Halloween

HALLOWEEN
Background
Halloween (a shortening of All Hallows’ Evening), also known as Hallowe'en or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on 31 October, the nightbefore All Saints' Day. Unlike Day of the Dead celebrations, the Christian feast of All Hallows' Eve, according to some scholars, incorporates traditions from pagan harvest festivals and festivalshonouring the dead, particularly the Celtic Samhain, other scholars maintain that the feast originated entirely independently of Samhain. Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (alsoknown as "guising"), attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horrorfilms, as well as the religious observances of praying, fasting and attending vigils or church services
Symbols
Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed over time.For instance, the carving of jack-o'-lanterns springs from the Christian souling custom of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory. The turnip has traditionallybeen used in Ireland and Scotland at Halloween, but immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin, which is both much softer and much larger – making it easier to carve than a turnip.
Inaddition, Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Lastly, Halloweenimagery includes themes of death, evil, the occult, and mythical monsters. Black and orange are the holiday's traditional colors.
Trick-or-treating and guising
Trick-or-treating is a customarycelebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a...