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Halloween: the history and traditions of the Celtic holiday. How to celebrate Halloween: instructions for use

I AM I know for sure one day a year when on the street you can easily see a ghost, a goblin or a demon knocking on the door screaming "drive sweets or a small northern animal will come to you", and not thunder into a fool at the same time. And on this day, parties are organized, where children and adults throw apples, predict fate and break into unfamiliar houses to visit. At home, they dress up with garlands of lanterns, toy witches on brooms and black cats, hang over the front ones with "scary" heads made of vegetables, with a complete lack of brains inside, but with fire in their eyes ... Have you ever found this day strange?

“... The roots of this strange holiday take us back to the ancient times, in the pre-Christian era, when the lands of Ireland, Northern France and England were inhabited by Celtic tribes. Their year consisted of two parts - summer and winter. And the transition from one season to another was marked by the end of the harvest, celebrated on October 31 and symbolized the beginning of the new year. Winter came into its own. The night of November 1, when, according to legend, the border between the worlds of the living and the dead was opened, was called Samhain or Samhain and was considered the main holiday of the ancient peoples. The pagans of the Celts attached great importance to it and, in order not to fall prey to the shadow of the dead, they dressed up in animal heads and skins and, with all their frightening appearance, scared away ghosts. Treats to the spirits were displayed on the street, and the inhabitants themselves gathered around the bonfires that the druids made. Legends say that on this day in Ireland all the fires in the hearths were extinguished, and then re-kindled from the central Fire of the Druids in Tlakhtga, 12 miles from the Tara hill. Animals and grains were burned over this sacred fire. The extinguishing of the fire in the hearth symbolized the "dark side" of the year. Kindling from the sacred fire was a symbol of the return of life, which was associated with the arrival of spring.
That night they were guessing about the future. The most common predictions were those related to marriage, weather, and luck throughout the year. Predictions were made using apples (apples and nuts were considered to be associated with the other world). Throwing apples into the crowd of girls, one could find out who would be the first to marry this year. It was the one who first caught and bit the thrown apple. Prediction by peeling an apple showed how long your life would be. The longer the peel from the apple is, the longer your life. In Scotland on this night, before going to sleep, people placed a stone in the ashes of the hearth. It was believed that someone whose stone changed position during the night was likely to die in the coming year.
The tradition of celebration was passed down from century to century until, in the 1st century. AD Romans did not conquer the territory of the Celts. The converts to the Christian faith, the inhabitants of the islands of Ireland and Britain, were forced to abandon many pagan customs. However, the memories of Samhain continued to live on and be passed on from generation to generation. And when, in the 9th century, Pope Gregory III postponed the celebration of All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1, Samhain began to be celebrated again. The night preceding the holiday in medieval English was called All Hallows Even, in abbreviated form - Hallowe’en, and very briefly Halloween. Since then, Halloween has been celebrated everywhere in the best traditions of Samhain ... "
Taking a deep breath, I slammed the laptop shut and looked out the window. The global web is, of course, a storehouse of absolutely necessary information, but real professionals believe only in what they themselves can touch, see, smell and, even scary to say, try.
- But can we, Masyan, rush around the world? You and I, quite by accident, organized 24 hours of free time and the topic "Traditions of celebrating Halloween in the world" for empirical study. Yeah, but if you move to the west, then even not 24 hours.
Huge yellow eyes narrowed lazily, a massive body thumped next to me on the windowsill, and the cat yawned, definitely agreeing with me. Hurriedly leaving my things in a bag, sandwiches in my stomach, and a cat in a basket for transportation, I went for new impressions.
Well, old Europa delighted us with the atmosphere of reckless fun and a variety of rituals accompanying the celebration:
V Germany Halloween is celebrated very colorfully. Frankenstein Castle in Darmstadt attracts thousands of people dressed as monsters on the night of November 1, and locals believe that on this very night the ghost of the owner appears on the roof of the castle.
V Czech Republic a fire is kindled and chairs for dead people are placed next to it.
V Belgium monitor the behavior of black cats. It is believed that seeing them is bad news. I closely followed the behavior of my familiar: during the trip he ate a bunch of cat food, and
half the time shamelessly chilled. I think that the coming year will definitely be well-fed and calm.
V Spain(and Latin America) people celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - and while it may seem like a grim event, the celebration lasts three days and marks the return of the dead to earth.
The most impressive processions France are held in the suburbs of Paris at Disneyland and in Limoges. It is there that more than 30 thousand people come annually, it is there that the most memorable parades of goblins, vampires and ghosts are held, illuminating their path with pumpkin lanterns. On this night, bars and cafes of French cities offer "witch" dishes, and visitors dress up no less colorfully than participants in parades and processions. In addition, bell-ringers walk the streets and before midnight inform that everyone needs to go into the house, because spirits are wandering around.

An unforgettable trip through the tunnel under the English Channel, a short fight with a cat that has received a nervous shock from an illicit movement, and voila! the vastness of the United Kingdom is available to our inquisitive eye.

It turned out that this holiday in Britain almost never celebrate. The British are too busy preparing for Guy Fawkes Day. The fact is that only four days separate Halloween from November 5, when the next anniversary of the failed gunpowder conspiracy is celebrated; in the evenings, people burn a Guy Fawkes effigy on bonfires, and then jump over them, at the same time blowing up firecrackers, admiring the fireworks and laser shows, go to visit, get drunk. Although in Wales Halloween isn't all that fun as it is. it reminds of death. Each person receives a white stone and throws it into the fire. Then everyone walks around the fire and prays. If someone does not find his stone in the fire, according to legend, he will soon die. Poor people go home on this holiday. They sing songs and beg.
V Ireland- bonfires are burning all over the country. I arrived in Belfast at a time when the City Council of the main city of Northern Ireland decided to pamper the townspeople and tourists by organizing Halloween celebrations on a truly metropolitan scale. Those who are responsible for organizing the action are planning to make terrible things come true: ominous lights will wander in the night sky, the streets will be filled with dancing evil spirits, and all this will end with a grandiose fireworks, which Northern Ireland did not know until now. The ambitious project involves 60 street artists who will showcase their art to anyone who wants to, and even less so, if they are not afraid to make a desperate outing on Halloween night. It is predicted that the city will be filled with ghosts, loosely, without any hesitation in the area of ​​celebration. Lord Mayor Jim Rogers said that "Halloween this year is going to be fantastic, with an insane carnival, magical music and truly magical, mesmerizing fireworks."
Well, we wish the residents and guests of the city to spend this night with sparkle and fun and not end up at the police station. And I’m running out of time, I must somehow catch a plane across the ocean.

The americans They do not share with the Britons their habit of celebrating the successful salvation of the king from the Stuart dynasty from the terrorists' attempt to blow up parliament together with both houses, lords and commons, as well as with the monarch himself in addition. They have another reason to shoot, blow up firecrackers, enjoy fireworks and try to set fire to everything that burns, namely Independence Day. So on October 31st, they may well concentrate on celebrating Halloween. There are festive events in Washington DC on Halloween. This includes parties in nightclubs, and excursions to crypts and haunted places. “You've never seen a city like this before,” reads the advertising slogan for the haunted historic tour. The advertising poster depicts a headless woman in
vintage dress on the background of the old house. Those who are especially fabulously lucky will even be able to see the ghost of President Lincoln. It is said that he can sometimes be found in the White House. Even in the National Zoo, located in Washington, you can feel the atmosphere of Halloween: especially for the holiday, a section has been opened where you can see bats, owls, spiders and other animals associated with evil spirits. Well, in America, Halloween is one of the funniest holidays.
And what happens in the homeland of the Peking duck, Jet Li and the majority of the world's population?

V China Halloween is known as Teng Chieh - Ancestor Remembrance Day. On this day, food and water are placed in front of photographs of deceased relatives, as well as a lantern that illuminates the path for the souls of ancestors traveling on Halloween night. Monks in Buddhist monasteries make boats of fate out of paper, some of which are very large. In the evening, these boats are burned so that their smoke helps the spirits of the ancestors to get to heaven.

The day has passed, and now, already sitting at home in old jeans and huge socks, in the company of a mug of tea and a cat that has been worn out during these days, who is sleeping, leaning his hairy head against my thigh, I thought that Samhain is not only candy, jokes and the fancy-dress craziness of the carnival. This is also the best day of the year to talk to the dead, to ask for forgiveness for all the insults - voluntary or involuntary, that we inflicted on them during their lifetime. This is an opportunity to remember relatives, loved ones and everyone who once met on your way, light a fire and wish them a little luck. The night of November 1 is a time of loneliness, a chance to find a way to the hidden in the recesses of the soul, to dismantle the rubble of dirt and dust that have accumulated there and throw away the bitterness of disappointment and failure, the pain of loss and outdated relationships. And at the same time, get rid of resentment and irritation, because they are rubbish that prevents you from continuing the difficult path along the long road of life.

Several centuries ago, this holiday was celebrated by the Celtic pagan tribes and the British people in general. They divided the year into two parts - summer and winter. The Celts believed that in winter the sun god was held captive by Souin, the lord of the dead and the prince of darkness.

On November 1, the Celts held the Samhain festival, in honor of the end of the harvest. During the holiday, bonfires were burned: people jumped over them to undergo purification by fire. However, there is no evidence that this holiday was dedicated to the dark forces and the dead. It is believed that this version was invented by the monks two centuries later.

With the adoption of Christianity by the British peoples, Samhain was superimposed on All Saints' Day, which is celebrated on November 1. Thus, October 31 was the eve of this holiday. In English it was called All Hallows Eve. Later this name was shortened to Halloween.

Halloween traditions

Halloween costumes should be dark and scary. This is probably due to the Celtic traditions of scaring away evil spirits.

Therefore, people dress up as witches, vampires, walking dead, make ominous makeup with "blood stains", "cadaveric spots", "bruises."

In this form, they walk around the neighbors with an ultimatum: "Sweets or pranks." It is believed that if the person asking does not receive sweets, then he can do something nasty to the “greedy person”.

The main symbol of Halloween is considered to be Jack's lamp - a luminous pumpkin with eyes and an ominous smile. Initially, turnips or rutabagas were used instead of pumpkin. In the past, people believed that a pumpkin with a candle inside, installed next to the house, would drive away evil spirits from it.

The tradition of making lamps from pumpkins originates from the Celtic custom of creating lanterns that help souls find their way to purgatory.

It is also associated with this tradition, who twice managed to deceive the devil. The myth says that after death, God did not allow Jack to go to heaven, and the devil did not take him to hell. He was sent to roam the streets on a dark night with a burning coal, which the man placed in a carved turnip.

How Halloween is celebrated

Every year, people have themed parties and carve lanterns out of pumpkins.

According to popular beliefs, on Halloween, the boundaries between the earthly and other worlds are erased. Therefore, people guess and perform rituals to find out their fate.

For example, an apple can be used to determine whether a wish will come true or not. To do this, the apple was divided in half and looked at the bones: if they are whole, then the wish will come true, if not, there will be difficulties in fulfilling the plan.

Don'ts on Halloween

This holiday has no strict prohibitions. Mostly people adhere to mystical superstitions.

  • In the old days, it was believed that if you go outside at midnight, put on your clothes inside out and walk forward with your back, you can see a witch.
  • It is believed that on Halloween, a person should not turn around if, during a night walk, he heard footsteps behind him.
  • Do not leave open windows and doors in the house - they must be tightly closed before dark.
  • If an owl sits on the roof of the house on Halloween, it needs to be driven away, because the bird can predict the deceased, writes womanadvice.ru.
  • Do not kill spiders in the house. It is believed that the emerging insect warns of trouble.
  • Black cats cannot sleep in the house on Halloween - they will bring misfortune to the family. Therefore, it is customary to put pets on the street on Halloween.

What to cook for Halloween

Halloween is a great excuse to cook something unusual and memorable. Regular biscuits can be baked in the shape of witches' fingers with a nut instead of a nail. As a decoration, you can cut spiders from olives, cut a cake in the form of coffins, draw or cut faces on fruits, pour red paste over the spaghetti.

Why do they love the holidays? There is a reason to meet friends. You can dress in something unusual. Try something new.

Celebrate in late autumn. Recently, it has become fashionable all over the world to celebrate this foreign holiday.

All Saints' Day. What it is?

This is due to the fact that not all the saints got their own personal holidays. I would like to remember all the heavenly intercessors, ask them for help, pamper them with special gifts, remind them of their troubles and aspirations, and secure the promise of care next year. All Saints' Day- not only a Christian holiday.

Halloween story

The tradition of this quite pagan event under the name goes into the darkness and depth of centuries.

  • In the area of ​​present-day Scotland, Ireland, Normandy, strange peoples lived, with their own strange gods and gods. Then time did not flow as fast as it does now. The terrestrial year was divided neither into weeks nor into months, but into two seasons. Warm generous summers and cold dark winters. In summer, goodness and light ruled. The people of that time created a legend that the pagan sun god was captured by the evil ruler of Darkness and Horror. On the last day of October, the local Celts and Druids held a holiday with offerings to persuade the Dark Lord to release the sun disk.
  • The Celts believed in miracles. They believed that the change from the green season to the white season was arranged by the gods with a deep secret meaning. The subsequent rebirth of nature promises the same change of misfortune for good luck. The opening Gate of Time allows you to look both into the past and into the future. Pagan traditions recommended spending this day in a special way. Ancient rituals forced the inhabitants to extinguish their own hearths, and then revive a new flame from the sacred Druidic fire. This fire will bring them prosperity, wealth, health, family well-being.
  • But on the same day, terrible creatures, spirits, witches can penetrate into the real natural world. How will you protect yourself from them? Dress up in strange outfits so that they don't recognize them and take them for their own. Go door to door and demand food, threatening and frightening residents. Medieval peoples were naive, believed in amulets. They gladly participated in demonstrative sabbaths, trying to protect their future from the negative consequences of meeting with real wickedness. These rituals helped them survive!

There was also a slightly different shade. The ancient people spent the summer in hard work. They uprooted the forest for arable land, sowed grain, reaped the harvest, storing it for future use. In winter, one could enjoy peace and relative idleness, indulge in ingenuous amusements, tireless handicrafts, primitive music lessons, and playing with children. Winter is a time of drinking and fun.

Now it has taken root all over the world, it is widely celebrated by young people in clubs at parties.

The mottos of this strange holiday:

  • Pay off, or I will bewitch.
  • Treats instead of punishment.
  • Sweetness, not nasty.

Children wander about in special devilish costumes, and they suit cute crumbs like that! A special sweet treat awaits the mummers from relatives and neighbors. In exchange for sweets, you need to perform songs, perform tricks, dance and make faces. A funny mummy, a witch in a magic cap, a cute ghost will perfectly fit into a Halloween party.

How to make a "Jack Lantern" for Halloween?

The main attribute is a pumpkin lantern. This lamp reminds of the Irish sly. The clever blacksmith deceived the devil several times. For his pranks, Jack received a coal in a lamp instead of a place in Hell, consecrating his way home. These lamps can be made together with children by cutting out the image of a face, a cat, a bat.

  1. Cut off the top of the pumpkin with a long knife, from the side of the stem. Make a cone-shaped hole to make a lid.
  2. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside of the vegetable. First from the seeds of the fibers, then from the pulp.
  3. Prepare the pattern on paper, attach the stencil to the pumpkin and transfer the picture to the surface of the vegetable.
  4. Take your time to cut through the pattern with a small, sharp knife.
  5. Attach a candle inside, light it and cover the pumpkin with a lid.

Merry to you!

Quote post ABOVE

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 were 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 possession of animals, and the most dangerous ones - into cats. On this day, all evil spirits descend to the ground.
On the night of October 31 to November 1, 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 appease them. And in the morning, 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, 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. In my opinion, one should not miss the 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 to 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 arrival of death is by definition the arrival of life. The white desert, where Samhain lives, is extraordinarily beautiful. She is freed from everything 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 morning, 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 across 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.
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.
In the ancient lands of what is now England and in the colder parts of France, Celtic tribes lived. 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 the 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 for only 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 call up (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 (sacrifices) 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 delicacies (sweets, cookies) for children is considered 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 trite, 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 are suddenly slowly but surely dying.
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 whole 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. The doors to another world are sensitively guarded, guarded. Halloween spirits are those 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 - it is enough to 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.
Halloween is often 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 (nearly 656 kg).
The fastest pumpkin cleaning record belongs to Jerry Ayers of Baltimore, Ohio, USA. He cleansed 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 was 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 never defeated to the end.

Thus, neither stubborn Catholics nor American Protestants, who, like everything else, stole the idea of ​​a holiday, were unable to emasculate the Vedic Aryan essence from it, WITH WHAT I CONGRATULATE YOU.

The very word "holiday" evokes pleasant sensations: an idle, empty day, in other words, free from work. We know a huge number of such celebrations. We celebrate many of them with pleasure. Each holiday has its own history and traditions, some have appeared in our life quite recently, or, in any case, we are used to thinking so. Today we will talk about just that.

Celebration date and history of origin

So what is Halloween? When is it celebrated? Halloween has its roots in the distant past. For more than two thousand years, mankind has been celebrating it. Most of the holidays of our ancestors were associated with nature, the sun and the change of seasons played a huge role in human life. It is believed that the holiday itself and the traditions of how to celebrate Halloween were presented to mankind by the ancient Celts, who celebrated the end of the harvest on October 31st. And on the night of November 1 - the transition from light to dark, the god Samhain, the patron saint of the dead and the master of the other world, became the ruler for this period.

In order to appease the powerful god, various rituals and sacrifices were carried out, the priests kindled a sacred fire, the flame of which was designed to protect the tribe until the onset of bright times. People took the coals from the fire to their homes and kindled their hearth from them - now it protected the family and home from misfortunes. It was believed that on a witchcraft night, spirits fall from the world of the dead into our world and can harm the living. To avoid such misfortune, all the doors and windows of the dwelling were closed, people put on terrible clothes and painted their faces, and left delicacies on the doorstep of the house as a ransom from spirits and other evil spirits.

In Russia

When is Halloween in Russia? The ancient Slavs had their own holiday, quite similar to Halloween, it was called Veles's night. It was celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1, as, in fact, it is celebrated to this day. In the same way as the Celts, the ancient Slavs celebrated the transition from light to dark, but, unlike Samhain, who took the sun god Mac Oll prisoner until spring, the Slavic Belobog simply passed Kolo of the year, in modern terms, power for the winter years to Chernobog.

The difference

Another difference is the attitude towards spirits: the Slavs did not lock the doors, but, on the contrary, invited the spirits of deceased relatives to visit their home. They prepared food for them and asked for help for the family. And so that evil spirits do not make their way with the good ones into the dwelling, a fire was lit from a sacred fire, around which they danced, sang and danced. Jumping over a fire and walking on coals were supposed to cleanse them of filth, and the round dance symbolized the movement of the sun and the hope for its early return. The holiday was very funny, and, of course, no one was locked in the houses, so how to celebrate Halloween, everyone can choose for themselves.

Current traditions

Modern traditions of celebrating Halloween are a kind of mixture of a pagan holiday, Christian and folk art in the form of a legend about Coarse Jack, who is also called Jack-Lantern (he managed to deceive the devil three times). Thanks to his tricks, he took the word from the owner of hell that he would not take him, but since the sly man was not a righteous man, Jack did not get to heaven either. So now he walks between heaven and hell with a candle in his hands, and so that it does not go out, he hides it in a carved pumpkin. Over time, a pumpkin, carved like a funny face, with a burning candle inside, has become a symbol of celebration, so many cannot imagine how to celebrate Halloween without such a bright attribute. Today Jack-Lantern is the main character of the holiday, and the terrible clothes to scare away spirits have turned into carnival costumes. Sacrificial treats now look like treats that children dressed up in Halloween costumes are happy to receive from adults after the ultimatum requirement: "Sweets or life."

Celebrating at home

How to celebrate Halloween at home? As mentioned above, now Halloween is more like a masquerade with characters (sorcerers, witches, vampires, angels and demons) typical of this holiday. Therefore, a party with friends dressed in costumes of such heroes will turn out to be very fun, for example, the owners of the house can invite guests to the Sabbath with drinking a magic potion from a huge cauldron. Punch is very suitable as a witch's stew, and funny contests are quite pass for witchcraft rituals.

Many daredevils, thinking about how to celebrate Halloween at home, recall scenes from the work of Bulgakov. After that, they organize a real ball, the host of which becomes Messire Woland himself. Children, no less than adults, enjoy this old and slightly strange holiday. The Addams family characters, their habits and home decoration will be the perfect script for a children's Halloween party. The main thing is not to forget about Jack the Lantern, carving out of pumpkin faces in babies is especially delightful.

Celebrating fun in Moscow

Where to celebrate Various clubs, cafes and bars invite you to celebrate. They promise an unforgettable program and fun. Everyone is trying to delight and scare at the same time: eerie, colorful decorations and completely immerse visitors in a world of chaos, horror and mysticism, which is always interesting to become a part of, especially if the costume matches. The dark world will gladly welcome its inhabitants, and free booze will be a bonus. Therefore, before wondering where to celebrate Halloween in Moscow, get a costume - and the hospitality of supernatural forces is guaranteed.

Cheerful "evil spirits" are always glad to accept:

  • the network of bars and nightclubs ShishasBar;
  • cafe "Sea inside";
  • Tuning Hall club;
  • club "Theater";
  • Club Moscow";
  • club "16 tons";
  • Rooklyn Club;
  • "Glav-Club";
  • KazanBar;
  • Veritas Club.

Conclusion

Centuries have passed, the sacred component of the holiday is gone. Panic horror before winter gave way to anticipation of New Year's festivities and adventures, and fear of evil spirits was transformed into masquerade fun, holiday traditions changed, and the question "How to celebrate Halloween?" now there is only one answer: "Fun!"