What Is The Point Of Halloween???

Question

Yes you dress up and get candy but what is the real point of it???

Answer 1

no. that dressing up and getting candy IS the real point of Halloween

Answer 2

Halloween's origins date back thousands of years. It originated with such festivals as Samhain (Samhain itself being a harvest and new years festival). These were fall festivals hosted for various reasons, typically they would have been harvest festivals. In at least one culture bon fires were burned at night to supposedly strengthen the sun god so he would survive the coming winter. It was also believed that the dead walked the earth at this time more freely than just about any other time of the year.

When the Christian church set about converting these peoples, they found it often was easier to keep celebrations they already had in place but give them a Christian element. Thus festivals like Samhain were converted for use by the church. November first became All Saints Day, other names for which are All Hallows Day and Hallowsmas. The night before became All Hallows Eve. Hallows being another name for saints. All Hallows Eve was also refered to as the All-Hallows-Even, which was shorten to Hallow Eve and Hallowe'en. From the latter we get Halloween.

For a long time Halloween was more celerbrated by adults. Towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century the trend began to change to a more children oriented holiday. And during the early part of the 20th century it was more about tricks, which many civic leaders across the country were growing tired of because they tended to be damaging to property. Though the origins of trick-or-treating can be found in the begging of soul cakes on All souls Day (the day after All Saints Day), the more modern orgin was meant as something to give children to do on Halloween instead of being destructive.

Today Halloween is once again becoming more celebrated by adults thanks to the baby boomer generation and later generations. Though still largely seen as a children's holiday, more and more adults are dressing up, whether it be merely for handing out candy or for attending costume parties.

For some Halloween today is about remembering and being with loved ones who have passed on. This is most noticeable in Day of the Dead (actually, the Day of the Dead is November 2nd) celebrations. Halloween is believed to be the point at which the dead can more easily visit the living.

Halloween also became at time to raise funds for the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in the 1950s. Thusly it is a night for charity as kids go trick-or-treating for UNICEF. They become collectors for the fund.

Now Halloween is a time for getting candy, for remembering dead loved ones, for having a party, for getting a good scare, and for charity.

Answer 3

Halloween is an old holiday. The costumes, candy and stuff came much later. November 1st is All Hallows Day. That is a day when the souls of the dead are honored. Halloween is the day before that. Like the day before Christmas is Christmas Eve. Halloween is basically a short version of Hallow Evening. In Mexico it is called La Dia De Los Muertos or the Day of the Dead.

Answer 4

thouasands of years ago halloween was celebrated for a good harvest, many people would go around to there neighbors and give them something like for example a pumkin adn stuff like that, for those who didn't where cursed by the devil like a man named jack was carrying a beet with a candle in it and the devil came and asked if jack could help him get the apple down from the tree. but instead he decided to trick the devil by saying he was cursed by a whitch and the witch would get the devil if he touch the apple. so instead of listening the devil asked jack to help him get up the tree to get the apple, after the devil was up the tree jack left the devil up there and the devil took him body and soul. thats when they found his creation of the jack-o-lantern instead of a beet since it is to small they decided to use a pumpkin. that tradition has been carried on for thousands of generations until the present day which is now. (ALL OF THIS IS COMING FROM A 12 YEAR OLD GIRL EVEN THOUGH IT SAYS I'M 17) now the tradition is for little kids to go around asking for candy.

Answer 5

well for those who trick or treat its basically just the candy

for america however its all the money for the millions of bags of candy, and haunted houses and decorations

Answer 6

To tell kids it's perfectly OK to take candy from strangers...

Answer 7

http://www.neopagan.net/Halloween-Origins.html

Answer 8

pagan spirit. its fun

Answer 9

GET TO SCARE PEOPLE DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!