Halloween
The present Halloween
traditions can be traced back to the ancient Celtic day of the dead “Samhain”.
Halloween as a holiday has many strange customs, and each one can be associated
to legend.
The customs of bobbing for
apples and carving pumpkin and other vegetables, as well as eating fruits and
nuts, goes back to the harvest Festival that was celebrated at the beginning of
November. A time to store the harvest and bringing the pasture animal closer to
the settlement, a time to get ready for the winter ahead
The wearing of costumes, and
roaming from door to door demanding treats can be also be traced to the Celtic “Samhain”
when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and about, along with
fairies, witches, and demons. This ritual was called "mumming" and it is possible
that trick or treat may have evolved from this tradition.
To this day, vampires, witches,
ghosts, and skeleton and other images of the dead are among our favorite costume
for Halloween. Halloween today is a holiday of masquerade, like mardi Gras. Men
women and children in every costume possible are taking to the streets parading
past candlelit pumpkins carved as grotesque heads watching from porches, as we
re-enact customs from past ages.
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