Discover the eerie origins of Halloween, and the creepy ways it's celebrated around the world
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Discover the eerie origins of Halloween, and the creepy ways it's celebrated around the world...
Halloween is one of the world’s oldest celebrations, but the form in which the holiday can be found today is quite different from what we might have seen in the past. Yes, strange as it may seem, Halloween was more often than not a religious observance meant for remembrance of those who have passed away.
It is often argued that, in some ways, Halloween in the west has moved away from its Christianised meaning and gone back to its more Pagan roots. Samhain – the Pagan festival that preceded Halloween – involved lots of dressing up, bonfires, and even trick or treating! Yes, we’ve come full-circle, and are now celebrating Halloween the way our ancestors may have done some hundreds of years ago, before various invasions.
Nowadays, Halloween has lost many of its religious aspects, in the UK and US at least. Gone is the three-day celebration (often called All Hallows’ Eve or All Souls’ Day) remembering saints, martyrs, and departed loved ones. Enter sweet treats, costumes, and bonfires.
Other than the UK and the US, perhaps the most well-known ‘Halloween’ festival is Mexico and Latin America’s El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). This is a three-day celebration that, like Halloween, starts on the 31st of October and finishes on the 2nd of November. Again, as with Halloween, The Day of the Dead is a celebration remembering those who have passed on. Unlike Halloween in contemporary times, The Day of the Dead is a rather more serious (but still fun) affair, and the Christian/Catholic elements, as well as the Aztec influences, remain.