Halloween: 7 facts about the holiday

Let’s discuss the history of Halloween, as well as how this holiday is celebrated in some countries (USA, Mexico, Ireland, and Romania).

This holiday is celebrated on the last night of the harvest season when the frigid darkness of winter envelops the warm memories of summer. Everything falls asleep...

1.   The ancient Celts believed that during these changes evil forces penetrated into the world of the living beings. It was thought that they came to celebrate the onset of winter - Samhain (translated as “the end of summer”). It is believed that this holiday has become the forerunner of Halloween. This night, according to the beliefs of the Celts, the souls of those who died last year were among the living beings. Therefore, in order to appease the souls of the dead, the villagers (‘Samhain’ was not popular in the cities) prepared food and sweets. This ritual preceded the modern trick-or-treating. However, there is no definite evidence that Samhain was indeed a feast of the dead. It was stated by the historian Nicholas Rogers in his book "Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night."
2.    Although Halloween has a pagan origin, the name of this holiday is derived from the name of the Christian holiday of All Saints Day, or rather, the evening before it (“all hallows eve”). The holiday itself was celebrated on November 1.
3.    Gradually, the celebration of Halloween was adapted to Christians who wanted to eradicate paganism, and after a year, the dark, frightening holiday became more good-natured and even family one. Nevertheless, Halloween is still associated with something mysterious, mystical and supernatural, and it is celebrated around the world.
4.   In Ireland, in a country that, perhaps, is the birthplace of Halloween, it is still celebrated with a kind of excitement, with candles and pumpkins. Pies with various small things inside are also an old tradition. It is believed that if a person takes a piece with a ring, then in the near future his or her life will be filled with romance. If they take a piece with a coin – they will become rich, and if they get a piece of cloth, then it is better to save money in the near future. You can immerse yourself in the history of Halloween at the festival of Samhain in the museum in Dublin from 26 to 31 October. The excursion includes a tour of the Glasnevin Cemetery and a Samhain-style dinner.
5.   Cemeteries are where Mexicans have fun during their national day of the dead, which has been around for thousands of years. They celebrate it in order to honor the memory of ancestors. When the Spaniards spread Catholicism among Mexicans, this day was displaced according to the calendar and coincided with the day of all saints and the day of remembrance of the dead (November 2). The customs and rituals of the holidays are very similar: dressing masks and honoring the dead with flowers, candles, paintings and food for them.
6.   In Romania, Halloween is mainly associated with the Dracula. This is what attracts tourists at this time because here are popular excursions in Transylvania, where you can visit the house of fear with ghosts and vampires. You can also try to find real Dracula in Vlachia.
7.   In the United States, Halloween is associated with the costume parties, trick-or-treating (“sweets or death”), harvest holidays, Halloween-style houses, pumpkins with candles (punkins). In America, you can also visit similar themed homes of fear, or even in prison, which recreates the atmosphere of this holiday.

GBChoice wishes you HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We wish you a fun Halloween filled with magical surprises! May you get lots of treats that are good to eat!