Halloween was invented by the Celts, brought to the United States by the Irish, and made its way back to Europe through the mass media. Elements like lights, grimaces, and heish walks share Halloween with the New Year and the Fasnacht it relates to. The term “Halloween” is a corruption of “All-hallows Eve” and means “The Evening Before All Saints’ Day” celebrated on November 1. The day falls on the Celtic New Year.
Halloween is a reverse import
Between the old year and the new year (on the night of October 31st to November 1st among the Celts), people believed that there was a gap in time through which souls could enter this world.
On the one hand, deceased relatives had good spirits. They were shown the way home with lights – for example, Räbeliechtli. Also, passing Heische groups were rewarded for praying for the deceased. Hence “trick or trick – trick or treat”.
However, evil spirits can also enter the here and now through the rift between time. Since the monsters were thought to be in the form of animals, they were tried to be deceived by putting leather and masks on them.
bear of the dead
At the beginning of November, Catholics commemorate the double festival of All Saints and All Souls and commemorate the deceased. Graves of deceased relatives are decorated. Both death and life are symbolized by the cemetery’s favorite autumn flower, the chrysanthemum. For a long time it was considered only the flower of the dead, but now you can see it in gardens, on balconies and on the windowsills of living rooms, because in late autumn it regains its most magnificent colors.
Chrysanthemums are especially revered in China, where they have been cultivated since the 15th century and are considered the symbolic flower of the imperial family. In China, flowers were used to decorate temples, paint porcelain, decorate textiles, wood carvings, and metalwork. Chrysanthemum was also highly prized in Japan, and its cultivation peaked in the 16th century.
Chrysanthemums arrived in Europe in 1688. Dutch traders brought the first flowers from China. Today chrysanthemum is a symbol of long life. The chrysanthemum represents immortality and also adorns many tombs in autumn. In France, the chrysanthemum represents death and mourning and is associated with the Catholic festival of All Saints. (SDA)