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Halloween |
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Halloween is a very
old ritual beginning in the fifth century BC. The Celts during this period believed that the souls of their ancestors would
come back on October 31 to reincarnate in another body. Many people would flee their homes during this day in order to reach
safety, but the people that stayed home would dress in ghoulish outfits to scare away the invaders, or hollow out pumpkins
and carve different faces in them to keep the spirits from entering their homes. This ritual was called "Samhain;" The Celtic
new year. Beginning on October
31 and ending on November 1, the Celts would turn off their fires, making their houses cold and undesirable. If someone was
believed to be possessed he would be burned alive as a lesson for the spirits. The word Halloween
is a contraction of "All Hallows Eve" which was a Catholic day used to honor the saints. When the Romans invaded Britain,
Ireland and Scotland; Samhain was gradually adopted by the Romans who combined it with other traditions that happened in October.
Such an assimilation occurred with the Roman's day to honor Pomona--goddess of fruits and trees. Samhain suffered many
changed throughout the centuries to make it what it is today. One of such changes is trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating
was originated in a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, villagers would walk from town to town asking
for "soul cakes." The more soul cakes a person received, the more he prayed for his donor's defunct relatives. During this
epoch, it was believed that a person would stay in the limbo for a long time. The more prayers towards that person, the faster
he would go to Heaven. Today, when kids go trick-or-treating, they ask for treats or there'll be a trick; a trade. Halloween's arrival
to America is credited to the Irish. In the 1840's, they had to flee their country due to a potato famine that left them devastated;
spreading Halloween to North America. Today, Halloween is
celebrated in much of the Eastern world. Including Mexico, Canada, The United States, Ireland, Great Britain and Scotland.
Even though Halloween seems like an evil practice at first, there's nothing to fear about this famous celebration that is
spreading throughout the world.
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