Today Halloween is celebrated all over the world. People dress up in costumes of evil spirits and stay up all night. But not many can give an account of why they do it. Halloween appeared in America in honor of All Saints Day. Today we will tell you how the holiday is celebrated at home, as well as highlight traditions and interesting facts.
How did the holiday come about?
Today it is believed that Halloween originated in America, but it is not. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, such a holiday was not known. Most of America's early settlers were Puritans. There was no place for the Catholic holiday in their faith. Only with the influx of emigrants from Scotland and Ireland did All Saints Day become popular.
Why is the holiday celebrated on October 31st? It is no coincidence that this number was chosen. Halloween was brought to America by the Catholic faith, and in Christianity from October 31 to November 1, All Souls' Day was celebrated. Previously, people believed that before going to hell or heaven, souls dwell in purgatory. And so, on the last night of October, theycome to earth to say goodbye to their living relatives and friends. That is why Catholics used to celebrate All Saints Day, first in the church, and then in the cemetery. The dead were left food, milk, sweets. It was believed that the spirits would eat the offerings and not bother living people.
Costumes
Many people wonder where the tradition of dressing up as evil spirits came from. Halloween in America today is considered a national holiday, but as we found out, it was not always so. The tradition of dressing up originated in France. Christians sincerely believed that if they put on masks and go to a ball or other crowded place, the spirits would not recognize them, and therefore, they would not do anything wrong. The Americans took note of this tradition, but replayed it a little in their own way. They did not just put on masks, they began to dress up as evil spirits. People believed that the spirits would not only not recognize them, but even take them for their own and do nothing wrong. Over time, the true story began to be forgotten, and the outfits became less and less scary. Girls dressed as cats and bunnies, according to 19th-century Americans, would be considered vulgar. Such an outfit certainly could not protect against unclean forces. But today, costume is a way of expressing oneself, and few people wear traditional clothes and masks.
Home decoration
One of the national holidays in America is Halloween. The date of All Saints Day is October 31st. It is on this day that people dress up in costumes and go to parties, and children go to neighbors,collecting sweets. How did the tradition of decorating not only yourself, but also your own homes? Americans began to decorate their homes not so long ago. But today it is explained by the same belief in spirits. To prevent evil spirits from recognizing the house, it must be disguised.
In fact, people express themselves through the decoration of their homes. Americans love to outdo their neighbors in everything. Therefore, no decent family will allow their house to be decorated worse than the adjacent building.
Celebrations
Probably everyone knows from the movies how Halloween is in America. Adults and children dress up in costumes. And if the parents' party goes according to two scenarios: they either celebrate the holiday at home, or go to a party with friends, then the little tomboys have fun all night. They go from house to house, and every time the door is opened for them, the children shout: "Treat or life." If the neighbors give them sweets, then the children go home. But if the door was not opened, or even more so, they did not give treats, disguised tomboys can fool around. The most loyal way to take revenge on the neighbors is to throw toilet paper at their house, but one of the worst options is to “decorate” the house with raw eggs.
How is Halloween celebrated in America? One way to celebrate the holiday is to participate in a parade. This event takes place in New York. It officially starts at 7 pm, but people rarely arrive on time for such holidays. Therefore, a cluster of dressed up people sets off at 8 o'clock. The parade is accompanied by songs, dances and dances. People get to know each other, communicate and take pictures, ingenerally having fun.
Traditions
How is Halloween celebrated in America? To understand this, we need to consider the traditions that define the holiday.
- Carving evil faces from pumpkins. This is done in order to scare away evil spirits. Candles are inserted into the carved pumpkin and placed near the entrance to the house. Sometimes orange vegetables decorate window sills and porches. Some people even take pumpkins with them and walk down the street with them, probably in case they encounter evil spirits along the way.
- Many farmers put up a scarecrow with a pumpkin head on their plots on Halloween eve. Why did such a tradition emerge? The fact is that the holiday has not only religious, but also agricultural roots. On October 31, the ancient Celts, the forerunners of the Americans, celebrated the end of farming and harvesting.
- The traditional colors of Halloween are orange and black. Orange symbolizes joy, hope, the sun and a successful harvest. And black reminds people of death and evil spirits that live next to us.
Interesting facts
- Halloween in America is becoming more and more popular every year. Now it is not only a national holiday, but also a financially profitable event. Thanks to the wide promotion, tourists from all over the world flock to English-speaking countries on October 31, thereby bringing huge income.
- How is Halloween celebrated in America? Of course, it's wide. That is why there are evenspecial shops that work for 2 months a year. They specialize in selling Halloween decorations, costumes and other accessories.
- A pumpkin with a funny carved face is called Jack O'Lantern. And the first versions of such figures were made by Catholics from turnips.
- There are many beliefs associated with mirrors. Americans believe that if you look into any reflective object at midnight on October 31, you can see your death. Although many girls think differently. They read in mirrors. At midnight, you need to go down the stairs with a candle in your hand. If you manage to look in the mirror at this moment, you can see your betrothed there.
- In 1921, the first large-scale Halloween celebration took place in America. It happened in Anoka, Minnesota. Since then, this place has been considered the capital of the American holiday.
