HALLOWEEN
HALLOWEEN AROUND THE WORLD
IT ’ S COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT HALLOWEEN IS A BIG DEAL IN AMERICA WHERE IT ’ S CELEBRATED AS MUCH BY ADULTS AS IT IS CHILDREN AND IS ALL ABOUT BIG PARTIES , DRESSING UP , SCARY MOVIE MARATHONS , COMMUNITY HAUNTED HOUSES , GHOST STORIES AND , OF COURSE , SUPER-SIZE PORTIONS OF SUGAR . IN THE UK , WE ’ RE INTO IT , BUT IT ’ S FAR MORE ABOUT DRESSING OUR KIDS UP AND LETTING THEM TRICK-OR-TREAT UNTIL THEY FEEL SICK FROM EATING TOO MANY SWEETS . THE CELEBRATION HAS A HISTORY THAT SPANS BACK CENTURIES , HOWEVER , AND HAS BEEN ADAPTED AROUND THE WORLD MANY TIMES OVER .
First , a little history lesson . Halloween originates from the Celtic festival of the Samhain when , on the day corresponding to November 1 on contemporary calendars , the new year was believed to begin . That date was considered the beginning of the winter period , the date on which the herds were returned from pasture and land tenures were renewed . During the Samhain festival the souls of those who had died were believed to return to visit their homes , and those who had died during the year were believed to journey to the otherworld .
People set bonfires on hilltops for relighting their hearth fires for the winter and to frighten away evil spirits , and sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognised by the ghosts thought to be present - hence the association of witches , hobgoblins , fairies , and demons with the day . In the 7th century , Pope Boniface IV established All Saints ’ Day , originally on May 13 , and in the following century , perhaps to supplant the pagan holiday with a Christian observance , it was moved to November 1 . The evening before All Saints ’ Day became a holy , or hallowed , eve and thus Halloween .
Here ' s a snapshot into how some countries all over the world mark Halloween .
Ireland - Sahmain
As we already know , Halloween originated from Samhain or ‘ All Hallowtide ’, a pagan Irish festival that marks the end of summer . One of the longest-held Halloween traditions in Ireland is the baking and eating of Barmbrack , a dense cake loaded with currants , raisins and candied citrus fruits in which bakers mix a ring , small rag , and a coin . Each of these tokens signifies a particular fortune for the person that receives it in their piece of cake – the finder of the ring will marry or find happiness , whoever gets the rag will join the clergy or have an uncertain financial future , and the receiver of the coin will have a prosperous year .
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