Tonight in the UK and in the English speaking world we have a celebration called Halloween.
The word "Halloween" is a Scottish word and means "Holy eyes". In the scottish dialect they use the word "een" rather than eyes, and the word "Hallow" comes from an Old English word meaning holy. The day used to be known within the Catholic Church as "All Hallows Eve" because it is the day before a major festival in the Catholic Church. Some places in the world still hold this name.
The idea of ghosts and demons on this night comes from the traditions which existed before christianity. The Scottish people had a caste of people called "Druids" who were priests of nature. Little is known about them as they could not read or write - their traditions were passed on by learning. We do know though that Halloween was known as "Beltane" in their language which was Gaelic (Gaelic is still an official language in Scotland and Ireland).
There are all kinds of folk beliefs about the night and how the veil between worlds is lifted so that ghosts walk among people. People dress as ghosts on that night so that real ghosts will not recognise them as humans and would not harm them. That is how the tradition of dressing as ghosts started.
Americans invented the idea of "trick or treat" where children collect sweets from neighbours and friends, however conservative Christian groups are still against the practice of promoting this.
Tonight children will dress as ghosts, adults will attend parties, and shops will sell special foods. Some companies will also allow their employees to dress up to raise money for charity.
Joseph
Interesting story:)
I do not believe in it or celebrate it, I think it is nonsense and it can be scary for children, and not the fun that it is made out to be! It is sadly something that has become popular probablly to make money, and I think to send children to strangers doors is so bad...
I agree with you, Gillian, it is just nonsense and of poor taste.
Also, for the Christian community this is the time of the year where they remember their loved ones now departed through death. It is not for ghosts and scary stories.
Also, "Trick or treats" is becoming a nuisance and many elderly people find it quite intimidating
The younger kids are accompanied by their parents or other adults. The older children are in groups. It's all done in a spirit of good fun. Like any activity, it can be made to be dangerous, but done with a little caution it is harmless and a day the kids get a lot of pleasure from. Both children and adults anticipate and plan their costumes for weeks ahead. Much excitement is generated in classrooms with Halloween related activities. If we want to lament the commercialization of Halloween, then we must also do so with so many other major holidays.
Thanks for your interesting text about Halloween.
It is a nice story and each country should keep on with its folklore and traditions.
However it has become a globalized marketing operation! Despite all the publicity given at the event, it is not celebrated in my district (West France). I agree with Gillian to say it could be dangerous to let children going door-to-door at night.
I really enjoyed this text.
It´s a pity that nowadays a lot of teenagers use this night to get drunk and destroy municipal infraestructures...
