Halloween, night of magic and superstition
Halloween’s origins lie in ancient pre-Christian Celtic Festival of Samhain, a rite of passage that the October 31 marked the end of the harvest season and the summer and the beginning of the season of the dark winter cold.
For Celts, the new year began in fact on 1 November: it was the time when crops were already safety stored, the shepherds and their flocks brought downstream, before going into houses to protecy from the cold, the community gathered to thank the Gods and exorcise the perils of winter.
At Samhain ( the word come from Gaelic samhuinn and means“summer’s end) ithe Celts asked the spirits of dead people to join them in the celebrations: they light sacred fires, they masked with animal skins in order to scare the spirits themselves. The magical meeting between the world of the living and the dead, that went on in that night, drew the idea of nature who apparently died during the winter months, preparing however to new life.
Then with the arrival of the Christians in the Celt’s lands, the feast of all Saints which was initially celebrated on 13 May, was postponed to November 1 by Pope Gregorio Magno and the feast of Samhain became All-hallows-even then Hallow Eve, and Hallowe’en and finally Halloween.
There are two major traditions of Halloween: trick or treat and pumpkin: both were brought into the United States by Irish immigrants in the 800.
Trick or treat comes from the habit of Christians to knock on the doors of houses asking for the ‘ bread of the soul ” The soul cake, a dessert made of raisins in Exchange for prayers for the deceased donors.
Pumpkins replaced Irish turnips in America that were dug and had a nightlight inside.
Pumpkin is linked to the legend of Jack O’Lantern, a drunken guy who made a bet with Satan: one year of his life if the devil managed to get up and down from a tree.
The slick Jack prevented Satan to get off carving a crucifix on the trunk, but when he finally died, he was not accepted neither in Heaven nor in hell, had to wander in a kind of dark limbo only with a pumpkin with a candle …
Well, it’s his fault!
👍👏👏👏🎃
Grazie!