Halloween

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Halloween Halloween Halloween Hallowe’en trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting haunted attractions, carving jack-o’-lanterns, reading scary stories, and watching horror movies. History Halloween has origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain, possibly derived from Gaulish samonios).[5] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes[6] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[7] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient Celtic pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Celts believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems Jack-o’-lantern such as sickness or damaged crops. The festAll Hallows’ Eve Also called ivals would frequently involve bonfires, into All Saints’ Eve which the bones of slaughtered livestock Observed by Numerous Western countries (see were thrown. Costumes and masks were also article) worn at the festivals in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them.[8][9] Secular with roots in Christianity and Type paganism Date Celebrations October 31 Origin of name The term Halloween, originally spelled Hal- Varies by region but includes trick-orlowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows’ Eve treating, ghost tours, apple bobbing, (both even and eve are abbreviations of evencostume parties, carving jack-o’ing, but Halloween gets its n from even) as it lanterns Samhain, All Saints’ Day Related to Halloween (also spelled Hallowe’en) is a holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints’ Day. It is largely a secular celebration, but some Christians and pagans have expressed strong feelings about its religious overtones.[1][2][3] Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America during Ireland’s Great Famine of 1846.[4] The day is often associated with the colors orange and black, and is strongly associated with symbols such as the jack-o’-lantern. Halloween activities include is the eve of "All Hallows’ Day",[10] which is now also known as All Saints’ Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European pagan traditions,[11] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints’ Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the 9th century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints’ Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Halloween fictional figures like Frankenstein’s monster and The Mummy). Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. The two main colors associated with Halloween are orange and black.[17] Symbols On Hallows’ eve, the ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their window sill to represent the departed. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body, containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the "head" of the vegetable to frighten off any superstitions.[12] Welsh, Irish and British myth are full of legends of the Brazen Head, which may be a folk memory of the widespread ancient Celtic practice of headhunting - the results of which were often nailed to a door lintel or brought to the fireside to speak their wisdom. The name jack-o’-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack,[13] a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip. The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America,[14] where pumpkins were not only readily available but much larger, making them easier to carve than turnips. Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their doorstep after dark. In America, the tradition of carving pumpkins is known to have preceded the Great Famine period of Irish immigration. The carved pumpkin was originally associated with harvest time in general, in America and did not become specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century. The imagery surrounding Halloween is largely an amalgamation of the Halloween season itself, works of Gothic and horror literature, nearly a century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists,[15] and a rather commercialized take on the dark and mysterious. Halloween imagery tends to involve death, evil, the occult, magic, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include the Devil, the Grim Reaper, ghosts, ghouls, demons, witches, pumpkin-men, goblins, vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummies, skeletons, black cats, spiders, bats, owls, crows, and vultures.[16] Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films (which contain Trick-or-treating and guising Typical Halloween scene in Dublin, Ireland. Costumes Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as those of characters from television shows, movies, and other pop culture icons. Costume sales BIGresearch conducted a survey for the National Retail Federation in the United States and found that 53.3% of consumers planned to buy a costume for Halloween 2005, spending $38.11 on average (up $10 from the year before). They were also expected to spend $4.96 billion in 2006, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year.[18] UNICEF "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" has become a common sight during Halloween in North America. Started as a local event in a Philadelphia suburb in 1950 and expanded nationally in 1952, the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools (or in modern times, corporate sponsors like 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hallmark, at their licensed stores) to trick-ortreaters, in which they can solicit smallchange donations from the houses they visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $119 million (US) for UNICEF since its inception. In 2006, UNICEF discontinued their Halloween collection boxes in parts of the world, citing safety and administrative concerns.[19] Halloween dunking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drop the fork into an apple. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrupcoated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to a very sticky face. Kids can play a "kill the witch game" by drawing and coloring a witch on a large piece of paper, cutting out circles from black construction paper and sticking tape on the back to make the witch’s warts. Then blindfold the players, spin them around three times and have ’em pin ugly warts on the witch! The player who sticks the wart closest to the nose wins. [21] Some games traditionally played at Halloween are forms of divination. In Puicíní (pronounced "poocheeny"), a game played in Ireland, a blindfolded person is seated in front of a table on which several saucers are placed. The saucers are shuffled, and the seated person then chooses one by touch; the contents of the saucer determine the person’s life during the following year. In 19thcentury Ireland, young women placed slugs in saucers sprinkled with flour. A traditional Irish and Scottish form of divining one’s future spouse is to carve an apple in one long strip, then toss the peel over one’s shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse’s name. This custom has survived among Irish and Scottish immigrants in the rural United States. Unmarried women were frequently told that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of TV series and specials with Halloween themes (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before the holiday, while new horror films, are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere. Games and other activities In this Halloween greeting card from 1904, divination is depicted: the young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband. There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween parties. One common game is dunking or apple bobbing, in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin (to make things even more challenging, try removing the stems from the apples) [20]. A variant of 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Halloween whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts. At one time, candy apples were commonly given to children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in the apples.[25] While there is evidence of such incidents,[26] they are quite rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant. At the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free x-rays of children’s Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their own children’s candy, and there have been occasional reports of children putting needles in their own (and other children’s) candy in need of a bit of attention. One custom that persists in modern-day Ireland is the baking (or more often nowadays, the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish "báirín breac"), which is a light fruitcake, into which a plain ring, a coin and other charms are placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the tradition of king cake at the festival of Epiphany. Other foods associated with the holiday: • Candy corn • Báirín Breac (Ireland) • Colcannon (Ireland) • Bonfire toffee (in the UK) • Toffee Apple (Australia when celebrated, England, Wales and Scotland, instead of "Candy Apples") • Apple cider • Cider • Roasted sweet corn • Popcorn • Roasted pumpkin seeds • Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread • "Fun-sized" or individually wrapped pieces of small candy, typically in Halloween colors of orange, and brown/black. • Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, etc. • Small bags of potato chips, pretzels and caramel corn • Chocolates, caramels, and gum • Pumpkin and Apple pie ice cream are sometimes enjoyed. Haunted attractions Haunted attractions are entertainment venues designed to thrill and scare patrons; most are seasonal Halloween businesses. Origins of these paid scare venues are difficult to pinpoint, but it is generally accepted that they were first commonly used by the Junior Chamber International (Jaycees) for fundraising.[22] They include haunted houses, corn mazes, and hayrides,[23] and the level of sophistication of the effects has risen as the industry has grown. Haunted attractions in the United States bring in an estimate $300–500 million each year, and draw some 400,000 customers, although trends suggest a peak in 2005[22]. This increase in interest has led to more highly technical special effects and costuming that is comparable with that in Hollywood films.[24] Foods Candy apple Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (also known as toffee, caramel or taffy apples) are a common Halloween treat made by rolling 4 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Halloween devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that."[1] Most Christians hold the view that the tradition is far from being "satanic" in origin or practice and that it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners’ heritage.[30] Other Christians, primarily of the Evangelical and Fundamentalist variety, are concerned about Halloween, and reject the holiday because they believe it trivializes (and celebrates) "the occult" and what they perceive as evil.[2] A response among some fundamentalists in recent years has been the use of Hell houses or themed pamphlets (such as those of Jack T. Chick) which attempt to make use of Halloween as an opportunity for evangelism.[32] Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith[33] due to its origin as a pagan "Festival of the Dead." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday.[32] Many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy. Religions other than Christianity also have varied views on Halloween. Some Wiccans feel that the tradition is offensive to "real witches" for promoting stereotypical caricatures of "wicked witches".[3] Music In a Halloween party, people usually play traditional Haloween music with consists of scary sounds. Songs like Ghost Busters are played. There have been many Haloween cd releases including movie soundtracks and Halloween Party cds. Around the world Halloween is not celebrated in all countries and regions of the world, and among those that do the traditions and importance of the celebration vary significantly. Celebration in the United States has had a significant impact on how the holiday is observed in other nations. The history of Halloween traditions in a given country also lends context to how it is presently celebrated. Religious perspectives See also: All Saints and Samhain In North America, Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints’ Day,[27][28] while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a day of remembrance and prayers for unity.[29] Celtic Christians may have Samhain services that focus on the cultural aspects of the holiday, in the belief that many ancient Celtic customs are "incompatible with the new Christian religion. Christianity embraced the Celtic notions of family, community, the bond among all people, and respect for the dead. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry (hodgepodge) of celebrations from October 31 through November 5, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery."[30] Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, treating it as a purely secular holiday devoted to celebrating "imaginary spooks" and handing out candy. Halloween celebrations are common among Roman Catholic parochial schools throughout North America and in Ireland. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church sees Halloween as having a Christian connection.[31] Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, has said, "[I]f English and American children like to dress up as witches and See also • • • • • • • • List of Halloween television specials Fakelore Friday the 13th Ghost Festival Devil’s Night The Clique Halloween events Samhain References [1] ^ Gyles Brandreth, "The Devil is gaining ground" The Sunday Telegraph (London), March 11, 2000. [2] ^ Halloween: Satan’s New Year (2006) by Billye Dymally, Halloween: Counterfeit Holy Day (2005) by Kele Gershom, and Halloween: What’s a 5 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Halloween Christian to Do? (1998) by Steve Russo. [15] Nicholas Rogers, "Halloween Goes to An opposing viewpoint is found in The Hollywood," Halloween: From Pagan Magic Eightball Test: A Christian Ritual to Party Night (New York: Oxford Defense of Halloween and All Things University Press, 2002), 103-124. Spooky (2006) by Lint Hatcher. [16] Hal Siemer, Spooky Halloween: A [3] ^ Reece, Kevin (2004-10-24). "School Celebration of the Dark, District Bans Halloween". KOMO News. QuestMagazine.com. http://www.komonews.com/news/ [17] Steven Heller. Halloween: Vintage archive/4136266.html. Retrieved on Holiday Graphics. Taschen. 2005. 2006-09-14. [18] Grannis, Kathy; Scott Krugman [4] "Halloween Comes to America". A&E (September 20, 2006). "As Halloween Television Networks. Shifts to Seasonal Celebration, Retailers http://www.history.com/ Not Spooked by Surge in Spending" minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=715&display_order=1&sub_display_ord (HTML). National Retail Federation. Retrieved on 2008-11-12. http://www.nrf.com/content/ [5] Nicholas Rogers, "Samhain and the default.asp?folder=press/ Celtic Origins of Halloween," Halloween: release2006&file=halloween06.htm. From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (New Retrieved on 31 October 2006. York: Oxford University Press, 2002), [19] Beauchemin, Genevieve; CTV.ca News 11-21. Staff (2006-05-31). "UNICEF to end [6] Hutton, Ronald (1996) Stations of the Halloween ’orange box’ program". CTV. Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/ Britain. Oxford, Oxford University Press story/CTVNews/20060530/ ISBN 0192880454 unicef_orange_060530?s_name=&no_ads=. [7] Danaher, Kevin (1972) The Year in Retrieved on 2006-10-29. Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs Dublin, [20] "Halloween Party Game Ideas" Mercier. ISBN 1-85635-093-2 Kidzworld.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-17. pp.190–232 [21] "Halloween Party Game Ideas" [8] Campbell, John Gregorson (1900, 1902, Kidzworld.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-17. 2005) The Gaelic Otherworld. Edited by [22] ^ Associated Press (2005-10-30). Ronald Black. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN "Haunted house business getting 1-84158-207-7 pp.559-62 frightfully hard". MSNBC.com. MSNBC. [9] Arnold, Bettina (2001-10-31). "Halloween http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9855272/. Customs in the Celtic World". University Retrieved on 2008-11-18. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. [23] Greg Ryan (2008-09-17). "A Model of http://www.uwm.edu/~barnold/lectures/ Mayhem". Hudson Valley Magazine. holloween.html. Retrieved on http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley2007-10-16. Magazine/October-2008/A-Model-of[10] Simpson, John; Weiner, Edmund (1989). Mayhem/. Retrieved on 2008-10-06. Oxford English Dictionary (second ed.). [24] Wilson, Craig (2006-10-12). "Haunted London: Oxford University Press. ISBN houses get really scary". USAToday.com. 0-19-861186-2. OCLC 17648714. http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/ [11] Danaher, Kevin (1972) The Year in 2006-10-11-haunted-house-main_x.htm. Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs Dublin, [25] Nicholas Rogers, "Razor in the Apple: Mercier. ISBN 1-85635-093-2 Struggle for Safe and Sane Halloween, c. pp.190–232 1920-1990," Halloween: From Pagan [12] "Halloween and the jack-o-lantern". Ritual to Party Night (New York: Oxford Witchway.net. http://www.witchway.net/ University Press, 2002), 78-102. hallows/jack.html. Retrieved on [26] "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Pins 2008-10-31. and Needles in Halloween Candy". [13] History of the Jack O’Lantern, Pumpkin Snopes.com. http://www.snopes.com/ Nook horrors/mayhem/needles.asp. Retrieved [14] Skal, David J. (2002). Death Makes a on 2008-10-31. Holiday: A Cultural History of [27] "Bishop challenges supermarkets to Halloween. New York: Bloomsbury, 34. lighten up Halloween" (HTML). ISBN 1-58234-230-X. www.manchester.anglican.org. n.d.. 6 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Halloween http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/ Past, Pelican Publishing Company (2004). pr9106.html. Retrieved on 2006-10-22. 272 pages. ISBN 1-58980-176-8 [28] "Halloween and All Saints Day" (HTML). • Phyllis Galembo, Dressed for Thrills: 100 newadvent.org. n.d.. Years of Halloween Costumes and http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/ Masquerade, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 01315a.htm. Retrieved on 2006-10-22. (2002). 128 pages. ISBN 0-8109-3291-1 [29] "Reformation Day: What, Why, and • Lint Hatcher, The Magic Eightball Test: A Resources for Worship" (HTML). The Christian Defense of Halloween and All General Board of Discipleship of The Things Spooky, Lulu.com (2006). ISBN United Methodist Church. 2005-10-21. 978-1847287564 http://www.gbod.org/worship/ • Ronald Hutton, Stations of the Sun: A default.asp?act=reader&item_id=15084&loc_id=9,612,32,52.Ritual Year in Britain, History of the Retrieved on 2006-10-22. Oxford Paperbacks (2001). 560 pages. [30] ^ "Feast of Samhain/Celtic New Year/ ISBN 0-19-285448-8 Celebration of All Celtic Saints • Jean Markale, The Pagan Mysteries of November 1" (HTML). All Saints Parish. Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of n.d.. http://allsaintsbrookline.org/celtic/ the Year (translation of Halloween, samhain.html. Retrieved on 2006-11-22. histoire et traditions), Inner Traditions [31] Halloween’s Christian Roots (2001). 160 pages. ISBN 0-89281-900-6 AmericanCatholic.org. Retrieved on • Lisa Morton, The Halloween Encyclopedia, October 24, 2007. McFarland & Company (2003). 240 pages. [32] ^ "Salem ’Saint Fest’ restores Christian ISBN 0-7864-1524-X message to Halloween" (HTML). • Nicholas Rogers, Halloween: From Pagan www.rcab.org. n.d.. http://www.rcab.org/ Ritual to Party Night, Oxford University Pilot/2004/ps041105/saintfest.html. Press (2002). 198 pages. ISBN Retrieved on 2006-10-22. 0-19-514691-3 [33] ""Trick?" or "Treat?"—Unmasking • Jack Santino (ed.), Halloween and Other Halloween" (HTML). The Restored Festivals of Death and Life, University of Church of God. n.d.. Tennessee Press (1994). 280 pages. ISBN http://www.thercg.org/articles/ 0-87049-813-4 totuh.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-21. • David J. Skal, Death Makes A Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween, Bloomsbury USA (2003). 224 pages. ISBN 1-58234-305-5 • Diane C. Arkins, Halloween: Romantic Art • Ben Truwe, The Halloween Catalog and Customs of Yesteryear, Pelican Collection. Portland, Oregon: Talky Tina Publishing Company (2000). 96 pages. Press (2003). ISBN 0-9703448-5-6. ISBN 1-56554-712-8 • Diane C. Arkins, Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration Of Fun, Food, And Frolics From Halloweens Past, • U.S. Census data about Halloween in the Pelican Publishing Company (2004). 112 United States pages. ISBN 1-58980-113-X • Feast of Samhain/Celtic New Year/ • Lesley Bannatyne, Halloween: An Celebration of All Celtic Saints—Celtic American Holiday, An American History, Christianity Facts on File (1990, Pelican Publishing • Samhain: Season of Death and Company, 1998). 180 pages. ISBN Renewal—Celtic Studies, Gaelic culture 1-56554-346-7 and religion • Lesley Bannatyne, A Halloween Reader. • Halloween at the Open Directory Project Stories, Poems and Plays from Halloweens Further reading External links Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween" Categories: Halloween, Halloween events, Christian festivals and holy days, October observances, Neopagan holidays, Irish culture, Irish folklore 7 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Halloween This page was last modified on 22 May 2009, at 02:19 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers 8