Halloween

Halloween is both a secular and religious holiday celebrated by Americans on October 31, although
countries all over the world celebrate Halloween or a form of it. Christian churches may celebrate All
Hallows Day or All Saints Day. ________________
The original source of Halloween is believed to be of pagan tradition, although many believe the
Christian celebrations came first. These festivals often honored gods of fruits, such as the Roman
Pomona. Others, like the festival of Parentalia, may have honored the deceased.
The Celtic festival of Samhain is of major influence, which marked the end of summer and the harvest.
Bonfires were lit, often to provide light for those bringing in livestock from the fields or mountains to
be slaughtered for winter._____________. Mean spirits entered the earthly realm as well. People
would dress in costume in order to confuse these spirits. This evolved into the custom of visiting
houses to collect food for the feast wearing in costume, a precursor to trick-or-treating.
Halloween also borrows elements from the Christian tradition. The name comes from All Hallows
Eve, the day that Christians spent honoring the deceased and the saints. As a Holy Day of Obligation,
some observers honor those in purgatory by ringing bells.____________________. The traditions and
imagery of Halloween are largely adopted from horror stories and gothic worksghosts, vampires,
other monsters, haunted houses, skeletons.
Traditions
Trick-or-Treating is the practice of children dressing up in costume to ring doorbells for candy. When
the door opens, they will say, "Trick or treat? Give me something good to eat," which is sometimes
followed by, "if you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear!"
Some children may opt to collect for charity, such as the UNICEF coin boxes that observers can donate
change into as the child collects candy. Since 1952, UNICEF has sponsored this fundraising event,
collecting more than $118 million since.
Children will often dress in a Halloween costume, such as a witch or a ghost. _______________For
example, they may choose to emulate figures like Batman and Abraham Lincoln rather than something
with an evil theme.
In the theme of a festival, carnival-esque gamers were held, many with pagan originsbobbing for
apples, not tossing peels over your shoulder.
International Celebrations
The Chinese celebrate the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, or Yue Lan. Rather than trying to hide from
and disguise themselves in order to ward off evil spirits, the Chinese give them gifts in order to give
them enough comfort to retreat.
Halloween, or Samhain Night, is popular in Ireland. The Irish will light bonfires, just as ancient
Samhain festivals would. Observers will decorate houses with turnips, candles, and
pumpkins.___________________.
The Scottish take pride in their Halloween festivals, lighting bonfires according to their Samhain roots.
Some may observe divination rituals. A popular ritual is dooking, where a person must be blindfolded
before attempting to eat a piece of pastry hanging from a string.
Japan celebrates the Bon Festival, a Buddhist holiday that honors the deceased, especially the
ancestors of the observer. This is commemorated with outdoor festivals, grave visits, and grave
cleaning. They will light lanterns to flow down bodies of water, symbolic of the spirits returning to
the underworld.
Romanians celebrate the story of "Dracula" on Halloween. They believed that he came to haunt the
towns form time to time, staying in the area because he was attracted to the environment where many
witch trials took place.

The secular celebration is marked by dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating

and carnival style events characterized by spooky elements such as ghosts.
On this day, the Celts believe that the door to the underworld was opened, letting in
spirits. They would hold a feast, setting a place for any deceased relatives, as they
were believed to visit home on this day
Many Halloween traditions come from a mixture of these Christian and pagan
traditions. The influx of Irish and Scottish immigrants during the 19th century
brought the celebration to America
They may choose instead to dress of as a fictional or real figure they admire.
Emergency services see their busiest day of the year on Halloween, as many youths
behave badly and many celebrate with fireworks although they are banned