On the night of October 31 to November 1, Halloween is celebrated around the world, but few people know that Europe has its own traditions and names for this ancient pagan event. While you are choosing a Halloween costume, somewhere in the UK, Scotland and Ireland, people are getting ready for Samhain.
A real Celtic holiday
Americans are used to celebrating the Celtic holiday of Halloween, but not in Scotland. Samhain is still celebrated in this country, as well as on the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Ireland. The meaning of the pagan holiday is reminiscent of Halloween: it is also celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1, it marks the end of the harvest season and symbolizes the emergence of a fine line between the world of the living and the dead. During Samhain, there are also ancient rituals such as campfire gatherings and dancing.
Nasty or sweet?
In Europe, adults and children are more restrained when it becomes possible to visit guests and ask for candy. For Americans, the door-to-door transition is a tradition. In the UK, people prefer to eat sweets with their families while watching horror movies, rather than hand them out to every stranger who knocks on the house.
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Scotland and Northern Ireland against evil spirits
The tradition of dressing up in scary costumes has come to us since the Middle Ages. Then the children put on rags to imitate evil spirits and scare away guests from another world. Moving from house to house, they received treats as payment for protecting the city from evil spirits and evil. Today in Scotland, children are still dressed up, but they must show their talent (read a poem, sing, dance) in order to receive a treat.
But the city in Northern Ireland is famous for its annual four-day Halloween. In Derry, people are not used to celebrating one night, they host an entire event on the banks of the Foyle River. The festive event includes a haunted house, carnival, parade, fireworks, treats and more. In 2015, people voted that Derry (the second largest city in Northern Ireland) was the best place in the world to celebrate Halloween.
The Legend of Jack
In Scotland and Ireland, traditionally, instead of pumpkin, they use rutabag or turnip. Pumpkin is synonymous with autumn, and it's hard to imagine Halloween without Jack's glowing head. However, people in parts of the UK cut lanterns from other root crops such as turnips. In fact, it is a very old tradition in Scotland and Ireland, with its roots deep in Celtic mythology. Legend has it that a man named Jack was cursed to roam the earth by the light of a lantern made of turnips and a small burning coal. When immigrants from European countries arrived in the US and couldn't find turnips, they started using pumpkin instead.
For those who like to be dirty
Night of Mischief is a tradition that consists of mysterious and enigmatic adventures. On the night before Halloween, people get together and indulge, but it looks like ordinary vandalism. They decorate each other's houses with toilet paper, toss eggs. If a night of mischief is spent in a state such as Pennsylvania (the city of Philadelphia), then in other places in the United States such an event is called the night of the devil. The tradition of dirty tricks in the dark came to America from Great Britain. A similar tradition is observed in Northern England and the Midlands region, where it is known as Miggy night, or Mizzy night.
Interesting facts about Halloween
Did you know that the word "witch" comes from the Old English wicce, which means "wise woman"? In fact, witches used to be highly respected people. According to popular belief, one of the main meetings is held on Halloween night - the Sabbath. Other interesting facts about the ancient holiday:
- There is a fear of Halloween called samainophobia.
- The owl is a popular holiday image. However, in medieval Europe, these birds were considered companions of witches. Hearing the call of an owl meant that someone was about to die.
- Black and orange are associated with Halloween. Orange, along with brown and gold, is a symbol of strength and endurance, which means harvest and autumn. Black - a symbol of death and darkness, acts as a reminder that on the night of October 31 to November 1, the border between the living and the dead was erased.
- Ireland is considered the birthplace of Halloween.
- A popular Halloween gadget is the scarecrow, which has its roots in European agricultural traditions.
- Harry Houdini (1875-1926) was one of the most famous and mysterious magicians who ever lived. Oddly enough, he died in 1926, on Halloween night, as a result of an exacerbation of appendicitis.
- Mexico celebrates Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) on November 1st and 2nd. The townspeople dress like ghouls and evil spirits, and then go out into the street.
- During the Samhain celebration, bonfires were lit to ensure that the sun would return after a long and harsh winter. Often, druidic priests would throw cattle bones into flames as a sign of sacrifice. Druids threw cats into fire, placed in wicker cages, during rituals and divination.
- The first known mention of sweets in North American print occurred in 1927 in Blackie, Alberta, Canada. After that, a massive boom began, which led to sad consequences. In 1970, 5-year-old Kevin Toston ate Halloween candy that was filled with heroin. Investigators discovered that the drug dealers used the holiday to hand over another batch to the boy's uncle. In 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O'Brian died of cyanide poisoning while eating candy on Halloween. Later it was found out that the boy's father issued a life insurance policy for his children for 20,000 US dollars, and then poisoned his son with his own hand and tried to repeat it with his daughter in order to receive compensation.
- Halloween is believed to have originated around 4000 BC. e. The total age of the holiday is over 6,000 years.
Differences between Great Britain and the USA
Guy Fawkes Night is historically more significant than Halloween in the UK. This holiday is celebrated with parades, bonfires and fireworks on the night of 5 November. At this time, the memory of Guy Fawkes, who was the head of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, is honored. On November 5, four centuries ago, Catholics attempted to blow up parliament in response to King James I's refusal to grant them religious freedom.
In the UK, traditional Halloween costumes are ghosts, zombies and other scary creatures. In the USA, people choose just funny outfits (fairy-tale characters, animals). A year ago, Americans spent more than $ 3.5 billion to buy and create holiday costumes. The most popular choice for adults was the attire of witches, while children preferred to become superheroes.
Unlike Americans, Europe is not crazy about decorating offices and residential buildings. In the UK, it is extremely rare to see someone decorate a yard or apartment. The most that can be seen is a lonely pumpkin on the porch or a symbolic lantern.
Certain items are manufactured exclusively for the United States of America. For example, you cannot buy sweet corn from an online store or in any country. But creepy sweets like Nestle Milkybar Chosts and Cadbury Pumpkin Patch Cakes are sold seasonally in the UK.
Signs and traditions
Scottish girls believed that they would be able to see images of their future husband if they hung wet sheets in front of a fire on Halloween. Other girls believed that they could see the face of their betrothed when they looked in the mirror at exactly midnight.
Another popular belief is that if a person wears their clothes inside out and then puts them back on on Halloween, they can see the witch at midnight.
Author: Alisa Krasnova
