How Halloween event evolved and emerged?

Halloween event has roots in ancient Gaelic and Celtic nations. The Gaels are the native to Ireland, Scotland and to the north-west of Europe, while Celtic are Indo-European peoples. The establishment of different cultures prior to the development of today’s modern Europe amalgamated different cultures in pre-Europe period. So, cultural norms and festivities established concurrently in that region.

The Halloween event most likely thought to be originated from Samhain, an event specifically celebrated after the harvesting of crops. The original dates are 31st October-1st November in Gaelic peoples as the dark part of the year started or at the beginning of a winter. However, according to some historians, Halloween is solely belonging to Christian festival.

The word Halloween emerged in 1745 and is of Christian Origin. The actual word is “Hallowe and en” meaning “Saints evening”. It is a Scottish term evolved and contracted from “All Hallows Eve” to Halloween

What sort of activities are performed on Halloween???

Halloween day is celebrated by group of all ages, more prominently by children and the teenagers. Saying prayers, offering good food, playing different kind of games and remembering the old ones are among major hallmarks of activities.

Games

There are several games those are linked to Halloween either traditionally or historically. Some games emerged from rituals and beliefs of the communities like “divination games”. It involves forecasting about future, commonly practiced as a household activity in Britain and Ireland.

“Apple bobbing” or “dunking” also called as “dooking” is the popular game among children during Halloween. The tub is filled with water and apples float over the surface. The participants of the game are advised to pick apples by their teeth only as hands are tighten around their back. Some pinch in the apple with their mouth holding the folks, a variation of dunking. While eating of hanging syrup-coated baked products also popular, that ends with sticky mouth as the use of hands are prohibited. Another popular game is the wooden rod hanged from ceiling, with one end candle and other end apple. The rod is rotated and everyone tries with their teeth to catch apple.

Trick-or-Treating

Trick or treat is a common tradition celebrated on Halloween day by children. They go door to door and say “trick or treat”, trick commonly refers to a threatening act of mischief to the property or house if treat, such as candies or sweets not provided.

Guising

Children disguise themselves in costumes and go door to door for food and coins, a common tradition in Scotland and Ireland. The guising costumes includes dresses, hats (witches’ hats), lanterns made up of scooped pumpkins. Fearful face art is also very common and becoming popular in children, teenagers and adults.

Astonishing ways of fortune-telling

Forecasting one’s future is more common, specifically about one’s partner or spouse. There are several approaches towards predictions. Apple is peeled and a long strip of it is placed at the person shoulder, when he moved the peeled part fall and believed to show the first letter name of a future partner for that person.

Another way, the two-hazelnuts roasted over fire, for one who is roasting and other for the desired one. If nuts roasted quietly, it believed as a good fortune while moving away from heating considered to be as bad.

The salty bannock (a kind of bread), if person eats in three bites and go to bed, it is believed that future spouse will come in dream to remove thirst. Unmarried woman is advised to sit in a dark room in front of a mirror to see the gaze of his partner, if skull shaped appeared, it meant they are destined to die before marriage.

Items finding like ring indicates marriage and coin finding as a sign of wealthiness is well attributed activity among adults. In Britain, Scotland and Wales, Halloween bonfire also used as forecasting. The stones are thrown in ashes, and next morning checked, if any stone misplaced from its location, it means that the person will not live out more than a year.

Haunted attractions

Ghost stories telling and watching horror movies are more common on Halloween. Visit to haunted houses, corn maize and hayride are also among engaging activities in which adults and older ones also got involved. Scary parties are also arranged in theme parks, that become so popular and played a major role in quickly globalizing the Halloween day.

Do you know about the delectable Halloween foods?

Western Christian and traditions encourage abstinence from meat and prefer the vegetarian food on Halloween day. Apple and hazelnuts are of supreme importance, as in Celtic mythology apple indicates “Immortality or otherworld”, while hazelnuts regarded as a sign of “divine wisdom”.

However, there are several kinds of soft cakes, supplemented with different delectable desserts and sweets gains special interest on this occasion such as:

• Barmbrack (Ireland)
• Bonfire toffee (Great Britain)
• Candy apples/toffee apples (Great Britain and Ireland)
• Candy apples, candy corn, candy pumpkins (North America)
• Chocolate
• Monkey nuts (peanuts in their shells) (Ireland and Scotland)
• Caramel apples
• Caramel corn
• Colcannon (Ireland)
• Halloween cake
• Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, etc.
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Roasted sweet corn
• Soul cakes
• Pumpkin Pie

Are you familiar with the interesting Halloween Symbols?

In actual, different symbols have emerged since ancient times of Samhain event. The symbols show the harvesting seasons ends, misfortunes, evils, immortality, death, coming of dark and winter, scary birds and animals, crafted fruits, supernatural illustrations like ghosts and witches.

Some of the common symbols of Halloween are depicted below:

Jack O lantern

Scarecrow Symbol

Witch Symbol

Owl Symbol

Skeleton Symbol

Bats

Trick or Treat Symbol

Halloween Cat