What is Halloween?
Asked on: Oct 23, 2023 01:52 PM
Imagine a night where the line between the living and the dead blurs, and you get to dress up as anything you fancy. It's not a ghostly apocalypse, it's Halloween! Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31st. It originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.
Fast forward to today, Halloween has evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating sweet treats. Trick-or-treating is probably one of the most beloved traditions where children dress up in costumes (the scarier the better!) and go door-to-door asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The "trick" refers to a threat to perform mischief on homeowners or their property if no treat is given.
Carving jack-o-lanterns is another popular activity during Halloween. A jack-o-lantern is a carved pumpkin or turnip lantern associated with Halloween. Its name comes from the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs called "will-o'-the-wisp" or "jack-o'-lantern". The top of the pumpkin or turnip is cut off to form a lid, its inside flesh scooped out, and an image — usually a scary or funny face – is carved out of its rind to expose the hollow interior.
In terms of food, Halloween wouldn't be complete without candies and sweet treats! Aside from candies collected from trick-or-treating, apples are also commonly associated with Halloween. Apple bobbing, also known as "dooking", is a popular game during this holiday. The game is played by filling a tub or a large basin with water and putting apples in the water. Because apples are less dense than water, they will float at the surface. Players then
