Halloween History – an Introduction
Halloween is amongst the oldest holidays celebrated still today. On October 31, several parts in the world get into the mood of festivity as people go on to celebrate the occasion. And the intensity of joy and merriment associated with the festival can be described as only second to Christmas. However, the history of Halloween dates back to the ancient days. The Halloween history has got its root in the ancient Celtic festival, popularly known as 'Samhain'.
The Origin – Samhain Festival
The Samhain festival was the occasion that the people of Gaelic culture used to celebrate at the end of harvest season. The occasion was also regarded as the "Celtic New Year". During this time, the Celtic pagans used to take stock of their supplies as well as slaughter livestock for their winter stores. According to their beliefs, 31st October – the day when the festival of Halloween is currently celebrated throughout the world, is also the day when the boundary between the living and the deceased gets dissolved. With this, the dead become a threat for the living as they start creating various problems like sickness or damaged crops. Bonfires were part of the festival too, where slaughtered livestock's bones were thrown.
The Name
The name of the festival 'Halloween' is a short term of All hallows' Even. It came from the old English term "eallra halgena ?fen", which means "all saints' evening". It is said so because of the fact that, the festival is celebrated on the eve of "All Hallwos' Day", currently known as All Saints' Day. However, All Saints' Day was previously celebrated on May 13, which was later changed to November 1 by Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV. During that time, Halloween and All Saints' Day were celebrated on the same day. However, currently All Saints' Day is celebrated a day after Halloween.
The Evolution
Though Halloween is believed to be a secular celebration, however Christians and pagans have got strong feelings on its religious overtones. Irish immigrants took the tradition to North America. It also evolved in other parts of the world like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland etc. In the following years, the festival of Halloween saw the influence of America. Trick-or-treating – the famous tradition of Halloween started becoming popular among the children in many parts of Europe and in the Saudi Arabia. With the course of time, the other traditions associated with the occasion have also been adopted in many other countries. Currently, Halloween is considered the most celebrated holidays after the Christmas.
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