What is Halloween? Halloween is an annual festival that takes place at the end of October and the beginning of November. But what does it commemorate? Why do people dress up in such terrifying costumes?
The Truth About the Spooky Festival
Is it a ritual to worship evil spirits or remnants of ancient pagan ceremonies? The term “Halloween” itself has Christian origins, derived from Hallows Eve (the eve of the feast of All Saints), which occurs on the first day of November, a day for honoring the souls of the deceased. However, some sources suggest that as early as the 5th century BC, the Celts in Ireland commemorated this day on October 31, the last day of summer, as a New Year celebration.
When is Halloween 2024?
What day is Halloween? This seemingly simple question often stumps many. The answer is: Halloween 2024 falls on Thursday, October 31, 2024.
Pumpkin Symbol of Halloween
Why are Pumpkins Associated with Halloween?
The symbol of Halloween is carved pumpkins featuring imaginative faces.
As they moved from Ireland and Britain to the United States, settlers found that pumpkins, a local crop, were much easier to carve than the previously used potatoes and turnips. They would place candles inside the hollowed-out pumpkins to illuminate the way for wandering spirits.
The pumpkin is also tied to the tale of the miserly Jack-O’Lantern from Irish folklore. From then on, pumpkins became synonymous with the Halloween festival. During this time, people would hang pumpkin lanterns outside their homes, hoping to deter evil spirits from disturbing them.
Additionally, there is a story that on this day, the dead return to the living world seeking a body to inhabit for rebirth the following year. This is the only way these souls can be reincarnated. The Celts believed that this day marked a time when the realms of the living and the dead intersected, allowing interaction between both. Naturally, the living did not want to lose their bodies to these wandering spirits, so on the night of October 30, all villages would extinguish their fires and wear horrifying costumes, parading loudly through the town to scare off souls seeking bodies to possess.
Spooky Costumes on Halloween
Another account suggests that the reason the Celts extinguished their home fires was so that the next day, all residents could relight their homes with a single flame taken from the center of Ireland. Additionally, those whose bodies were possessed by spirits would be tied to stakes and burned as a warning to deter other spirits from seeking reincarnation. However, over time, many began to believe these were merely legends.
The Halloween festival later spread to many different countries, with each nation putting its own spin on the celebration. The Romans are among the first, as early as the first centuries AD, the ancient Italians used the last day of October to honor their goddess Pomona, the goddess of fruit. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which explains the tradition of bobbing for apples during Halloween.
The Story of Pomona’s Apple
Pomona’s Apple – Halloween
The apple has long been associated with images of immortality and wisdom. When an apple is cut in half, a star shape appears inside, symbolizing the goddess in ancient European beliefs. Pomona apples were traditionally placed in water basins or suspended on strings. Young men of marrying age would try to retrieve the apples, and whoever succeeded would be the first to marry. Furthermore, there are interesting folk tales stating that if one peels a Pomona apple in front of a mirror beside a burning candle, they will see an image of their future spouse in the mirror, or that keeping the peel as long as possible will prolong their life…!
Cutting an Apple Reveals a Star Shape
Europeans believe that the strange costumes worn on Halloween do not originate from the Celts but rather from the Europeans themselves. In the 9th century, on November 2nd, which is also a day of prayer for souls, parishioners would dress up as beggars and go from village to village seeking crumbs of bread symbolizing food for the souls. They believed that the more crumbs they collected, the more prayers their deceased relatives would receive. Parishioners believed these prayers would help their relatives’ souls, who were stuck somewhere, ascend to heaven.
Traditional Colors of Halloween
The colors orange, black, and white, along with spooky symbols in the Halloween festival, convey indescribable eerie meanings. Almost all symbols and decorations for Halloween are in shades of orange or black. Orange is the color of pumpkins—the harvest of which occurs at the end of October, coinciding with Halloween. Thus, it evokes thoughts of autumn, growth, and life. Conversely, black signifies mourning, death, and the afterlife.
Black and orange are the primary colors of Halloween.
Placing orange and black together during Halloween serves as a reminder from the spirits to humanity that the boundary between life and death is incredibly fragile. There is also a superstition that ghosts will disguise themselves and go door-to-door seeking food and money. If you happen to refuse these spirits, you may be haunted for having angered them.
The Legend of Halloween
According to Irish legend, the term “Jack-o-lanterns” originates from a man named Jack. Jack was a young man who died, but his soul was not allowed into Heaven because he was greedy and stingy during his life, hoarding money and never giving to anyone. However, he also could not enter Hell because he had once played tricks on the devil, so the devil would not take him.
The story goes that one day a demon began to disturb a community. Unfortunately, it was detected, and the townspeople called upon the monks to bring sacred objects to “banish” and “lock the doors” of entry. Thus, the demon was captured… Jack recognized it as the demon that often played tricks with him, and he devised a way to remove the “demonic banishment” item to allow the demon to escape.
In gratitude for saving its life, the demon promised Jack that it would not take his soul to Hell. Therefore, when Jack died in an accident, Heaven rejected his soul. Jack then went to Hell, but the demon would not let him in… due to the prior promise. Seeing Jack cold and suffering, the demon took some glowing coals from Hell, placed them inside a pumpkin, and gave it to Jack to keep warm… on his way back to the earthly realm. To allow air to feed the fire, Jack had to poke holes in the pumpkin, and the light from within illuminated Jack’s wandering path. It is said that Jack must wander the earth with his lantern until the final judgment day of humanity.
The Halloween festival was introduced to America in the 1840s by Irish immigrants. Initially, it was celebrated only on farms, but today, much like in many other countries, Halloween has become a holiday for everyone, especially for young people.
In the mid-19th century, the “trick or treat” custom was not common in large cities because in these places, “neighbors” hardly knew each other; many people lived next to one another without familiarity, leading to some unfortunate incidents on Halloween. Nowadays, many communities and organizations have taken on the responsibility of organizing Halloween festivities, making it a highly anticipated celebration among teenagers and some young adults.
Halloween Traditions
“Trick Or Treat” is the main activity for most children and teenagers in the United States on Halloween night.
“Trick or Treat” – “Candy or a Trick”
“Trick” literally means: to deceive, a mischievous prank: “Treat” signifies hospitality, kindness, and generosity. Children and teenagers dress up in costumes and masks of ghosts and goblins, then carry lanterns from house to house in the neighborhood, knocking on doors and saying “trick or treat.” This phrase means: “If you don’t want us to play a trick, then treat us to something.” Generally, neighbors prefer to avoid being tricked, so they often treat the children with candy and fruit (as per tradition, coins may also be placed inside).
The Educational Meaning of Halloween
Jack’s actions and life have become lessons for youth, teaching us to:
- Live without being greedy, stingy, or miserly
- Have compassion, kindness, and help those in need
One should not play with demons. Demons, in a figurative sense, refer to deceit, threats, and instilling fear in others; mischievous acts born from the intelligence and imagination of youth can sometimes harm people and society. Engaging with demons can easily tempt one down a dark and sinful path.
However, Jack’s story on Halloween also notes the demon’s fair attitude of “repayment for kindness, settling scores” and “keeping promises.” Although this “keeping promise” has led Jack to become a wandering soul.
In Western societies, Halloween has become an annual festive occasion for both children and adults. Few people take the time to explore its deeper meaning.
Humanistic Significance
If we delve deeper, we might find the humanistic aspect in this story. One might ask: why, under the light of science and technology, do Western countries still dedicate a festival for those from the “spirit world”, represented by Jack?
Jack is an imaginary character but has truly embodied the human experience… as a lonely person. Upon death, Jack becomes a wandering soul, with nowhere to belong… Heaven and Hell both reject him!
The traditional Western festival has granted Jack a day. A day to return to the living realm. On this day, Jack can enjoy himself freely, as the living dress as ghosts to allow Jack’s spirit to mingle and alleviate his loneliness. This is the humanistic significance of Halloween.
With this humanistic meaning, Halloween and the Lunar July Full Moon Festival in our country can be seen as a day where the two realms of the living and the dead meet in deep compassion.
Common Activities During Halloween
Home Decoration
In the festive spirit of the upcoming Halloween 2023, decorating your home to create a spooky and dramatic atmosphere is a must. You can draw inspiration from popular Halloween decorating ideas. For instance, create bizarre shapes by carving pumpkins into ghostly faces, hanging masks, and ghostly cloaks. Or use spider web stickers, bat shapes, etc., to establish a mysterious and eerie environment.
Home decoration is an essential activity for Halloween.
Spooky Costumes
Dressing up at Halloween parties creates a unique and exciting atmosphere. It allows people to freely transform into any character or form they desire. Costuming is not just a recreational activity; it also carries a deeper unique significance regarding the meaning of Halloween.
Moreover, dressing up creates a sense of the sacred and mysterious. It is considered a way to confront demons and haunted spirits, as well as to prevent them from having the chance to “steal souls and possess” the living.
After learning when Halloween is, you can freely plan meaningful activities and dress up as any character you wish, from witches and phantoms to zombies and other bizarre figures. This will create a lively atmosphere and enhance the magical, mysterious vibe of the Halloween festival.
Dressing up creates a sense of the sacred and mysterious.
Organizing Horror Movie Screenings
Once you know when Halloween is, where it originated, and what it signifies, an activity to enhance the eerie and mysterious atmosphere is to organize a bonfire and watch horror films or tell ghost stories. This is an activity that attracts the curiosity and interest of many. At the Halloween festival, having bonfires and dancing around the flames is also seen as a way to seek luck and good fortune.
Enjoying Food
In many countries around the world, parties are an essential part of making Halloween complete. At these parties, people often transform into characters of their choice or follow costume regulations set by the host.
Like other holidays, Halloween features unique dishes. Examples include soul cakes, candy apples, pumpkin soup, and Barnbrack. Notably, there are cookies shaped in bizarre forms. In addition to enjoying these unique and impressive dishes, you will also have the opportunity to participate in many fun games at these Halloween parties.
Interesting Facts About Halloween
- Alongside black cats, owls are a popular image associated with Halloween. In Medieval Europe, owls were believed to be companions of demons and witches. It was said that each time an owl hooted, it signified that someone was about to die.
- Bats in Halloween festivities: The image of bats during Halloween originates from the Samhain festival, where the Irish would light bonfires to ward off evil spirits. These bright flames attracted insects and bats, which came to feed.
- Samhainophobia is the name for the strange syndrome of those who fear Halloween. Individuals suffering from this condition often stay indoors on this day and absolutely avoid places where people are in costume.
- Sadly, on Halloween night, the rate of children dying from accidents and going missing is higher than any other day of the year.
- In ancient times, if someone dressed up as a witch for Halloween, they had to bring along a black cat. Many believed that black cats were the loyal servants of witches. During the old Halloween festivities, people would light a large fire and dance around it. They did this in hopes that the Sun would shine brightly again after the long, cold winter, as well as to wish for good fortune.
- The term “witch” is commonly used on Halloween night, with many people dressing as witches. This term originates from the meaning “wise woman.”
This Halloween, you will see something special and rare in the sky
