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2006-10-20 04:04:52 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture Holidays Halloween

5 answers

Halloween (IPA pronunciation: [hælə'win], [hælo'win]) is an observance celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets. It is celebrated in much of the Western world, though most common in Canada, the United States, Puerto Rico, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and with increasing popularity in Australia and New Zealand. Halloween originated among the Celts in Ireland, Britain and France as a pagan Celtic harvest festival. Irish, Scots and other immigrants brought versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th century. Most other Western countries have embraced Halloween as a part of American pop culture in the late 20th century.

The term Halloween, and its older spelling Hallowe'en, is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the evening before "All Hallows' Day" (also known as "All Saints' Day"). In Ireland, the name was All Hallows' Eve (often shortened to Hallow Eve), and though seldomly used today, it is still a well accepted label. Halloween was also sometimes called All Saints' Eve. The holiday was a day of religious festivities in various northern European pagan traditions, until it was appropriated by Christian missionaries and given a Christian interpretation. Halloween is also called Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca, a mischievous spirit.

Halloween is sometimes associated with the occult. Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when the spiritual world can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent (e.g. Catalan mythology about witches).

2006-10-20 04:07:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4 0

Halloween came from the Pagan holiday Samhain (pronounced "sow-when"). Samhain is the celebration of the new year. Like Ostara (now Easter) and Yule (now Christmas), the Christians "Christianized" the holiday. The Pope moved All Saints Day from the spring to coincide with Samhain, which was the end of the year. The name was changed to All Hallows Eve, until it's form now of Halloween.

Some Christians considered Christmas to be "too Pagan" and it wasn't always celebrated. Colonial Americans didn't celebrate it even! Halloween followed the same rout. However, Christmas is now celebrated by Christians, but Halloween isn't always. Many Christians see Halloween as still a Pagan holiday, and unfortunately they have many misconceptions about what Paganism is. Some Christians then draw the conclusion that to be Pagan is to be evil, and that Halloween is Pagan, therefore it's evil.

In summation, if Christians think that Halloween is evil because of it's Pagan roots, then should quite celebrating Christmas, which was once the Pagan holiday Yule, and Easter, which was once the Pagan holiday Ostara.

Pagans do not have a devil figure or evil god in their religion. Satan belongs to Christianity.

2006-10-20 07:18:51 · answer #2 · answered by Mrs. Pears 5 · 0 0

It is know as Samhain (sow-en), all hallows eve and a few other days. It is a pagan holiday. Orignally from Ireland and Scotland. It is the end of summer. Also when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. Some celerbrate it as the day of the dead, similar to the mexican day of the dead. They will leave cakes out, one for each of their deceased relatives. It is also a day to honour the Sun God.

2006-10-20 11:32:17 · answer #3 · answered by CASSIE 3 · 0 0

As Halloween approaches us frighteningly fast, preparations are beginning for many activities, celebrations and festivities.

But amid all the exhilarating Halloween frenzy that we have so long been accustomed to, we often forget the true meaning behind why we are really celebrating.

There is indeed a meaningful history, for at the roots of this ancient holiday are 2000 years of European-bred traditions, customs and rituals that evolved into Halloween as we know it today.

The actual concept of Halloween is derived from an early Celtic holiday called Samhein (pronounced sow-in) that took place at the beginning of the winter season on Oct. 31. This day marked the end of summer and the end of food abundance and plant vitality for farmers.

Spirits of the dead were believed to roam freely. On the day known as "The Day of the Dead," living relatives would help their dead loved ones complete a safe journey to the afterlife.

People would paint or carve scary faces on gourds and turnips and disguise themselves in outlandish costumes to scare away the evil spirits that were also thought to be wandering the earth that night.

The Catholic Church, angered by these pagan practices, sought to eliminate them. Pope Gregory decided to declare a new festival of religious observance called All Saint's Day, a day in which every saint would be honored.

A few hundred years down the line, its date was changed so that it would fall on the same day as Samhein.

As part of the custom of All Saints Day, people would dress up in a costume that represented a saint, and young men would go door-to-door begging for food to feed the town's poor.

As the years went by, the customs of Samhein and All Saints Day began to merge and were no longer considered two separate festivals, but rather one joint holiday called All Hollow's Day.

When the Irish population began immigrating to America in the mid-1800s, they brought with them the many European customs of All Hollow's Day. These customs combined with an existing American tradition called "Autumn's Play."

"Autumn's Play" is a celebration in which people gather to sing, feast, light bonfires and watch children parade in costume.

These two festivals shaped present-day Halloween and all of the spooky phenomena that we enjoy today.

2006-10-20 04:08:27 · answer #4 · answered by mudd_grip 4 · 2 0

nicely- i'm not sure if this is going to help, yet how approximately you attempt something like a vampire, that are continually dark and creepy, yet is often cute, beautiful, or sexy. despite look you're finding for. I easily have a chum who is going to be a black bunny for halloween, (sure, her gown is cute, and on the comparable time very slutty,) she would be in a position to be donning a black spaghetti strap shirt, a short black skirt, (her skirt is, in fact, very short,) black fishnet leggings, and, needless to say, black bunny ears. additionally, she's not sure if she is going to yet, yet she could incorporate black elbow-length gloves. Then, I easily have yet another pal, who develop into going to be an emo "tinkerbell," yet she could no longer get her gown accomplished in time. Then, for halloween, i'm being "Ms. Apocolypse." form of like a number of of those "Ms. u.s.", issues, different than my banner will say, "Ms. Apocolypse." i'm which is composed of black elbow-length gloves, an prolonged army, way army, somewhat dark, blue gown. (a short black gown works too, an prolonged with fishnet leggings and black boots.) i'm going to in all probability positioned some form of crown on my head, which incorporate a small black or blue ring, just to function result. final twelve months i develop right into a vampire bride, black veil, skimpy gown and all. The twelve months formerly that i develop into in ordinary terms a ordinary previous vampire, (oftentimes i'm no longer very ingenious approximately my costumes.) in any case, there are multiple issues to be. i'm hoping this is effectual.

2016-12-08 17:58:34 · answer #5 · answered by mcdonnell 4 · 0 0

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