понедельник, 25 октября 2010 г.
What is Halloween actually?
Most holidays commemorate or celebrate something. But what about Halloween? What is Halloween actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual where folks get together for parties, dress up in Halloween costumes and bob for apples?
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.
One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
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It is useful information, a kind of excursion in history...
ОтветитьУдалитьHmm, I knew that the holiday comes from ancient Celts, but didn't think that at this time souls of the died come back. It is difficult to believe in it to such a realist, as I am. Earlier people were believers, trusted in afterlife. Now everything changed. I believe, hat now this holiday - no more than just an entertainment:)
ОтветитьУдалитьIt is really an interesting information and a specific kind of believes in which people living centurie ago possibly had reasons to believe.
ОтветитьУдалитьAs for me, it is a very interesting article)
ОтветитьУдалитьGood article!And I can add that the words "trick or treat" apparently were not in use until 1941, when they first appear in files of Merriam-Webster, Inc., after being used as the title of a poem in The Saturday Evening Post. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase "trick-or-treating" first appeared in The Sun in Baltimore in 1950. But the practice may be considerably older.
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