...Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration 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 (mostly idle) "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In some parts of Scotland children still go guising. In this custom the child performs some sort of trick, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, to earn their treats. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays dates back to the Middle Ages and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of souling, when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls' Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain,[14] although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy.[15] Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering or whining] like a beggar at Hallowmas."[16] In Scotland and Ireland, Guising — children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins — is a traditional Halloween custom, and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895 where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes...
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...November 2015 Celebration of Halloween Halloween is a celebration that usually takes place on the night of October 31st. Before it evolved into this name it was once called “All Hallows Eve”. ”Today, Halloween is a festival of fun for kids. It is an occasion to dress up as little monsters, ghost or witches” (Why is Halloween Celebrated). Many religious people have their concerns and dislikes toward this holiday. “Over time the custom of adults dressing up as demons changed and the children took over. As they went from house to house they would knock at each house and cry ‘trick or treat’ ” (Why is Halloween Celebrated). But how did all this come about? Halloween dates back to 2,000 years ago. “In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain” (History of Halloween). During the Celtic festival of Samhain people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward of what they believed were roaming ghosts. “By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory” (History of Halloween).While the Romans were ruling the lands there were two festivals, Feralia, a day Romans traditionally commemorate the passing of the dead and the second was to honor Pomona , the Roman goddess of fruit and tree. An apple symbolizes Pomona which explains why the tradition of bobbing for apples is practiced on Halloween. “By the end of the 19th century...
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...Halloween: Then and Now This paper will cover the origins, religious influence, the changes in Halloween, as well as the traditions and superstitions associated with Halloween. It will show how Halloween started as a dark festival full of traditions and superstitions, and how it has now turned into a happy celebration for the young and old alike. Halloween is on October 31, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. According to The History Channel on Halloween (2012), Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago. Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition, it is thought to have its origin with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts (para 1). According to the Encyclopædia Britannica on Halloween (2012), over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities. It's one of the most popular holidays, second only to Christmas. While millions of people celebrate Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the history and facts make the holiday more fascinating. During the ancient festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland, November 1 was considered the end of the summer period, the date on which the livestock were brought in from pasture and land tenures were renewed (para 1). It was also a time when the souls of those who...
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...Translation History of Halloween Halloween falls on October 31st each year in North America and other parts of the world. What do you know about Halloween? Do you celebrate it in your country? Here is a little history about it …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Like many other holidays, Halloween has evolved and changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1 was their New Year's Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe...
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...The holidays Halloween and the Day of the Dead are similar in some ways but overall different. Halloween is celebrated in America and The Day of the Dead is mainly recognized in Mexico. During Halloween kids walk around collecting candy in costumes. Preparations for Dia De Los Muertos include making an ofrenda which will hold offerings for the dead. The purpose of the holidays is different as well. Throughout the three days that the Day of the Dead is celebrated, the loved ones who have passed away come back to life and enjoy time with their families. On October 31st in America, the bad spirits were known to come alive and needed to be banished before All Saints Day which is why people wore costumes. Therefore, Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos are different. The two holidays are celebrated in different parts of the world. Halloween is celebrated all throughout America, Canada, Australia and in some parts of Europe. Halloween became popular in North America when the Irish immigrants brought their practices with them. Dia De Los Muertos is only celebrated in Mexico. It was first celebrated by the Incas in South America. Therefore, the two holidays are celebrated in different parts of the world and...
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...Origins of Halloween General Purpose: To inform people of the origins of this great holiday. This year when you carve scary faces into a pumpkin, or eat that Halloween whopper have you ever wondered about the history of where Halloween started? Millions of people a year celebrate Halloween every year but very few know why. Well, I’m here to maybe shed some light or should I say darkness. Halloween is a very scary night but it originated from the Christian religion. All Saint’s Day is November 1. The day before that is what early Christians called All Saint’s Eve or All Hallows Eve. (Hallow meaning saints) Overtime All Saint’s Eve turned into Halloween. But for the real history of the holiday we have to go back almost 1000 years to the early Celts in Ireland! A long time ago, the Celtics believed that Summer ended on October 31. So to get prepared for the end of the season of harvest or life and get ready for the season of death they celebrated Samhain. They believed that on this day the gap between the living and the dead was thinnest and that ghost and ferries could easily cross over. The Celtics would leave food at their doors to keep ghosts at bay and would wear costumes to “blend in” with the dead spirits. This is where we get our costumes today. They believed dressing up would honor the good spirits and keep away the bad ones. Sometime around the 8th century Pope Gregory the 4th merged All Saint’s day with the same day as Samhain and merged the traditions. One of the...
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...Monster in Halloween and Halloween H2O” wrote by Kelly Connelly, introduces a new idea about women in slasher films. In the article, Connelly states that women in films dealing with slashing, will have to learn and be able to face the masculine traits of the killer to be able to surive and be the “Final Girl” (13). Kelly uses the movies Halloween, Halloween 2, and Halloween H2O to describe the relationship that is used in each of these movies. The relationship she describes is the female-male relationship, which would be considered the male killer and the Final Girl (13, 14). A few traits that Connelly describes that the “final girl” has is that she is never sexually active and she often acts more like a boy than a woman. If she sees something that is not normal or is out of the ordinary then she is automatically assured to go check to see what it is which causes her to receive the traits of being smart and attentive of her surroundings (14). Clover has come to see that Laurie achieves empowerment as the final girl based on her ability to stay alive long enough to be rescued in the first film, Halloween (14). But twenty years later in Halloween H2O Laurie had become of age as the true final girl” by assuming the male characteristics of her attacker, which would be a necessary step in defeating the slasher film monster. The lessons Laurie learned in Halloween and Halloween 2 will permit her to finally triumph as the final girl by defeating the male monster in Halloween H20 in addition...
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...you ever done “Trick or Treat” before? Halloween is biggist holliday in America specially for children. Halloween has been celerbrated since a long time ago. Every the end of October, children dress up like a ghost or whatever they want and go to their neighbors. As you can see, Halloween has been main holliday in America. Halloween was traditional scary thing, But now it’s traditional fun celerbration for everyone. I want to tell you more about what American do on Halloween. Halloween has been celerbrated in America. Most of american celerbrate on halloween even adult enjoy their halloween. Now, Halloween is most important holliday for them. They usually have a party at their own house or sometime they lent the bar or some place to have a party with their friends. They dress up whatever they want. It can be anothing like witch, ghost, minion, mario, etc. They decorate party place with pumkins, spider’s house, a lot of scary things. They record video or take a picture of their custom and pick the best dresser at that night. Halloween seems celerbration day for everyone and everyone enjoy their day. Have you ever done trick or treat before when you were young? Young children enjoy their halloween with trick of treat. They can’t wait every halloween to get candy or chocoletes. Little children dress up like scary and prank their neighborhoods. They go to neighbors and knock the door and say “Trick or Treat” on Halloween. Then, Neighbors give them candy for treat...
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...Halloween: The gate between the living and the spirit world opens Holly A. Moran Keuka College COM320.355 Abstract Halloween is a magical and superstitious time of year. It is a time when the spirits, fairies, goblins and witches come out to join the living. Not so long ago people believed that, and some still do, that the spirit world is closer on the night of Halloween. It is a night when you can talk with your deceased loved ones, find out who is going to die before the next Halloween or find your mate. Though we no longer hold sacrifices to the Lord of the Dead, we still celebrate with a lot of the same traditions that took place hundreds of years ago. Of all the festivals and celebrations that we observe today, few have a tale stranger than Halloween, also known as the eve of Allhallows – or Hallowmas or All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ Day is one of the gloomiest festivals of the church, while at the same time it observes the supernatural ceremonies with which the church has always been at war. This, after all, is the night when ghosts walk and fairies and goblins are astray. (Linton, 1950) Druids held the earliest celebrations in honor of Samhain, Lord of the Dead, whose festival actually fell on November 1. November 1 was also the Celtic New Year’s Day, the beginning of winter and the time known as “the light that loses, the night that wins.”(Linton, 1950 pg. 4) Halloween (Hallowe’en) is one of the world’s oldest...
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...summer's end. The origin of Halloween dates back 2000 years ago to the Celtic celebration of the dead. The Celtic festival was held on November 1st, the first day of the Celtic New Year, honoring the Samhain, the Lord of the Dead. Celtic ritual believed that the souls of the dead returned on the evening before November 1st. This particular time of year signified the final harvest, a time of gathering and preparing for winter. Winter was a time of famine and some would not survive through the long months ahead. Samhain was a way of honoring those who had died, a celebration of the spirit remembered. The celebration included burning sacrifices and costumes. It was a common belief that the "veil" between the world of the living and the world of the dead was thinnest on the eve of Samhain. In Modern times, many have twisted this thought to evil intent, though its origin is much more honorable. The dead could return on this one night to the places where they had lived, and food and entertainment were provided in their honor. This symbolized a village existing in harmony with its past, present, and future....
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...The Production of Halloween The “New Hollywood” era was an era that stretched roughly from the late 60s to the early 80s where there was a wave of young filmmakers who brought a new style into the “New Hollywood” era. A new and improved way of presenting a story was brought, referred to as “post-classical cinema”. These new films were funded and financed by major film studios and introduced a style that wasn’t seen as “traditional” (Hitchman). The “New Hollywood” era films were known to redesign the classic genres of Hollywood like the crime and war films, thus showing a more critical view of society in the past and present. The change in market during the period went from a middle-aged high school educated audience in the mid 60s, to a younger, more affluent, college-educated demographic and by the mid 70s, a majority of all moviegoers were at least under 30. There was desperation in studios during this period due to status of the economy. The best thing that happened to the filmmakers was that they brought an emphasis on realism (Citation 1). The movie “Halloween” is known as one the greatest independent slasher films ever, created off of a budget of $300,000 and brought $70,000,000 in revenue. Halloween was directed by John Carpenter, produced by Debra Hill and written between the both of them. The movie was set in Haddonfield, Illinois, mainly on Halloween 1978. This movie was the break for “New Hollywood” actress Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode). John...
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...Halloween: Harmless or Haram? An Islamic Perspective Every year, on the evening of October 31st, millions of children across North America paint their faces, dress up in costumes, and go door to door collecting treats. The adults often decorate their houses with ghostly figures, carve scary faces on pumpkins, and put candles in them to create “Jack-O-Lanterns.” Unfortunately, among the millions of North Americans indulging in this custom, many are also Muslims. This article will shed some light on the significance and origins of Hallow’een, and why Muslims should not participate in it. Origins of the Hallow’een Festival The ancient Celtic (Irish/Scottish/Welsh) festival called Samhain is considered by most historians and scholars to be the predecessor of what is now Hallow’een. Samhain was the New Year’s day of the pagan Celts. It was also the Day of the Dead, a time when it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access into the “land of the dead”. Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain continue to be practiced today on the 31st of October. Most notable of these customs are the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink (now candy) to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires. Elements of this festival were incorporated into the Christian festival of All Hallow’s Eve, or Hallow-Even, the night preceding All Saint’s (Hallows’) Day. It is the glossing of the name Hallow- Even...
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...Among the many national holidays like Christmas and Easter, Halloween stands out as the most interesting and entertaining one. Cultural significance aside, the recent modern blend and creativity boost has raised Halloween to a level unparalleled in its history. Halloween is encouraged by the modern blends of the society. Gathering the community for a celebration not specific to any group does wonders. Through social practices like parties and trick or treating, because Halloween is a recreational event, it urges people to connect and come closer, as family, friends or strangers. Since it is an event about evil souls retuning back to living, it also inculcates patience, sharing and tolerance by generating compassionate interaction between adults...
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...one’s self, whether it be by religion, speech, or association, is in serious harm today in American politics. In recent years Halloween costumes have become more and...
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...Through the Smoke Screen of Halloween On October 31 every year, the majority of the country and several other countries celebrate the diabolized holiday of Samhain, otherwise more widely known as Halloween. Despite all the negative stigmas attached to this holiday, it is actually a very sacred and the holiest day to those that follow the Old Ways. Having known many pagans and being married to one, I have had the unique opportunity to gain a new insight into this holiday. It was and still is considered a celebration and reverent time to remember and honor the souls of family and friends who have died and departed this world. Before and especially during the Middle Ages, the new religion of Christianity was struggling to take hold on the people living throughout Ireland, Norway, the U.K. ranging to France and Germany. It was hard for the Church to convert those people and make them discard their gods, festivals and rituals. The Church resorted to assimilating the peoples' customs, ritual and beliefs into the Church's beliefs and then demonizing anything that didn't fit or they wanted to do away with. Samhain was one of those festivals that the Church would have done away with for the people revered this holiday a great deal. The time of Halloween, or Samhain, in an effort to eradicate these beliefs and practices, was depicted as a demonic evil time filled with horror with October 31 being the night of great dissonance and mischief. In actuality, Samhain is the third...
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