Halloween

Halloween is a worldwide celebration which takes place in October 31st. American children use to dress up and go out in the streets from house to house asking for "trick or treats", to which the adults reply by giving them candies, otherwise they do some joke with them. However, few people actually know about the history behind this such popular celebration.

Etymology:
The word Halloween was first used in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All Hallows' Even ('evening'), that is, the night before All Hallows' Day. Although the phrase All Hallows' is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, mass-day of all saints), All Hallows' Even is itself not seen until 1556. The term Halloween has different meanings in other languages. Thus, in Greek this means Απόκριες, while in Romanian this means Luminație.

Origins:
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win").
The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.

The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween. Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.

Part of the history of Halloween is Halloween costumes. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of "souling," when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas."

However, it is not certain that traditions like trick or treat had their origins in those ancient habits and rites. The celebrations of Halloween are practiced since long time ago in many countries, and there's no way to know exactly how it begun. The important part is, though, to have fun and enjoy this date, which is celebrated just once per year. ;)

~By Pietro B. Trombini