Halloween in Ireland
Ireland is said to be the birthplace of Halloween. Thousands of years ago there was a small clan of farmers known as the Celts. They believed that the sun helped their crops flourish, so with the autumn coming they knew the sun would begin to disappear. They would lead their livestock home from summer pastures to the winter shelters. Worried that the sun would not reappear, they began holding a festival on October 31st to ensure the sun would return. Samhain Eve (All Hallows Eve) was a time when the veil between the two worlds of the living and the dead grew thinner, and ghosts are believed to have ventured into peoples homes. Today, the celebration marks the end of summer and the beginning of the winter months. Schools are closed for a week called Halloween break. On Halloween night, adults and children dress up specifically as creatures from the underworld (i.e. ghosts, witches, goblins, zombies), light bonfires, and watch fireworks. The children walk around knocking on doors to receive fruit, nuts, and sweets for the festival. Sometimes neighbors will sprinkle salt on the children because it is an ancient Irish belief that salt will protect against evil spirits. Houses are decorated with pumpkins, turnips, and other scary decorations. Traditionally there is a Halloween cake that is fruit bread, and everyone is to eat a slice. Each cake is supposed to be made with a rag, a ring, and a coin. If you get a piece of cake with the rag inside that means your financial future is doubtful, if you get the coin you can look forward to a prosperous year, and if you get the ring is it a sign of impending romance or continued happiness. As you can see, Halloween is celebrated completely different in Ireland than it is in America. The culture of Halloween is treasured in Ireland; it is a sacred holiday that is celebrated based on traditions. Here in America, Halloween is a sorry excuse of a “holiday” where people dress is a wide variety of costumes related back to zero traditions. The culture of Halloween is very commercial in America and is not really celebrated with meaning or traditional elements. ~ Chelsea
Ireland is said to be the birthplace of Halloween. Thousands of years ago there was a small clan of farmers known as the Celts. They believed that the sun helped their crops flourish, so with the autumn coming they knew the sun would begin to disappear. They would lead their livestock home from summer pastures to the winter shelters. Worried that the sun would not reappear, they began holding a festival on October 31st to ensure the sun would return. Samhain Eve (All Hallows Eve) was a time when the veil between the two worlds of the living and the dead grew thinner, and ghosts are believed to have ventured into peoples homes. Today, the celebration marks the end of summer and the beginning of the winter months. Schools are closed for a week called Halloween break. On Halloween night, adults and children dress up specifically as creatures from the underworld (i.e. ghosts, witches, goblins, zombies), light bonfires, and watch fireworks. The children walk around knocking on doors to receive fruit, nuts, and sweets for the festival. Sometimes neighbors will sprinkle salt on the children because it is an ancient Irish belief that salt will protect against evil spirits. Houses are decorated with pumpkins, turnips, and other scary decorations. Traditionally there is a Halloween cake that is fruit bread, and everyone is to eat a slice. Each cake is supposed to be made with a rag, a ring, and a coin. If you get a piece of cake with the rag inside that means your financial future is doubtful, if you get the coin you can look forward to a prosperous year, and if you get the ring is it a sign of impending romance or continued happiness. As you can see, Halloween is celebrated completely different in Ireland than it is in America. The culture of Halloween is treasured in Ireland; it is a sacred holiday that is celebrated based on traditions. Here in America, Halloween is a sorry excuse of a “holiday” where people dress is a wide variety of costumes related back to zero traditions. The culture of Halloween is very commercial in America and is not really celebrated with meaning or traditional elements. ~ Chelsea
Halloween in Japan
Japan does not celebrate a western-style Halloween. Instead, the Japanese celebrate the “Obon Festival” (also known as “Matsure or “Urabone”), which is similar to traditional Halloween festivities because it is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors. It takes place during July or August and special foods are prepared and red lanterns are hung everywhere. The festival lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within the different regions of Japan. Lit candles are placed into lanterns, which are then set afloat on rivers and seas. During this time, a fire is lit every night to show the ancestors where their families might be found. In Japan, the “Obon” festival is one of the two main occasions when the dead are believed to return to their birthplaces. On the 13th, an alter is set up with food offerings, and “welcoming fires” are set in front of the house to guide and welcome returning spirits. On the evening of the 15th “send of fires” are lit, and the spirits return to their graves. In the city, festivals are usually held during “Obon” to celebrate.
Japan does not celebrate a western-style Halloween. Instead, the Japanese celebrate the “Obon Festival” (also known as “Matsure or “Urabone”), which is similar to traditional Halloween festivities because it is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors. It takes place during July or August and special foods are prepared and red lanterns are hung everywhere. The festival lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within the different regions of Japan. Lit candles are placed into lanterns, which are then set afloat on rivers and seas. During this time, a fire is lit every night to show the ancestors where their families might be found. In Japan, the “Obon” festival is one of the two main occasions when the dead are believed to return to their birthplaces. On the 13th, an alter is set up with food offerings, and “welcoming fires” are set in front of the house to guide and welcome returning spirits. On the evening of the 15th “send of fires” are lit, and the spirits return to their graves. In the city, festivals are usually held during “Obon” to celebrate.
Source: Google Images & pumpkinpatchesandmore.org
Halloween Mexico, Latin America, Spain
Among Spanish-speaking
nations, Halloween is known as "El Dia de los Muertos." It is a
joyous and happy holiday...a time to remember friends and family who have past
away. Officially commemorated on November 2, the three-day celebration actually
begins on the evening of October 31.
Designed to honor the dead who are believed to return to their homes on Halloween, many families construct an altar in their home and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, fresh water and samples of the deceased's favorite foods and drinks.
The grave is then adorned with flowers, wreaths or paper streamers. On November 2, relatives gather at the gravesite to picnic and reminisce. Some of these gatherings may even include tequila and a mariachi band although American Halloween customs are gradually taking over this celebration.In Mexico during the autumn, countless numbers of Monarch butterflies return to the shelter of Mexico's oyamel fir trees. It was the belief of the Aztecs that these butterflies bore the spirits of dead ancestors. ~Brenda
Feliz Dia de los Muertos!
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/October-2011/Contemporary-Artists-Reinvent-Traditional-Altars-at-Pullman-Dia-de-los-Muertos-Altar-Walk/
http://www.skullspiration.com/skull-sugar-meaning/
Halloween in the UK
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/halloween
Halloween in the UK
Many of the Halloween
traditions originated in the US and then circulated to the UK. However,
Halloween has its origins in pagan festivals in England, Scotland, Wales, and
Ireland. Festivities include: parties where everyone is in costume, watching
horror movies at home, or watching a film on the big screen in a cemetery.
Children go trick or treating and if people do not give out candy then they
play practical jokes on each other. Halloween is also not considered a bank
holiday and so businesses, schools, stores, etc. are all open and even promote
Halloween.
People believe that around
this time of the year, spirits of the dead come “alive” and walk among the
living. It is believed that one must dress in costume so as not to be harmed by
the spirits, which is most likely where the costumes originated from. The
symbols used for Halloween are the same as in the US—black and orange, pumpkin
lanterns, witches, wizards, ghosts, spirits, horror film characters, black
cats, bats, and spiders.
In the UK, Halloween is one of the many
names—All Hallows Eve, the day before All Saints’ Day, Nut-crack Night,
Trump-the-door Night, Apple and Candle Night and Halloween Bob Apple Night or
Duck Apple Night—the British use for this “celebration”. The last name comes from the very popular game
of ‘apple bobbing’ or ‘apple ducking’, which is when they fill a bucket with
water and apples and then people have to get the apples with their mouth while
their hands are tied behind their back. This game is a reminder of how women who
were accused of being witches in the middle ages were tried. The women would be
tied to a chair and repeatedly ducked into a river or pond and if they would
drown they were considered innocent, whereas if they lived they were thought to
be witches and burned at the stake. This game was also se to predict young
people’s life time partners and would assure if they were in all faithful or
not. ~ Sandy
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/halloween
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