Halloween, Samhain, Celtic New Year, Feast of Death, All Hallows' Eve... The night when the gates open, connecting the world of the dead with the world of the living. The night when any non-human entities, from fairies and elves to the forces of the underworld, are allowed to roam freely on the earth. The night when the impossible, the strange and the terrible become possible. From a Celtic harvest festival to the only day of the year when death becomes funny, the journey Halloween has taken in the human consciousness is impressive.
Samhain, the forerunner of Halloween, has a complicated relationship with the modern holiday. They are not exactly father and son to each other, but rather older and younger brothers, who were separated by their parents during the divorce. Samhain is considered a purely pagan holiday, and in Halloween, pagan traditions merged with Christian ones, preserving the main idea - the affirmation of the victory of life over death. Only pagans see immortality as an “eternal return”, merging with foremother nature, and Christians - as the eternal life of the soul.
Although in Russian this Celtic holiday is usually called Samhain, in Old Irish the word Samhain was pronounced as “Savan”, with the emphasis on the first syllable. This word and its derivatives have long designated the third month of autumn, when the crops from the fields have already been harvested and it is time to prepare for winter. The word is traced back to the Sanskrit (Indo-European) samana - “meeting”, “gathering”. In modern Irish, as in Scottish Gaelic, an t-Samhain (pronounced saun) means November.
Samhain in its classical form was celebrated only by the Celts of the British Isles, although Gaul, present-day France, also had a similar holiday. Since the Celts, like many other ancient peoples, used a lunar calendar, the date of this holiday was floating. It was celebrated on the third new moon of autumn or, according to another version, twenty-one lunar days after the first full moon following the autumn equinox - that’s how difficult it is. Some modern neo-pagans calculate the “correct” night of Samhain according to the lunar calendar.
According to the testimony of ancient Roman authors, the Celts celebrated their New Year on a grand scale - for three dark nights in a row, while the dead moon was replaced by a newborn one. The Romans called them “the three nights of Samonios.” Samhain was respected both in villages and in the palaces of kings: the three nights of Samhain were a great celebration in Tara, the sacred capital of the ancient Irish. And one saga describes celebrations on the plain of Murtemne for seven consecutive nights - three before the new moon and three after.
There is no evidence that Samhain was associated with death and the supernatural in pagan times. Most likely, it was just a festival of the harvest and the end of autumn. One agricultural year ended, a new one began (although the ancient Irish new year was Beltane - May 1), - and on the night of the transition from one year to another, anything, any strange magic could happen.
Adherents of the neo-pagan teachings of Wicca associate Samhain with the mysterious horned “master of the forest” - Cernunnos.
There is a version according to which Samhain was a holiday not of farmers, but of cattle breeders. At the end of October, the cattle are returned to their housing for the winter, and some of the cattle go to slaughter, which means a hearty holiday is inevitable. The king or leader gathered the people for a feast, received rich gifts, fed and watered his people abundantly, organized sports competitions and fights, collected taxes and held courts.
Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about what the Druid priests did at this time. They performed certain rituals, lit the “fires of Samhain,” but the essence of these rituals is still unclear. Researchers believe that the most ancient rituals included human sacrifices. In those dark times, it was customary to choose a “king of the year”, who was sacrificed at the end of the “kingdom” - precisely on Samhain. Some modern officials would benefit from this practice: the proximity of death is very motivating! Later, human sacrifices were replaced by animals or imitation - for example, burning an effigy, as in Russia on Maslenitsa, or jumping over a fire, as on Ivan Kupala.
Probably, the sacred meaning of Samhain, like any holiday of transition, was the connection between the Upper and Lower worlds, as well as the world of people and the world of the Sids. There is a hypothesis that on this night the Irish celebrated the sacred marriage of the progenitor god Dagda and the goddess of war Morrigan. But these versions do not have a solid basis.
It is unclear whether the Celts considered Samhain “the night of the opening of the gates” or whether we owe this idea to the impressionability of early Christians and the imagination of neo-pagans. The first evidence of Samhain's connection with death and evil spirits belonged to Christian monks, to whom pagan rituals seemed vile and devilish. But, probably, there is still no smoke without fire. The pagans imagined the universe as several connected “floors,” and the moment of transition, crossing a spatial or temporal boundary, was endowed with sacred meaning. At least in the rural areas of Scotland and Ireland, where this holiday existed back in the 18th century, it was already firmly associated with scary stories, evil spirits and sidhi.
The ancient Irish sagas more than once mention a special, unmotivated geis (prohibition) - going outside the city walls on the night of Samhain. This is often interpreted as a belief that evil spirits are rampaging outside. But another interpretation is also possible: the one who remains “overboard” on the night of the transition risks not moving along with everyone else into the new year, but remaining forever in the timelessness of the old.
What kind of holiday is Halloween?
In fact, whatever they call it...Feast of Death, Samhain, All Hallows' Eve. The names Samhain and Halloween have caught on the most. By the way, if you have long been tormented by the question of where to put the emphasis in the last word, then anywhere. Both Halloween and Halloween are correct.
On this day, it is customary to consider death and fear funny, to dress up in costumes of all kinds of evil spirits and have fun. Of course, the traditions of celebrating Halloween now and several centuries ago are very different, but people have not become less fond of the holiday over time.
Introducing the Pumpkin Festival
The celebration of Halloween can rarely be missed, since people try to decorate houses, cafes, shops for this day, and they organize entire performances and show programs in amusement parks.
I think that for children this holiday can be imagined as a fun masquerade to scare away bad creatures, such as evil witches, trolls, etc. To scare them, it’s enough to put on a costume, a mask and walk around the streets like that.
If you arrange a holiday with your neighbors, you can agree that a group of fighters against evil spirits in fancy dress will come to everyone and demand sweets. This is very reminiscent of sowing on New Year's holidays, only here they usually do not cajole with poems and songs, but playfully intimidate with the phrases: “treat or regret.”
History of Halloween
This holiday first made itself felt in the sixteenth century, and the name was obtained as a result of changing the phrase All Hallows Even, where Even is short for evening. The entire phrase can be translated as “Evening on All Hallows’ Eve.”
It is customary to associate Halloween with the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which appeared in the 10th century. Initially, the Celts, who inhabited England, Ireland and northern France, were separated by only two seasons: winter and summer. October 31 was considered the day of transition from summer to winter. This day meant the end of the harvest, and this was a very significant event for that time. Later, for many peoples, this holiday began to include everything related to the supernatural. This date was usually accompanied by rituals to drive out demons from their homes and wild celebrations, and rituals are still performed in some countries.
After some time, Halloween began to displace Samhain and independently gain a foothold in history as All Saints' Day.
Since the 16th century, both Samhain and Halloween have been celebrated on the night from October 31 to November 1, and according to tradition, adults and children dress up as monsters, vampires and other evil spirits, and go from house to house asking for sweets. Most often with phrases like: “trick or treat,” which is translated as “Trick or Treat” or “Trick or Treat.” According to tradition, it is customary to give sweets, but if a person refuses, they jokingly wish him some trouble or threaten to do some mischief. Since the beginning of the 20th century, there has been a tendency to carry a Jack-O-Lantern, but more on that later.
Interesting things
For dessert, interesting facts about the pumpkin festival:
- Nowadays children have the fate of asking neighbors for sweets. In the old days, these were poor people begging for “goodies” from the rich. In exchange for a treat, the poor people prayed for the one who treated them.
- In the USA and Great Britain this is one of the largest and most profitable holidays. More than one hundred thousand dollars are spent on carnival costumes and paraphernalia.
- In the United States, the month of October is a complete ban on adopting black cats from animal shelters. Not all organizations adhere to this, but there are some. The fear that animals could be used for rituals still persists.
- Samhainophobia is the fear of the spooky holiday of Halloween.
- Bats became attributes of the festival due to the bonfires lit on this night. Insects, which winged mice love to feast on, flocked to the fire.
Here's an interesting story about the origins of Halloween. The pagan celebration grew into large-scale national celebrations with different notes and shades.
If you liked the article, then share it with your friends and come see it yourself! And I, in turn, wish you fun and bright celebrations!
Halloween symbols
History of the Jack-O-Lantern
There is a legend in Ireland: the stingy blacksmith Jack, who always did not mind drinking a bottle and generally did not lead a particularly godly lifestyle, somehow sat down in a tavern with the Devil himself. When the time came to pay the bill, Jack asked him to turn into a coin, and when the Devil did this, Jack put the coin in his pocket, where the silver cross lay. The ruler of the underworld found himself “in Christ’s bosom,” and could not return to his previous state. To free himself, the Devil promised Jack not to cause trouble for him for a year, and after his death he promised not to lay claim to the blacksmith’s soul.
The experience taught no one anything, and Jack tricked the Devil once again. He asked the evil one to climb the tree to pick fruit. When he climbed up, Jack scratched a cross on the trunk. Thus, he won himself another 10 years of a quiet life without the machinations of the Devil. But, alas, I did not live them. And when the time came to move to either Heaven or Hell, Jack was not taken to either one. Therefore, in anticipation of the day of judgment, Jack had to wander the earth, lighting his way with the coal that the Devil gave him as a farewell. He put the coal in an empty pumpkin.
Hence the name - Jack-o-lantern or Jack-o-lantern, short for Jack of the Lantern.
Nowadays pumpkin carving is an art. Competitions and tournaments are held, and in 2013 a record was set: 30,581 Jack-o'-lanterns were lit simultaneously in America.
Witches
A few centuries ago, no one would dare dress up as a witch just for fun, because they would immediately be burned at the stake.
A terrible time for curly red-haired ladies (and not only) began in 1486. Heinrich Kramer created a book for witch hunters, The Witches Hammer. It’s worth clarifying right away that there are several theories about why he decided to write it. The first says that he was angry because of the failure at the trial, in which he accused several women of witchcraft, and they were acquitted and subtly hinted to Kramer that you, buddy, are too aggressive, do something else . Another reason is simply stated to be Kramer's difficulties with the fair sex. One way or another, Henry began to take revenge.
The book is out. They began to actively use it for its intended purpose, and distributing it was quite easy for those times, because in 1454, the printing press appeared.
Plus, informing on those who supposedly seemed like a sorcerer to you was beneficial to some people: a neighbor crossed your path, and you just lied that he was doing magic. The neighbor is at the stake, the informer is sleeping peacefully. Is it worth explaining that most of those punished had nothing to do with magic at all?
By the end of the 16th century the situation began to normalize. Courts increasingly acquitted defendants if the only evidence of their guilt was the words of a “witness.”
In 1735, the first country to no longer consider witchcraft a crime was Great Britain. The last execution in Europe for magic dates back to 1782, it was Anna Geldi. No further official cases were recorded, although due to the fears and hatred that had become entrenched in the minds of some, lynchings still occurred.
Nowadays, a witch is a cool image for Halloween. We'll talk about this a little later.
Cats and Halloween
Many people don’t understand how cats and Halloween are connected. We tell you: in the Middle Ages, everyone believed that cats were helpers of dark forces. People were sure that witches sent cats to scout people or turned into tailed cats themselves. So after some time, when people’s fear reached its apogee, cats and witches began to be exterminated en masse. The cats were even tried! They dressed him in human clothes and pronounced a sentence.
Now cats are actively used to decorate the house for Halloween. And not only the house, but also the cats themselves! They are rightfully considered one of the symbols of All Hallows' Eve.
Jack Pumpkinhead
The third legend about the origin of Jack is similar to the first, but in it the cunning Irishman managed to deceive the devil two times. The offended Satan not only did not let the Irishman's soul into hell, but also forced him to wander the earth in the form of a man with a pumpkin instead of a head, in the eye sockets of which hellish flames smolder.
This image sometimes indulges in the spirit of the holiday. He is personified as a creature resembling a scarecrow, with his slender figure and strange attire, and pumpkin head. However, this image appeared much later, the legend of Jack Pumpkinhead.
Halloween Traditions
Home Decoration for Halloween
It is worth saying that if you are not going to celebrate Halloween at home, and you don’t particularly want to see mummies, cobwebs and all that inside, then it will be enough to simply decorate the house outside to create a mood for both yourself and those around you. However, if you want to celebrate a night of horror at your place and impress all your guests, then you will have to try hard! And we will help with this.
- Pumpkins. They must be there. In the form of lanterns, just pumpkins, someone's heads, it doesn't matter. Pumpkin is the main symbol of Halloween and should be an interior item.
- The bats. It will be great if you hang them at the entrance to your house or attach them to the walls.
- Spiders and cobwebs. A web can be made from gauze and hung wherever possible. You can buy decorative spiders or paint them on glasses, balloons, and walls.
- Ghosts. A good way to make ghosts is with balloons and gauze. Inflate the balloons, hang a piece of gauze on top, and optionally attach eyes and mouth. Ready! It looks especially cool if you attach the caspers to the chandelier.
- Use nature as decoration. You can cut out the pulp from pumpkins, fill the resulting container with ice, and place bottles of juice or alcohol in it. You can decorate the house with yellow leaves and branches, all this will look appropriate and harmonious. You just have to show your imagination.
Halloween Costumes
The main question for everyone who is going to celebrate Halloween: who to dress up as? We offer our options:
A vampire
You can improvise! This look is easy to create and looks very impressive.
Any Tim Burton movie character
Burton is a genius at horror that doesn't make you want to smash your monitor. And his characters are all colorful and laconic. So there is plenty to choose from: Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice and other Burton paintings can be a great source of inspiration.
Mummy
Wrap yourself in bandages and go! What could be cheaper and more interesting? Plus you'll look cool in photos.
Clown
Eternal topic. Does anyone even think clowns are funny and not scary?
Devil
Horns, red clothes - a completely tolerable costume for the lazy.
Chucky
Scary little doll with a cut face. If you try, you will get a really scary costume.
Billy doll
The same doll on a bicycle from the Saw films. An especially favorite option for girls for makeup.
Zombie
Green skin, red paint on the face, wheezing and screams of “Moozgiiii!” - everything you need. Here's a great tutorial on zombie makeup from the movie "Hocus Pocus"
Witch
As said earlier, the witch look is good for Halloween now. The image will look especially cool with appropriate makeup. Especially girls love it very much for its simplicity, canonicity and the opportunity to stick on long nails. By the way, we have put together tutorials for you with witch makeup for Halloween:
Another legend about pumpkins
The pumpkin head with candles is said to have been used by the Druids. They told everyone to place it near their houses to scare away evil spirits, which sometimes passed into our world along with the souls of the departed.
The terrible image of pumpkins frightened the spirits who were planning evil, and the warm fire and bright light burned them, forcing them to avoid their homes. Thus, pumpkins became a kind of guardians, and not just decorations for the holiday.
True, turnips were originally used together with pumpkins, since pumpkins themselves were not yet grown in the British Isles at that time.
Music for Halloween
A very important component of both the party and just the Halloween mood is music. We have made a selection of the most famous and atmospheric compositions on the theme of horror and fear!
- The leader has always been and remains Michael Jackson – Thriller
. He even shot not just a video for the track, but an entire short film in which he himself played the main role. - Marilyn Manson – This Is Halloween
. The soundtrack to Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was very much to the taste of all Halloween fans. It will be a wonderful musical accompaniment for an All Hallows' Eve party. - AC/DC – Highway to Hell
. The road to hell with amazing AC/DC will seem like a trip to heaven. And at a party the track will fit just wonderfully! - Ray Parker Jr.
- Ghostbusters . Ray Parker Jr. and his soundtrack to “Ghostbusters” have been considered one of the main symbols of Halloween for many years. And for good reason! - Alice Cooper - Feed My Frankenstein
. The legendary Alice Cooper and his Frankenstein song will be another cherry on your Halloween cake.
Halloween Tale for Children
Halloween Eve is the perfect time for fairy tales. But not quite ordinary. The story about the holiday will be perfectly complemented by a fantastic story about evil spirits and their queen, the Moon:
“Ooooh!” A terrible howl was heard in the distance. These are not wolves. These werewolves howled at the moon, calling for it to come down from heaven and celebrate Halloween. From time immemorial they are ambassadors of the Wizarding World. Every year the Moon descends from heaven to earth and fun begins with wild dances, games, competitions and gifts.
The moon appeared from behind the branches and huge gray werewolves with yellow-green eyes ran deep into the forest to tell everyone that the celebration would begin soon. This forest is not simple, but magical and hidden on an island in the middle of the lake. In the very center stands a huge oak tree, entwined with golden chains. It was here that all the magical creatures of the world gathered. A swarm of swamp fireflies circled the clearing. The witches mixed potions in cauldrons.
Mermaids decorated the shore with pearls, and goblins lit fires the height of a two-story house with their bows. The elves carved and hung pumpkins. The gnomes hid sweets and gifts at the roots of trees and under bushes. Fiery phoenixes and firebirds swept the forest paths. Preparations were in full swing.
On this day, Good and Evil Magical Creatures stopped fighting. Vampires chatted pleasantly with fairies, and witches rode gnomes on broomsticks. But the werewolves flew into the clearing and reported the good news: “The moon will be here soon.” And then the sky became even darker. It was black as earth. Everyone saw the lunar path. A woman with very pale, glowing skin was walking down it. Her eyes were like stars, and her hair curled silver to her waist.
It seemed that the woman was not touching the path with her bare feet. She didn't walk, but swam. Finally, the last step. The whole clearing froze in anticipation. Mother Moon smiled and sat down on the golden throne. I waved my hand and the Halloween celebration began!”
The little ones can watch and listen to a scary fairy tale from Mashenka from the cartoon series “Masha and the Bear”:
Short horror stories are relevant for children over 9 years old:
“One girl’s mother forbade her to buy dolls in a black dress. A girl went to the store to buy a doll on Halloween. But they were all scary. Except for one - in a beautiful shiny black dress. The girl bought it and brought it home. In the evening I went to bed and put the doll next to me. At night, my mother woke up from the girl’s scream. She entered the room. The bed was empty. Then she looked under the bed. And there was a doll in a black dress with a girl’s face!”
Movies for Halloween
To complement the atmosphere, we decided to collect for you the best films and cartoons to watch on Halloween.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
Tim Burton wrote the script, Henry Selick directed, and we saw one of the best creations in the world of cinema on the theme of horror and Halloween. - Hocus Pocus
A light story about Halloween in its best traditions: witches, pumpkins, zombies and, as a bonus, a young Sarah Jessica Parker. - Beetlejuice
Tim Burton again, again the atmosphere of fear, horror and fun, again the main characters are evil spirits. A comedy horror classic, perfect for Halloween! - Halloween
But this film is not about fun at all, it is about a maniac who kills people with a huge knife. But Halloween is primarily about death and horror, so it’s quite suitable for those who like to titillate the nerves. - Trick or treat
This film is not particularly popular, and for good reason. The picture consists of several stories that happen to different people on Halloween night. The spirit of Halloween punishes everyone who does not follow the traditions of the holiday, commits crimes and does not give candy to those who knock on the door. - Edward Scissorhands
Not exactly horror, but a very pleasant and beautiful film by the same Tim Burton. Whose fault is it that every one of his films is perfect for Halloween? And the main role, by the way, is Johnny Depp. - Donnie Darko
Hundreds of sites and pages on the Internet are devoted to the analysis of this picture. A fascinating, strange, frightening, terribly interesting story. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal. And this is another reason to watch Donnie Darko.
Holidays are great. In different countries, Halloween specifically can be treated completely differently, even to the point of bans and deductions for costumes, as we have in Russia. But we know: you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to eat sweets if you have one!
Celebrate the holidays, dress up in costumes, and don't be afraid to face your fears. Sometimes it turns out to be just boys from the neighboring yard who came for treats.
Celebrations in different countries
Each country has its own national, historical shades of this holiday. The main thing is to determine for yourself what this is for you - a night of mysticism and horror or a reason to have fun from the heart.
Let's go over the countries a little.
America
Already from October 30, mischief penetrates the streets and houses. Neighbors and friends start various pranks and jokes.
A month before the holiday in America, they begin to decorate houses and yard with cobwebs, various pumpkins, autumn foliage, vegetables, etc. Everything that is associated with autumn is used. Some people have bonfires in their gardens, and Jack-o'-lanterns are hung everywhere. Horror lovers place plastic skeletons, bats, witches and spiders in different corners.
Everyone, especially children, puts on carnival costumes and the festivities begin. The celebration can be in the park, where show programs are planned for audiences of all ages. If at home, then everyone comes in the guise of witches, ghosts, vampires and tells each other scary stories, tell fortunes, etc. Treats include gingerbread houses, pumpkin bread, pizza, sweets, and everything is necessarily either made from a pumpkin, or in the form of a pumpkin and various evil spirits
Great Britain
Since October, shop windows have been painted black and orange, and Halloween paraphernalia appears on sale - pumpkins, vampires, brooms, witches, etc.
Jack-o-lanterns are hung in the gardens of houses to scare away all evil spirits. Pumpkin soup and curry are staples of the Halloween season in the UK.
Previously, they tried to find the most creepy and scary costumes possible, now people prefer to dress up as characters from their favorite films, cartoons, and fairy tales.
Children dress up, like adults, in carnival costumes and travel from neighbor to neighbor with the phrase “death or pleasure?” to get their portion of sweets.
British youth either go to clubs with theme nights or host "fright" parties at home. Everyone is in costume, playing “spooky” games, sharing scary stories.
There are British people who have a negative attitude towards this “obscurantism” and even hang up signs asking not to disturb.
Russia
It cannot be said that in Russia the pumpkin holiday is celebrated in any special way. Rather, it is a mixture of both American and British styles.
Before the celebration, shop windows are decorated and children's amusement parks are transformed. Masquerade parties are held in cafes and clubs.
The scale of the fun is not comparable to the ancestral countries, yet this holiday is borrowed and many are against celebrating it. It is also very rare for anyone to decorate their home or garden with Halloween paraphernalia.
For us, this holiday is more of a focal holiday, so to speak. That is, you are more likely to see some centers of the holiday than folk festivities, as, say, on New Year's Eve.
