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Halloween
source: Wikipedia
(adapted from)
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History
Halloween has its origins
in the ancient Celtic festival, which is a
celebration of the end of the harvest
season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes
regarded as the "Celtic New
Year".
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The
ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as
Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased
dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by
causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The
festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which
bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and
masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to
mimic the evil spirits or
calm them.
Symbols
The
carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of
Halloween's most prominent symbols in America, and is
commonly called a "jack-o'-lantern". 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. The name jack-o'-lantern has its origin
in the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, 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, where
pumpkins were readily available and 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 home's doorstep after
dark.
Halloween imagery tends to involve death,
magic, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include
ghosts, ghouls, witches, owls, crows, vultures,
pumpkin-men, black cats, spiders, goblins, zombies,
mummies, skeletons, and demons.
Particularly in America,
symbolism is inspired by classic horror films, which
contain fictional figures like Frankenstein's
monster and The Mummy. Elements of the autumn season,
such as pumpkins and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes
are often decorated with these types of symbols around
Halloween.
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