Also this year, punctual as always, the appointment with Halloween returns, the festival of American origin that, however, for several years has also reached Spain, where it has become one of the most felt parties especially by children and young people. But why is Halloween celebrated on October 31? What is its origin and meaning? Here is everything you need to know in detail about Halloween.
Why is Halloween celebrated on October 31? Origin and meaning
When we think of Halloween, the United States of America immediately comes to mind, where the celebration of October 31 is one of its biggest holidays and its great diffusion has caused it to expand to the rest of the world. In reality, however, the Halloween festival is of Celtic origin. In fact, the origin and meaning of Halloween has to do with the expression “All Hallows Eve” that translated means “All Hallows Eve”, and that due to the evolution of the language and that it acquired the form of the Scottish variant of the word, it became Halloween.
In Celtic tradition, November 1 was the day the new year began and the summer season officially ended . The true tradition of this festival, in fact, tells that on this day the end of summer was celebrated and consequently the arrival of the winter season was expected, with its anticipated darkness and its polar cold.
The celebration of Samhain
During the day between October 31 and November 1, the figure of Samhain was celebrated , a term that in Celtic tradition means end of summer, with which it was thought that during this night the souls of the dead would once again be new on earth accompanied by witches, demons and ghosts.
This belief came or originated in relation to what happened with the earth and nature: during the winter season life seems to be silent, when in reality it is renewed underground , where traditionally, among other things, the dead were buried. . From here on, Samhain’s approach to the cult of the dead is understandable.
Samhain was, therefore, a celebration that combined fear of death and spirits with the joy of end-of-year celebrations. During the night of October 31, gatherings were held in the forest and on the hills for the ceremony of lighting the Sacred Fire and animal sacrifices were made. Dressed in grotesque masks, the Celts returned to the town, lighting themselves up with lanterns made of carved onions inside which the embers of the Sacred Fire were placed. After these rites the Celts celebrated for 3 days, disguising themselves with the skins of sacrificed animals to frighten the spirits.
How Halloween jumped to America
We already know more about Halloween, its origin and meaning, but how did the party make the leap to the United States? Around the middle of the 19th century , Ireland suffered a terrible famine. At that time to escape poverty, many people decided to leave the island and try their luck in the United States, where they created, like many other nationalities, a strong community. Inside, the traditions and customs of their homeland were kept alive, and among them on October 31 they continued to celebrate Halloween. Soon, this custom spread throughout the American people, almost becoming a national holiday.
More recently, the United States, thanks to film and television, has exported Halloween celebrations to the entire world, also spreading that part of Europe that had been left foreign to it. The famous pumpkins and costumed children playing “Trick or Treat” from door to door often appear in many movies and TV series. And finally, there are many books and horror stories that take Halloween as well as its origin and meaning, as a backdrop or as a starting point for their plots. In the United States, Halloween has lost its religious and ritual significance and has become an occasion to have fun and organize all kinds of parties.
