make a terrible joke on you, for example, cover up the handles of doors or windows with black soot.
2. Donating various goodies (sweets, cookies) for children is considered as a good deed, which with good prayers for the dead should facilitate the existence of all those in the dark corridors of hell.
The further development of the Halloween holiday is banal, like everything related to America: this holiday migrated from the British Isles throughout the entire English nation, first to America, as well as Canada and Australia.
A very important attribute of this celebration is the pumpkin, namely the pumpkin head. Usually, all soft insides are removed from the ripe pumpkin, then a peculiar face is created with a knife, and a burning candle is installed inside, there are different versions of where this symbol of the Samhain holiday came from:
The orange pumpkin is a symbol of the completion of the harvest from the fields, it is also a symbol of the evil spirit and the fire that scares him away. It is strange, but it is precisely this interweaving of ancient signs that has gathered in the 1st subject.
Wandering fire pumpkins with candles inside, in the legends they write that these are supposedly wandering souls who are lost between heaven and hell.
According to another legend, they say that the druids put such luminous pumpkins to scare away dark spirits from their homes.
Another noteworthy version, the true source of the origin of the pumpkin tradition, is the legend of a drunkard named Jack who signed a deal with the devil himself.
It is sad that most of us, having fun in intricate Autumn costumes, forget the main essence of Halloween. After all, this mysterious holiday gives us a real opportunity to learn and understand the meaningful connection between the real and other worlds. Halloween Day is not just about moving, doors from different worlds. These mysterious doors, like most others, are amazing. Existing between completely different worlds, they own in the same time both of them Ini one of these worlds.
Samhain is the door to winter. Most of us perceive winter as something unpleasant, cold with a feeling of cold fear. There is a feeling as if all living things suddenly slowly but surely die.
But we also know that when death comes, new life comes!
The pristine white valley, where the Samhain holiday was born, looks unusually beautiful. There is nothing superfluous in it, everything is in its place. The time of Samhain is the time when the problems and worries that have gathered over the summer and have lost their purpose, as in the example of trees that shed their leaves, have lived their written lifespan, are reset. After all, if shrubs and trees do not shed their leaves, old and dead leaves simply will not allow the young to come to life in the new spring.
The ancient legend of the Druids recalls that this mysterious night of Samhain opens the doors to a fabulous, distant past and a magnificent future that awaits us. And two different elements at this time become attainable at this moment. This is the time when people can understand and realize their purpose in the chain of eternity.
Only moving to another space is usually empathized with a slight feeling of pain. Doors to another world are sensitively guarded, guarded. Halloween spirits are the very guards of enchanted doors. From our world, they all seem to us to be terrible creatures of the otherworldly space. But if the doors have already been passed, how then and what is it possible to see when looking back? The answer to this question on the surface - just look at all the people in mysterious grimacing masks when the new Halloween comes.
Traditionally, Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1. In the evening, children dressed in various costumes go door to door and collect sweets. This holiday is part of the culture of Western countries, but is celebrated mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland and Puerto Rico, and is gaining popularity in Australia and New Zealand. Russia is no longer lagging behind.
Halloween has its roots in the Celtic culture of Ireland, Britain and France, originally called Samhain and was a pagan Celtic harvest festival. In the 19th century, Irish, Scottish and other immigrants brought their traditions and celebrations to North America.
At the end of the 20th century, many Western countries also began to celebrate this holiday as part of American culture.
During this holiday, religious holidays were previously held in the pagan traditions of various northern European countries. This was until Pope Gregory III moved the celebration of this old Christian celebration of All Saints' Eve to November 1st to give Halloween a Christian interpretation.
In some parts of Ireland this holiday is also called Pooky Night, presumably in honor of Pooky's mischievous and rebellious spirit.
Very often, Halloween is associated with the occult. In the cultures of many European countries, it is said that Halloween is one of the threshold periods of the year when the spirit world can come into contact with the real world and when magic gains strength (this is said, for example, in Catalan mythology about witches and Irish tales of Sodhe) ...
A huge bonfire is being made in Ireland. Little kids in masks receive treats from their neighbors in the form of fruits, nuts and, of course, sweets during the "Halloween party", while adults "chip innocent things over the bewildered victims."
In Scotland, children or adults dressed in fancy dress say, instead of "trick or treat", "The sky is blue, the grass is green, we can celebrate Halloween." They walk in groups of neighbors and must impress the owners of the houses they visit with songs, poems, tricks, jokes or dances in order to earn their treat.
Traditionally, they are offered nuts, oranges, apples and dried fruits.
In England, "trick or treat!" Is quite common. However, in general, the celebration is based on various forms of petition, as in America.
The holiday Halloween (Halloween) has other names:
All Hallows Eve
Samhain
All hallowtide
The Feast of the Dead
The Day of the Dead
A few facts about Halloween:
In Welsh, Halloween is "Nos Calan Gaeaf".
"Halloween" is correctly spelled as "Hallowe" en ".
Previously, it was believed that black cats protect the magic of sorcerers from negative forces.
Pumpkin can actually be replaced by any pumpkin vegetable.
About 99% of the pumpkins sold are used to cut holes for the eyes and mouth and put a candle inside.
The world's largest pumpkin was grown in 2004 and displayed at the Port Elgin Pumpkin Festival, Ontario, Canada. After weighing in in October, she weighed 1,446 pounds (almost 656 kg).
The fastest pumpkin cleaning record belongs to Jerry Ayers of Baltimore, Ohio, USA. He cleaned all the insides and cut out the eyes and mouth in just 37 seconds!
The very first head was carved into a turnip.
The doorbell rings to scare away evil spirits.
If you see a spider on this day, then it may be the spirit of a deceased person in love who is just watching you.
To meet the witch, on Halloween night, you need to put on your topsy-turvy clothes and walk backwards down the street.
The Celts, who lived 2000 years ago in Ireland, Great Britain, and Northern France, celebrated the New Year on November 1. This day marked the end of the harvest season and opened a new season: cold and dark, associated with the process of extinction of life - death.
The Celts believed that on New Year's Eve, the border separating the world of the living from the world of the dead is blurred. On the night of October 31 to November 1, they celebrated Samhain - the day on which the spirits of the dead return to Earth.
In AD 43, the Romans conquered most of the Celtic lands. As a result, during the 400-year intervention, Samhain was merged with two Roman holidays: Feralia and Pomona. The first, Feralia, celebrated at the end of October, was dedicated to death. The second - Pomona - was celebrated in honor of Pomona - the goddess of trees and fruits. The symbol of Pomona was an apple - an attribute that has survived to this day and entered the modern rituals of Halloween.
In the 800s Christianity began to be imposed on the Celts. Pope Boniface IV - approved November 1 as All Saints Day, trying to distract the Aryan Celts from Druidic rituals: eradicating "paganism". Later, November 2 became the Day of Souls - when the dead were commemorated. However, the traditions, preserved in the people's memory, were not completely defeated. 
Thus, neither the stubborn Catholics nor the Protestants of America, who, like everything else, stole the idea of the holiday, failed to emasculate the Vedic Aryan essence from it, WITH WHAT I CONGRATULATE YOU.
Halloween is a holiday traditionally celebrated on the eve of Catholic All Saints' Day, on the night of October 31st to November 1st. It is especially common in English-speaking countries.
It is widely celebrated in the UK, Northern Ireland, USA, Australia and New Zealand, although it is not a day off. The characteristic attributes and mystical background are gradually making this holiday popular in most countries of the world, including Russia.
History of origin
Halloween, like many other modern European holidays, has its origins in the pre-Christian era. It was then that the people of the Celts were settled by many tribes in what is now France, Ireland and Great Britain. The ancient Celts had their own language, pagan beliefs and a calendar that divided the year into two halves - summer and winter. The dark part of the year, winter, when agricultural work was impossible, began in November, and October 31st was the last day of the outgoing year. The same number was also the last day of the harvest.
The celebration of the New Year and the completion of the field work lasted a whole week. The middle of the holiday was the night of November 1st. This day the Celts called Samhain, which meant "end of summer" in the local language. In addition to dividing the harvested harvest, it was customary to especially honor the dead on this day. It was believed that on the night between the last and the first day of the year, the door to the other world opens magically, and the souls of the dead, ghosts, go out to people.
In order not to become an accidental victim of the inhabitants of the afterlife, the Celts put on animal skins, left their dark dwellings at night, near which they left tasty gifts for ghosts, and gathered around huge, two-row bonfires made by druids. It was customary for the whole tribe to walk between these bonfires, with children in their arms, and also to jump over smaller bonfires. It was believed that the power of fire purifies people and allows them to enter the New Year with a pure soul. At the festival, part of the cattle was also cut, the bones of the killed animals were thrown into the Sacred Fire, and the future was predicted from the drawing on the bones left by the fire.
At the same time, a tradition has developed to carve faces expressing various emotions on the harvested vegetables. Most often, the carvings were made on turnip, a form of fodder turnip grown for livestock. Leaving the main night of the Samhain celebration, everyone took with them a hollow "head" made of turnips, inside which were placed glowing coals from the Sacred Fire. Such a lamp drove away evil spirits roaming the streets until the early morning. It was he who became the prototype of the Jack Lamp.
The original traditions of celebrating the Celtic New Year were passed down from generation to generation almost before the beginning of our era. Only after the conquest by the Romans, the Celts adopted Christianity and were forced to forget about their pagan customs. But with the advent of Catholicism, Samhain unexpectedly received a new round of development - the ancient Celtic traditions of its celebration were reflected in the church holiday of All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1. The eve of this day, called in English Hallows-Even - Hallows iven or "Evening of the Saints", over time acquired an abbreviated name inherent in the modern holiday, Halloween (Halloween). With this ominous reputation as a black pagan celebration, Halloween did not receive until the Middle Ages, when it was described in this way by Christian monks.
Holiday symbols
The night before the holiday, All Saints Day is celebrated according to changed times, but still retaining the main features, Celtic beliefs. On Halloween, the celebrants dress up in carnival costumes, parties and festivities. The main symbols of this day are considered to be a lantern carved from a large pumpkin. The Celts made such lamps on the occasion of the harvest, and also so that the lost dead souls would quickly find the way to the other world with the help of a lantern. A traditional vegetable was previously fodder turnip, but with the arrival of the holiday in the United States, pumpkin became more popular, as a vegetable, more common and cheaper in the autumn season.
Among the costumes made for Halloween, the most popular are traditionally frightening characters: vampires, werewolves, monsters, witches, ghosts and other mystical heroes. Celebrants decorate their homes for an autumn theme, pumpkin lamps are displayed on the porch and window sills. In addition to vegetable lanterns, garden scarecrows, paper and plastic skeletons, spider webs, candles, and dried plant and leaf compositions are popular decorating items. By tradition, all shades of orange and black have become the main colors of the holiday.
Lamp Jack
A large ripe pumpkin, with a very frightening face carved on it, which is illuminated by a candle lit from the inside, has become the main symbol of Halloween. This homemade lantern is called Jack's Lantern or Jack's Lantern. An ancient Irish legend is associated with the history of the emergence of this most striking symbol of the holiday.
It is believed that Jack was a blacksmith, very greedy and hungry for money and booze. The inhabitants of his village were so tired of the annoying drinking companion that there was simply no one left to have a glass with him. Then Jack offered to drink a bottle in a local eatery to Lucifer himself. The devil agreed to keep him company. And when the time came to pay for the drink, Jack suggested that the naive Satan turn into a coin, to which he also agreed. The cunning blacksmith, without thinking twice, immediately hid the coin in his pocket, where a cross, prepared in advance, was already waiting. Lucifer fell into a trap and could not get out of the trap where the image of the Savior was. Jack surrendered to Satan's persuasion to release him in exchange for his promise to help the blacksmith in every possible way in business.
The devil fell into Jack's trap the second time, when the cunning blacksmith begged him to get the apples from the very top of the tree. Lucifer, who climbed to the top, simply could not get off it, since Jack depicted a cross on the crown of an apple tree. This time, Satan managed to escape by promising Jack not to take his soul after death. The blacksmith-drunkard let Lucifer go and lived a carefree life, and when the hour of destruction came, they refused to accept his soul both in Paradise and in Hell. Unnecessary to either the Devil or God, the blacksmith began to wander in search of Purgatory. He illuminated his path with a lantern cut out of a hollow turnip, in which the remains of coals smoldered.
Lamps made of vegetables, traditionally from turnips, were left on the porch of their homes by the British on All Saints Day in order to ward off ill-disposed spirits from their homes. In North America, this tradition became widespread only in the nineteenth century, when European emigrants settled in the country. At the same time, Jack's Lamp became a direct symbol of Halloween only at the very end of the 19th century.
Halloween music
The ancient Celts did not accompany the Samhain holiday with any music, so this day has no traditional musical accompaniment. But Halloween, as the most popular holiday already in the twentieth century, has found its own theme songs and melodies. Since the main leitmotif of the celebration is mysticism, the theme of the other world and its inhabitants, the music is played accordingly. So, the song "Monstrous Mash" performed by Bobby Pickett is considered the anthem of Halloween. The soundtrack from the musical The Nightmare on Christmas Eve is also very popular at Halloween parties. The work of the Midnight Syndicate group is also saturated with the theme of this holiday, many of whose compositions are filled with a mystical theme.
Mixes of scary sounds such as wolves howling, ominous squeaks, mysterious howls and angry laughter are often used in Halloween rides and fun. At youth parties on the occasion of the holiday, popular fun and dance music is used. In the clubs - specially created remixes and tracks by DJs.
Holiday traditions
The main traditions of the holiday were dressing up in masquerade costumes, visiting specialized attractions, playing games, begging for sweets and parties with a festive table.
Costumes
Putting on carnival costumes for this holiday originates in the tradition of the Celtic peoples to dress in animal skins on Samhain to protect themselves from evil spirits and ghosts. In modern history, it wasn't until the late nineteenth century that dressing up in a scary Halloween outfit became common. For the first time a similar case was described in Great Britain in 1895. Local kids, dressed in masks and outfits of fairy-tale heroes, went to their neighbors' homes to collect delicacies and small coins. In the rest of Europe, as well as in North America, this tradition did not exist until the beginning of the 20th century.
Today, Halloween carnival costumes start selling in the summer. In the United States, there are specialized stores and shops for these purposes. And if a hundred years ago a children's costume included only an ugly mask depicting a haggard, disfigured face, now any factory Halloween costume looks really festive and bright. As a rule, adults and children dress up in the image of fantastic movie characters, fairy-tale characters, both evil and frightening, for example, in zombies, and in kind.
With the advent of the 21st century, Halloween parties began to turn into real costumed bright shows. So, in 2014, the most popular costumes for the holiday were the images of the heroes of the Harry Potter saga. At the same time, people use not only masks and clothes of the characters, but also completely recreate the image of the chosen hero, using makeup and accessories.
Begging for goodies
The traditional entertainment on Halloween, oddly enough, is primarily reminiscent of Christmas. Just like in Russia on Christmastide, children dressed in costumes go home and hope to get sweets or coins from their neighbors. But on Halloween, this tradition has its own characteristics.
Children dress in clothes and masks depicting monsters or other unkind characters, go from door to door in the neighborhood, begging for various sweets. At the same time, they ask the owners the question “Trick or treat?”, Which means “Trick or treat?”. This question contains a comic threat to cause trouble for the owners if they do not give the children coins, candies or other treats.
This tradition has spread in Western Europe and America since the beginning of the twentieth century. At the same time, neighbors who want to see mummed children on the threshold of their house decorate the porch with Halloween symbols - Jack's Lamp, candles, artificial skeletons and other frightening things. And those who do not want to participate in the general fun simply put out a basket filled to the brim with sweet treats.
Despite its modern distribution, the tradition of begging for food during church holidays dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time it was customary for the poor to come to this holiday to sing prayers and mournful songs under the windows of the townspeople, hoping to get food or money. This tradition was first combined with Halloween in Great Britain in 1895, when children in one of the villages dressed in costumes and walked through neighbors' houses, begging for sweets.
The tradition of asking neighbors for sweets is most widespread in the modern world in the USA, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Latin, Central America and Western Europe. However, the details vary from region to region. For example, in the Caribbean, children instead of the question "Nasty or sweet?" ask the question "Where is my little skull?", and the neighbors give them sweets made in the shape of a sugar or chocolate human head.
Halloween Games
Like any holiday with an ancient background, Halloween has a number of characteristic games, rituals and fortune-telling. They are most widely spread in Ireland and Scotland. So, girls in Scottish villages guess with the help of an apple peel. To do this, they cut the skin off a ripe fruit, while trying to keep the skin as long as possible. Then they throw it over their left shoulder. On the skin that has fallen to the floor, you need to see the first letter of the groom's name.
Another fortune-telling game was common in England. Unmarried young ladies had to enter a house with their backs unlit by the light and lead a burning candle in front of the mirror. It was believed that in this way they would be able to see the face of the betrothed. If a young maiden sees a skull, it means that she will remain unmarried until her death.
Halloween rides
The organization of scary rides and carousels, dubbed "ghost rides", is a major feature of Halloween celebrations in the West as well. The first such entertainment was organized in 1915.
In the USA, where such attractions are mainly widespread, they are held every autumn. At the same time, the technical equipment of these kind of frightening parks is constantly growing. Thick fog, ominous sounds and rustles, mysterious music, squeaks and special effects are used here with one purpose - to scare customers. Visiting "ghost rides" is undesirable for pregnant women, children, people who are especially impressionable or with an unstable psyche.
In addition to seasonal theme parks, the theme of Halloween is widespread at Disneyland. In all parks of the Disney corporation this holiday is celebrated, themed attractions are equipped, where the scenery is changed every year.
Traditional festive table
On Halloween, which has cooled down in its origins for the harvest festival, sweets from fruits, mainly apples, are traditionally served. Apple caramel and sweet apples in chocolate, sprinkled with colorful confetti and nuts, became the main delicacies of the holiday. You can make them at home or buy them at the Halloween bazaar or in a park with scary attractions.
In the early twentieth century, there was a tradition in Great Britain to make candy from apples and distribute them to children begging for sweets in their neighbors. But she quickly went out of use due to cases when evil townspeople stuffed such candies with needles. In order not to avoid the emergence of traumatic situations, the authorities banned the distribution of such delicacies.
Now in North America, special sweets are made on Halloween, called "candy corn" and "candy pampkin". These are candy in the form of a pumpkin or an cob of corn. Since the beginning of the century, the recipe has not changed much, as well as the manual method of preparation. Sweets are made mainly from molasses, gelatin, sugar and natural juice.
In Ireland, a special bread is traditionally baked for Halloween, "barmbrak". This is a sweet bun with raisins, in which various objects are hidden - a ring, a coin, a pea, a piece of wood and a piece of cloth. By the received object, you can find out your fate, so a ring means a quick wedding, a piece of wood - loneliness or divorce, a pea - celibacy, cloth - failure in money matters, and a coin - wealth. Similar breads, cut into butter toast, can now be found throughout the United Kingdom. In its factory versions, objects that represent the future are made of plastic or edible material.
Halloween in Russia and the world
Initially, Halloween was only celebrated in countries that inherited Celtic culture. Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales are the regions where this holiday was formed. Since the end of the nineteenth century, emigrants have spread the tradition of celebrating Halloween in the United States, where it became especially widespread and took on its modern look. In the twentieth century, when borders became a very ghostly concept, this cheerful and vibrant holiday began to gradually spread throughout the world. Today, besides the countries of America and Europe, Halloween is popular in Asian countries.
The holiday came to Russia in the nineties and is still considered very exotic. For Russians, Halloween is primarily an opportunity to hold a fun carnival party, with the opportunity to dress up in the costumes of mystical characters.
Today, Halloween (which is also called "All Saints' Day") is associated with many people with a fun holiday. Children, and sometimes adults, dress up in costumes and play "wallet or life", celebrate the holiday on October 31. Nowadays, the celebration of Halloween comes down to quite harmless attempts to intimidate each other, but the ancient Celts put a completely different meaning in Halloween - for them it was the time of ritual sacrifices.
For the Celtic Druids, Samhain (Halloween) was the Day of Death. The sun was setting earlier, the days were getting shorter, foliage fell from the trees, and the air temperature dropped sharply. The Druids believed that the death god Saman was trying to defeat the sun god Mac Oll, for which he collects the spirits of everyone who died in the last year. On October 31, these spirits were allowed to return to the world of the living.
To protect people held a worship ceremony ... Black sheep, buffaloes, horses and cats were placed in separate cages and burned alive. People were sacrificed in the same way - this is how the Celts celebrated All Saints' Day.
Lantern pumpkins, fancy dress
Jack lantern... The luminous pumpkin with its carved grin is one of the most ancient symbols of the cursed soul. According to legend, once there was a farmer Jack who, after his death, could not go to heaven (because he led a riotous life), but he was not accepted into hell either (because he managed to deceive the devil during his lifetime). The devil told Jack to step where he came from, but the way back was very dark and cold. Jack asked the Devil to give him light 
and Satan fulfilled his request - he threw a burning ember out of the flames of hell. To prevent the wind from blowing out the light, Jack put a coal inside the turnip that he ate. Since then, Jack-Lantern is forced to wander around the world until.
In Ireland the symbol of the holiday is a burning candle, which should have been placed on the east window. In America, Halloween candles are traditionally colored black, purple, pink, or orange. They are lit on the eve of All Saints' Day, often candles are scented with spices with a sweet-spicy smell.
Various evil spirits... Balconies, cornices and entrances of houses are decorated with artificial spider webs, witches, spiders, bats, brooms, owls and cats. In addition, small orange or purple lights are placed on the windows.
How to Celebrate All Saints' Day (Halloween)?
First of all, you need a fancy dress. Most of the costumes made today are based on the theme of witchcraft, borrowed from literature and cinema. The ancient Celts dressed up in skins - it was believed that such a precaution would scare away evil spirits. Our contemporaries prefer the costumes of magicians, vampires, nocturnal animals, werewolves, dead and mermaids. Vampire paraphernalia with the image of witches, Dracula, as well as various symbols (black rosary, aspen stake) is also popular.
Further, it is necessary, without which this mystical holiday cannot do. This is not difficult at all: take a large pumpkin, cut off the top with a tail with a sharp knife. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from the pumpkin and scoop out some of the pulp. The facial features should be drawn on the pumpkin, which will then need to be cut out - the nose, eyes and mouth. Put a small candle inside the pumpkin, close the product with a cut lid.
Would you like to eat some spiders? To prepare this dish, you will need a jar of pitted black olives, 5-6 eggs, ketchup and mayonnaise. Eggs need to be boiled, cooled and peeled. Eggs are cut into two parts, placed on a dish. On each half of the egg, place one half of an olive (cut down). This will be the belly of the spider. The remaining halves of the olives are cut into slices (to make paws out of them), then the paws are attached to the belly. Make a spider's head with mayonnaise, eyes with two drops of ketchup.
In Russia, All Saints' Day began to be celebrated relatively recently. Despite this, Halloween has already become one of the favorite holidays of many Russians.
It would seem that almost no one knew about the holiday with the “foreign” name Halloween in our country for several decades, but today it is not just an event, but a real carnival with bright costumes, noisy shows, and interesting traditions.
How, where and when Halloween appeared
The history of Halloween is several millennia old. It is associated with the ancient Celtic people inhabiting the territory of the northern part of France, Ireland and today's England.
The Celts were pagans and worshiped the sun god who ruled the summer. But in the winter time, power passed to the lord of darkness and the kingdom of the dead - the powerful Samhein, who held the Sun captive until the onset of spring.
Every year on a certain day, which corresponds to October 31 according to the current calendar, the ancient Celtic tribes met Samhain - a celebration associated with the end of seasonal work, cleaning, and the beginning of a new working year.
Folklore sources tell us that Samhain's habitat appeared to be a peaceful and beautiful desert.
The arrival of winter was perceived as a calm time intended for rest, tranquility and pacification, because without winter, spring will not come either. The pagans were convinced that new life is born from death: new fresh foliage cannot appear on the trees if the old leaves do not fall, just as people who have not been freed from the worries and difficulties accumulated over a whole year will not be able to take on to work.
Only on a single day of the year does the gate open between the spiritual and the material - the opposite sides of being. It was believed that the gates from reality to the other world could not open easily, they are guarded by sorcerers, sorcerers and various heroes who migrated to the pantheon of the current Halloween.
Further Samhain penetrated into the customs of other peoples and received adherents and development in the new territory. Romans who conquered the Celtic lands, adopted traditions and tied the holiday with the day of the goddess of the plants.
The adoption of Christianity, of course, changed the course of history, but the legends about Samhain survived in the folklore of Ireland and Scotland.
In the 9th century, Pope Gregory III decided to postpone All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1, apparently out of a desire to completely eradicate pagan traditions. But this event, on the contrary, contributed to the revival of the ancient festival of the Celts. The evening before, that is, October 31, became known as the evening of all saints, which in English sounds like All Hallows Even or simply "Halloween".
The new holiday seemed to have a new meaning, but all with the same old pagan traditions and customs.
During the Middle Ages, it was the main holiday of all witches.
The modern content of the holiday is associated with the period of emigration of Europeans to the United States, who brought their culture and customs with them. Naturally, the new environment influenced the development of the further history of Halloween and its traditions.
In the 1920s, the first celebrations were held in Los Angeles and New York. The holiday fell in love with the Americans and acquired its new modern features. So it was fashionable to arrange petty hooliganism that day; however, the scale gradually crossed the boundaries, and acts of vandalism began to occur among the pranks.
To stop the riots, progressive American youth took it into their own hands to popularize the so-called "Healthy Halloween" with masks, costumes and a tradition of begging for sweets.
Today Halloween is one of the most beloved holidays not only for American schoolchildren, but also for children of many civilized countries. In addition, the commercial component contributes to the strengthening of old traditions and the development of new forms of celebration. All kinds of costumes, candles, pumpkins and other attributes decorate the event.
When is Halloween?
First of all, you need to decide what date Halloween is celebrated in Russia. Celebration in our time falls on October 31, as in America, England and, in fact, all over the world.
An autumn day reminds us of the history of the holiday, as the arrival of the cold season and the immersion of nature in a deep sleep.
Note that the main carnival processions with burning lanterns, pumpkins, fireworks and other fiery attributes begin after dark and stretch well past midnight. Therefore, it is sometimes said that Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1.
Despite the frightening masks and costumes, the carnival procession does not cause fear, because spring will come after winter, and this day is just an excuse to remember the eternal for adults and have fun - for children.
Celebration traditions in different countries
Developing and spreading territorially, Halloween has changed, acquired new features and features of the celebration. But despite some differences, there are common traditions for all peoples.
For example, the custom of carving scary heads from pumpkins and lighting them with candles is associated with the following legend.
The blacksmith Jack lived in Ireland. He was very cunning and stingy. Twice he managed to deceive the Devil, for which he received a guarantee of the inviolability of his sinful soul. But as punishment for the unrighteous life of the Irishman, the road to Paradise was closed. All that was left for him was to wander restlessly and illuminate his path with a coal burning in a pumpkin.
The tradition of treating and "begging" goes back to the time of the merger of pagan Samhain and All Saints' Day. Then there was entertainment "Treat or regret"... The meaning of this action is in treating children knocking on doors, dressed up as representatives of evil spirits in order to pay off them and their importunity.
If the owner turned out to be stingy or rude, then the children could stain the door handles, gates or windows with soot.
According to some sources, it is known that the tradition of dressing up and begging is explained by the purpose of calming and appeasing evil spirits. Since the holiday was associated with the possibility of communication between people and spirits, on this day it was possible to arrange various fortune-telling.
If on October 30 you meet on the street a flock of devils with a sack and witches offering to throw something into a black-and-black piggy bank, then you can donate a small bill, consoled by the fact that you have taken the hardships away from yourself.
Halloween in South America, Spain, Mexico
- In South America, in particular in Brazil, on October 31, people gather at the table in the family circle and commemorate the dead.
- When Brazilians celebrate the public holiday Dia de Finados, services are held in all the churches of the country.
- And in Spain, the Day of the Dead is celebrated - El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The celebrations are going on for 3 days, people believe that the souls of their ancestors visit them on earth.
- In Mexico, Halloween is celebrated along with the Day of Remembrance of Infants, all children are treated to sweets and all kinds of sweets.
Halloween in the USA
Halloween is popular in the United States and is roughly on par with Christmas and Easter.
At night, on the eve of October 31 to November 1, people in masks of witches, ghouls and other evil spirits roam the streets of America.
Halloween in Europe
- In Germany, Halloween is celebrated at Frankenstein Castle. It is located in the city of Darmstadt, and at night from October 31 to November 1 gathers locals and tourists for a costume event. If you believe the legend, then tonight you can see the ghost of the owner on the roof of Frankenstein.
- Many bonfires are lit on this day in Ireland, and the Belgians, seeing a black cat suddenly, will surely expect trouble.
- The celebration of Halloween in France is very bright and spectacular. Costume celebrations, carnivals are held at Disneyland. Whoever is not on parades of evil spirits: vampires, goblins, ghosts. Even cafes in France prepare a special menu for "witches" and other characters in the mysterious world.
Halloween in China
Halloween is called the day of remembrance of ancestors in China. In front of the portraits of the deceased, food and a flashlight are placed - a light for the souls of the dead traveling that night.
There is a tradition of setting fire to paper boats. It is believed that the smoke of the so-called "boats of fate" will allow the spirits to find their way home to heaven.
Many peoples have their analogs and alternatives to Halloween, for example, in Western Europe they celebrate Walpurgis Night.
On the eve of May 1, bonfires are burned and witches are expelled. It is believed that herbs at this time have special properties. The peoples of many countries meet spring on this night, and a straw effigy is burned at the stake. These traditions are similar to the Slavic customs of burning Maslenitsa.
In Russia there is another wonderful holiday that has pagan roots, this is the night of Ivan Kupala, which coincides with the Orthodox holiday of the Nativity of John the Baptist. Night festivities are accompanied by round dances, songs, weaving wreaths, fortune telling on them, as well as jumping over the fire.
The ancient pagan holiday Kolyada, which coincides with the Orthodox Christmas, has the greatest resemblance to Halloween.
On Christmas Eve "mummers" - people in masks and costumes - go from door to door and sing ritual songs - Kolyadki. This holiday, like the predecessor of Halloween Samhain, is associated with the end of the old and the beginning of the new year.
Somehow this day passes by me, but more and more people became interested in it and I decided to find out what kind of holiday Halloween is, where it came from, its essence and traditions. In 2017 and not only, since the date of the celebration is constant, it will be celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1 on the eve of All Saints' Day, which is celebrated by Catholics.
What a holiday Halloween
On that night, all of a sudden, all sorts of evil spirits are activated on the streets of cities and towns in different countries - sinister and frightening ghouls, vampires, zombies, sometimes quite attractive witches and funny devils. Where is it from? The answer is simple - it's time to celebrate Halloween and all this evil is just people dressed up in such strange costumes.
Although this day is not considered a day off, it is quite widespread in English-speaking countries - Great Britain, Northern Ireland, USA, Canada and others. Gradually, interest in it is also manifested in Russia. Since the holiday of Halloween came to us not so long ago, young people show more interest in it and celebrate it quite cheerfully in nightclubs and at parties, dressing up in appropriate costumes.
Why is there such interest in this day? I don’t know how in other countries, but in our country, it seems to me, this is, firstly, just something new, and secondly, an unusual background of this day, associated with the mysterious other world. Or maybe because they talk a lot about him, and what is heard, then arouses interest. In countries where it is actively celebrated, it is more of a commercial holiday. Its attributes begin to sell in the summer and people spend more and more money on it every year. 
Halloween is ranked second after Christmas in total holiday sales.
The history and essence of the holiday Halloween
The history of this day goes back to the pre-Christian era, during the times of the Celtic tribes who lived in what is now France, Ireland, and Great Britain.
They had their own calendar and, according to it, the year was divided into two parts - the light part of the year (summer) and the dark part (winter). October 31 - this day was called Samhain, which meant "the end of summer", the work on the ground was ending, the last harvest was being gathered. Also October 31 was, according to the Celtic calendar, the last day of the outgoing year. These peoples had a special attitude towards death, they believed that without death there can be no life. After the night, the day comes, the year leaves, but there will be a new one, until the leaves on the trees fall, new ones appear, life and death are always nearby, therefore it was customary to honor the dead on this day. 
The celebration of the new year began in a few days, lasted a whole week and the night of November 1 was the middle of the holiday. The Celts believed that it was on this New Year's Eve that the door to the other world was opened and the dark forces of this world, ghosts, the souls of the dead came out to people. The Celts were afraid of becoming victims of the aliens and tried to do everything to scare them away from their homes. They put out fires in their homes, dressed up in animal skins, made large fires, and slaughtered livestock for sacrifice to buy off the dead. The fires were kindled in two rows and passed between them with children in their arms, jumping over small fires. The Celts believed that after passing such a ritual, they would enter the New Year with a pure soul, since the fire of bonfires can cleanse a person.
They also had a tradition of carving faces from the fruits of forage turnips, which were with a variety of emotions. Leaving the holiday, each family took their head, inside which they put coals from the Sacred fires, it was believed that this would save them from evil spirits that could wander even until the very morning. In order to protect and fire in their homes, they kindled from these coals.
With the advent of Christianity, these pagan rituals could have disappeared into oblivion, since the clergy did not approve of the "Sabbath", as they called the celebration of Samhain by the fires.
Apparently, that would forever eradicate pagan rituals, or maybe for some other reason, but Pope Gregory III in the 9th century decided to postpone All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1. At that time, this day was dedicated to those saints who did not have their holiday for a year. The day before (October 31) was called All Hallows Even or All Hallows Eve in Old English. Later the name was transformed into the familiar Halloween. Apparently due to the coincidence of the dates of the pagan holiday of Samhain and the Day of All Saints, it has led to the fact that since then Christianity has surprisingly coexisted with the mystical traditions and beliefs of Halloween.
In the United States, Halloween appeared thanks to the Irish, who fled en masse to America from hunger and unemployment. I liked the holiday and all residents of the country began to celebrate it, regardless of race.
Halloween traditions and attributes
Of course, modern Halloween has a different tradition than the Celts.
In America, where Halloween was especially liked, a fashion appeared to arrange various petty hooliganism on this day, but later, American Boy Scouts, in order to save the holiday, since its popularity was high, decided to promote the celebration without vandalism. Hooliganism was replaced by a masquerade and in general it is believed that this is a holiday of fun, horror stories, practical jokes, games and fortune telling.
Costumed children and youth go home and beg for sweets, asking the question: "Treats or tricks?" - this is also a tradition of the Halloween holiday. If the owner is suddenly greedy, then they can do something wrong, for example, smear the door handle with soot. If they are treated, then in response the children sing songs or recite poems.
Especially popular on this day are such attractions as "Room of fear", "Room with ghosts", where visitors are frightened by various frightening sounds, squeaks, howling.
The main attribute of this day is Jack's lamp, which is made of pumpkin.
To do this, take a large fruit, cut off the top, remove all the pulp, cut out the holes for the eyes and mouth, and put a lighted candle inside. It is believed that such a lamp protects the house from evil spirits.
This symbol has a long-standing legend.
One man, named Jack, managed to deceive the Devil twice and he promised not to take his soul. But Jack did not lead the most righteous life, accumulated many sins and was not admitted to Paradise after death. Unnecessary to neither the Devil nor God, Jack began to wander in search of Purgatory. He illuminated his path with a lantern cut out of a hollow turnip, in which the remains of coals smoldered.
Costumes are also an obligatory attribute of the holiday and they are very unusual - they are images of various supernatural characters from fairy tales and horror films. 
Halloween home decoration
In addition to Jack's lamp, the house is decorated with other attributes for the holiday - garlands of bats, a witch's broom, cobwebs with spiders, ghosts are made from sheets, posters in the theme. There must be a lot of candles to celebrate the holiday without light, only by candlelight. When decorating a room, apples are used, they must also be present and not only as food, but in the form of compositions, candlesticks. 
Outside, the house is decorated with glowing garlands, and Jack's lamps are placed in the garden.
Family feasts on this day are also a tradition, where the main food is dishes from apples and pumpkins, for example, baked apples, stuffed pumpkin are cooked, or baked. Small surprises are often put into baked goods and used for predictions, for example, a coin for wealth, and a ring for a wedding.
What to tell children about Halloween
In countries where this day is popular, children take part in it with pleasure and probably know everything about it. Is it worth telling our children about it, because our Orthodox Church opposes this holiday and considers it far from harmless. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, says this about Halloween:
The rituals associated with this day, from childhood, teach people to pay tribute to evil, to come to terms with it, even to cooperate - instead of fighting evil and resolutely rejecting it, as the Russian Orthodox Church teaches.
I believe that even if you treat him negatively and also consider him a stranger, the child can hear about him from his peers and ask you a question. And why don't you tell yourself about the history and traditions of Halloween, as well as tell about your attitude to this day.
I told you what Halloween is, and whether it is a holiday or not, the choice is yours.
Elena Kasatova. See you by the fireplace.