The history and philosophy of Halloween celebration + the strangest customs of Halloween

We are all more or less words Halloween It has been heard and we are familiar with some of its customs, wearing Weird and sometimes scary clothes and children knocking on doors to collect nuts and chocolates. These are the first images that come to mind as soon as you hear the word Halloween ceremony They are imprinted in our minds. October 31 in the Gregorian calendar To The date of Halloween has been allocated But that What is Halloween? What do they do on Halloween? And how did Halloween get out of the calendar of Western countries, Halloween make-up and traditional Halloween theme is today's topic. Cyrus magazine Is. Stay with us in the service life style About Halloween, history and philosophy and symbols of Halloween celebration In the world, Iran and history Halloween celebration 2023/1402 Know more.

What day is Halloween 2023/1402 in Iranian history?

In response to this question When is Halloween in Iranian history? we have to say The date of Halloween 1402 in Iran (Halloween 1402) is equal to Tuesday, November 9. Halloween is October 31, 2023 in the Gregorian calendar.

History and philosophy of Halloween

Word Halloween It means “Age of Saints”. roots of Halloween It goes back to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that now includes the countries of Ireland, England, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.

Halloween In its present form, it is actually a religious celebration and has been popular since the 9th century AD. The day after Halloween is called “All Saints' Day” and Christians celebrate this day. If we want to fully explain Halloween, we reach a holy trinity:

All Saints' Eve is a celebration that is held on October 31, the day before All Saints' Day, as an important Christian celebration. Along with All Souls' Day on November 2nd, All Hallows' Eve and All Saints' Day form a triad (religious trinity), which is dedicated to the dead. While the trinity has been officially practiced by the church since the 8th century AD, Halloween seems to date back much earlier and was an ancient celebration.

To commemorate this event, since the 8th century AD, Christian monks have built huge bonfires that had a sacred aspect, where people gathered to burn their crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic gods. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes usually made of animal heads and skins and tried to predict each other's fortunes.

The monks who founded this ritual believed that on this night, the gate between the two worlds will be opened and the god of the world of the dead will come to earth along with spirits, goblins and demons. They considered this day to mean the end of the summer season and the beginning of darkness. In their opinion, the beginning of winter was associated with concepts such as death.

Celts believed that on November 1st is the border between the world of the dead and the living. As a result of this belief, they believed that on the night of October 31, the path for the return of the spirits of the dead to the earth is ready, so they celebrated Halloween on this night.

That's why on this night, according to old traditions and according to this belief, people try to scare demons and goblins with scary Halloween makeup, wearing scary clothes, beating drums and objects like pots and plates, and making noise. run away.

Some Christians have historically been eating Meat On this day they avoid, the tradition of eating vegetarian food like Potato pancakes, Caramel appleapple bread Halloween cookiepumpkin bread, Cake with Halloween decoration, Caramel popcorn and candy corn During the night, the life of this day has been manifested.

Read more: The scariest movies based on true stories

The philosophy and history of Halloween in America

Halloween ceremony Because of the strict beliefs of Protestantism in colonial New England, it was held in a limited way. But the custom of holding Halloween ceremony It was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of various European and American Indian tribes collided, an all-American version of Halloween emerged. In fact, North America was the first place other than the ancient region ruled by the Celts, where Halloween was held on the last night of October.

The first celebrations includeGame partiesIt was one of the public events to celebrate agricultural products. Neighbors told stories of the dead, told each other's fortunes, danced and sang.

In the second half of the 19th century, when America experienced an explosion of immigration, these new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish (known as those fleeing the Irish potato famine), helped popularize Halloween nationally. . These days, Halloween is celebrated in most countries of the world, even in China, Japan, and Cambodia, which adhere to their traditional customs. But What do they do on Halloween?

What do they do on Halloween?

Traditional Halloween activities Including trick or treating, participating in Halloween parties with special costumes Various Halloween themesmaking Halloween pumpkins, lighting bonfires, playing with apples, fortune-telling games, visiting haunted houses, telling scary fairy tales, and watching scary movies.

It is not bad to know that orange, black and white colors Special colors for Halloween are; “Orange” is a symbol of strength and endurance and a sign of the autumn season and black and white, as a symbol of death and darkness, are the colors of most Halloween themes on this day. These colors are also used for Halloween make-up and makeup, clothes and the theme of Halloween photography.

Halloween customs and symbols

turnips, beets and hollow pumpkins; Jack and lantern ceremony

How to celebrate Halloween? Actually The main symbol of Halloween, is a large and hollow pumpkin, on which a scary laughing face is drawn with a knife or cutter, and a candle is lit inside the pumpkin. But it's important to know that the “Jack and Lantern” ceremony held on Halloween is not an American tradition but an old English tradition.

According to this old legend, this light was formed from the coals of hell and placed inside a hollow turnip by a character named Jack. Stuck in limbo, Jack uses this light to search for his final resting place. People considered the lights inside these lanterns to be the symbol of souls imprisoned in Purgatory

In ancient times, the people of England used to carve various faces on turnips and beets for Halloween because pumpkins were scarce in this region. They would hollow out the inside of a turnip or beet and make it look like a face and use it as a lantern. They believed that by doing this, they would keep evil spirits away from their homes and lives.

But What is the philosophy of the Halloween pumpkin? After the potato famine and turnips not being found in America pumpkin They used it for cooking and from the Victorian period Halloween pumpkin To The main symbol of Halloween Became.

Celts believe that in the last days of the year, the spirits of the dead come to earth, and by making scary lanterns and placing them near the windows, evil spirits will not approach them. Also, in some countries, lighting these lanterns was done to guide the spirits on their way on earth.

Among the ancient Iranians, there was also the belief that on the last days of the year and before Nowruz, at the same time as the Syrian Wednesday, the souls of the dead descend to the earth, and so that these souls do not lose their way, Iranians light fires on their roofs.

Read more: The most interesting customs and foods of the Syrian Wednesday night

(Trick or Treat) or spooning; Officially similar to the Syrian Wednesday celebration

Imitating European traditions, Americans began to dress with Halloween theme and make-up and the children and sometimes the elders went from one house to another by singing and praying to get food or money, a ceremony that eventually became known as “Trick or Treat”Give me a gift and I will enchant youOr in simpler language, it has become “mischievous or edible”. (Treat means to give quotes and candy and trick means to do magic.)

Young women believed that on Halloween, they could imagine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks and using Halloween party items such as thread, apple piece or mirror. The custom of spooning on the night of Chaharbansuri is very similar to this custom.

Read more: Interesting and mysterious Christmas customs in different countries

apple biting game; Symbol of the Roman goddess Pomona

The game of “biting the apple” which is customary on Halloween comes from the Roman goddess Pomona, the guardian of gardens and fruit trees, and the symbol of the goddess Pomona is the fruit “apple”. (In this game, apples are thrown into a pan of water or hung on a string and you have to bite the apple without using your hands).

Austrian tradition of eating bread and water on Halloween

One of the most interesting Halloween traditions is held in Austria. Austrians eat only water and bread for a week to appease the spirits of their dead. This week starts on October 30 and ends on November 5. After these seven days are over, one completes and ends this interesting tradition by feeding the ducks.

hide the knife

The strange German Halloween tradition is “hiding knives”. On the 1st of November, which the Germans consider holy and spend this day with their families, in addition to a ceremony such as spooning, according to a strange old tradition, they hide knives for a week so as not to harm the dead according to the same old belief.

look in the mirror

In the past, one of the concerns of young people on Halloween was to know who they were going to marry. To guess this story, the English one A strange custom on Halloween they had. According to this tradition, young people should stand in a dark room in front of a mirror and stare into it to see the image of the person they are going to marry in the future. According to legends, if a person dies before marriage, instead of seeing the image of his wife in the mirror, he sees the image of a skeleton. Creepy enough, isn't it?

Peeling apples into strips

Palm reading, fortune-telling and fortune-telling are among the oldest Halloween customs. For this, the Scots completely peel an apple on Halloween night. This apple peeling should be in the form of a narrow and uniform strip and not tear in the middle of the work. Then they put the strip skin of the apple on their shoulder. The arrangement of this strip shows the letters of the person's name that they will marry in the future. They usually whisper the words “Sofia Verka” and “Chris Martin” when they put the skin over their shoulder, if they don't say these words, the prediction will not come out right.

Celebrating Halloween in Iran

The Halloween celebration in Iran has become very popular in recent years. Of course, the customs of Halloween are not the same as those held in Western countries, and Halloween is mostly celebrated with costumes and makeup and Halloween themes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the word Halloween mean?

Halloween means “Halloween”.

What ethnic tradition was Halloween in the beginning?

The Celts in today's Ireland were originally the creators of Halloween. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that now includes the countries of Ireland, England, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. Halloween In its present form, it is actually a religious celebration and has been popular since the 9th century AD.

What are the most important customs of Halloween?

Carving pumpkins, spooning, wearing clothes with the theme of the dead and witches, looking in the mirror, hiding knives, etc. are among the traditional customs of Halloween in different countries of the world.