ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN

Cultural lesson 1: Halloween, October 31st ​

Witches with a spine-tingling laughter and high-pitched voice, ghosts swaying through walls, vampires with an unquenchable thirst for ... (well, let's just say that it's not for tea!), Jack O'Lanterns glowing in the dark, and thousands of shop retail owners laughing all the way to the bank while consumers rush to buy dress-up costumes, Halloween decoration and tons of sweets. 

Is that what Halloween is all about though? A spike in consumerism, a bunch of scary costumes and a few kids persistently knocking on your door before they say "trick or treat" to claim a handful of candy? 

What? Yes? Is that it? 

No, it can't be. No way! There must be more to it than meets the eye.

Well, actually, there is! And we're going to discover it together because below I've selected a few facts just for all of you brave souls that have made it through the first few lines of this post. Enjoy the read. :)

-Halloween takes place on October 31st. 
-Well, duh! Are you kidding me? Who on earth doesn't know this already? Is that what this post is about? I'm out of here.
-Wait, there's more. Jeez, you're an impatient breed, aren't you? 
-You could perhaps have started by explaining why it is called 'Halloween', don't you think?
-Oh, you took the words right out of my mouth. Alright, smartypants, here's the deal: Halloween used to also be called "All Hallows' Eve" (where Hallow means Holy) because it's the day before All Saints' Day, November 1st. 
-OK, that's a bit interesting I guess, but you have a long way to go to impress me, you know. What else have you got?
-Well, how about this? During medieval times in Ireland and Scotland, on Halloween, people celebrated the ending of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark winter. 
-Fascinating ... NOT! So what? Oh God, I've had insomnia for over two weeks, but if you keep it up, I'll doze off in a jiffy. 
-Sit down and stop interrupting me, will you? I didn't even finish. Oh, boy, don't include "good listener" in your CV 'cause you certainly are a handful! (sigh) OK, where was I? Oh, yes! Actually, the tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived two thousand years ago, used to celebrate their New Year on November 1st (a date which much later, in the 18th century, was designated by Pope Gregory III as the day to honour all the saints - All Saints' Day / All Hallows' Day, remember?). As I said, this day marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31st they celebrated Samhain, when it was thought that the ghosts of the dead emerged back to earth. So, they would light bonfires or disguise themselves as scary creatures so as to alleviate their fear and ward off ghosts and otherworldly spirits. Some would even put out food and drinks in front of their homes for them. 
-What for? Did they want to get themselves a spirit or skeleton as a pet on their porch? 
-Oh, come on. Perhaps this is the first kind of Halloween treats, who knows? All joking aside, did you know that the very first trick-or-treaters received mostly fruits and nuts instead of candy? 
-If that's true, Halloween candy is the second reason, after the advent of the Internet, why I'm happy I was born in the 21st century. Carry on. 
-The first Jack O'Lanterns were made out of ...
-Pumpkin. 
-No, you silly. Turnips. Not pumpkin. The very first ones were made out of turnips. 
-It's the final countdown to Halloween, mate - not April's Fools Day. If you think you can fool me, then ...
-I'm not pulling your leg. According to Irish folk tales, Jack O'Lanterns started with the spirit of a farmer named Stingy Jack. To light his way at night, he carved out a turnip and placed a lit piece of coal inside. 
-And they actually believed that? Wow! Did I say that I'm glad I grew up in the era of the Internet?
-Yes, and I need an aspirin right now. I've got a headache.
-Hey, wait! You haven't even talked about the colours of Halloween. Why black and orange specifically? Answer this one and forget the aspirin. 
-Oh, yes, it almost slipped my mind. You distracted me with your silly comments. Well, it's easy. Didn't we say earlier that at some point, on Halloween, people would celebrate the ending of the harvest season and the beginning of winter? Therefore, orange represents harvest and the autumn season, and black represents the darkness of winter. Happy now?
-Quite. 
-Did you enjoy these fun facts about the origins of Halloween?
-Yes, but don't let it go to your head. Tell me more. 
-Oh, so now you're interested, huh? No longer dismissive or in a hurry. Actually, I wasn't joking about the headache, so I have to lie down for a while, but, mind you, I've done some research on many more American and British celebrations. Stay tuned in November. 
-Remember remember, the 5th of November.
-No, I won't post it on the 5th. Don't mislead them. The next one will be published around the second week of November. Now about that aspirin ...
-Yeah, yeah, I'll find you some. Hey, I hope you weren't implying that I caused you the headache ...
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What else do you know about Halloween?
And how are you going to celebrate it this year?

​Do let us know in the comments down below.