October 31st, Halloween, that one night when you can be whoever you want. A night of endless possibilities, but also a night connected to history and tradition in many a ways.
When someone mentions Halloween the first thing we think about is probably “trick-or-treating” and “Jack O’Lanterns”, however there is so much more to it.
Roots of Halloween go all the way back to the 8th century before christ connecting it to the Celtic culture.
The celts celebrated the new year on November 1st so for them October 31st was the new years’ eve and they called it Samhain. According to their beliefs, it was the one night where the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead became blurred.
One of the most recognizable customs of Halloween, dressing up in costumes, comes from the Celits and their priests, the Druids, who dressed up for Samhain and predicted the future while dancing around a bonfire.
Later on, around 43rd year after Christ, when the Romans conquered most of the Celtic territory, Samhain was combined with two roman festivals: Feralia, which celebrated the passing of the dead, and The Day of Pomona, which celebrated the goddess of fruit and trees, Pomona.
Another one of todays’ Halloween customs is connected to this era. Apple bobbing, believe it or not, was invented by the Romans. Apples are a symbol of the aforementioned godess Pomona, so Romans decided who is going to get Pomona’s blessing through apple bobbing. Whoever managed to bob the most apples was
destined to have a good and successful year.
Halloween or Hollywin? A fairly recent question with roots in the 8th century. The name Halloween originated in the Middle Ages after Pope Gregory III established November 1st as All Saint’s Day, also known as All Hallows day. October 31st then became the All Hallows Eve and, with time, it got shortened into a name known by almost everyone – Halloween.
The Englishing team wishes you a Happy Halloween.
