Halloween

What is Halloween?

Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening"), also known as All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly celebration on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It initiates the triduum of Hallowmas, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.

The symbols of Halloween

Ghosts and Skeletons : Ghosts are universal symbols for the departed. Skeletons and bones are symbols of death. Samhain is the festival of the dead, so it seems fitting that ghosts and skeletons would be used. It was thought that on this night of the year, the dead roamed the earth freely in their passage to the hereafter.

More symbols of Halloween

Spiders and Webs : Spider and webs represent dark, spooky places and haunted houses long forgotten.

Bats : Because they fly only at night and live in tombs and abandoned churches, bats are believed to be an omen of evil. linked to death and occult rituals.

Owls : Superstitions suggest that owls ate the souls of the dying by swooping to earth. Owl screeches and their glassy stare are an omen of death and disaster.

Even more symbols of Halloween

Witches : witches are thought to be tellers of fortune and to cast spells, both good and bad.

Broomsticks : Witches and broomsticks go hand in hand. Often witches are depicted riding them across the night sky with a black cat on the end.

Black Cats : Cats have been considered by many to be spiritual animals. Western superstitions would have us believed that black cats have special powers, that they can represent spirits or even incarnated humans.

Jack-o’-lanternA Jack-o’-lantern is a

carved pumpkin and was named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs called will-o’-the-wisp or Jack-o’-lantern. The term “will-o’-the-wisp” uses “wisp” (a bundle of sticks or paper sometimes used as a torch) and the proper name “Will”, thus “Will-of-the-torch”. The term Jack-o’-lantern is of the same construction “Jack of (the) lantern”.

A story about Jack-o’-lantern

Some old Irish folk tale tells of Stingy Jack, a lazy yet shrewd farmer who uses a cross to trap the Devil. The story says that Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree, and once he was up there Jack quickly placed crosses around the trunk or carved a cross into the bark, so that the Devil couldn’t get down.

Yet another storyAnother story says that Jack was getting

chased by some villagers from whom he had stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die. However, the thief stalled his death by tempting the Devil with a chance to bedevil the church-going villagers chasing him. Jack told the Devil to turn into a coin with wich he would pay for the stolen goods. Later, when the Devil disappeared, the Christian villagers would fight over who had stolen it. The Devil agreed to this plan. He turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack’s wallet, only to find himself next to a cross Jack had also picked up in the village. Jack had closed the wallet tight, and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers; and so he was trapped.

But you still don’t know where does the name “Jack-o’-lantern” come, do you?

In both folktales, Jack only lets the Devil go when he agrees never to take his soul. After a while the thief died, as all living things do. Of course, his life had been too sinful for Jack to go to Heaven; however, the Devil had promised not to take his soul, and so he was barred from hell as well. Jack now had nowhere to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and the Devil mockingly tossed him an ember from the flames of hell, that would never burn out. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which were his favorite food), put the ember inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. He became known as “Jack of the lantern”, or “Jack-o’-lantern”.

“Trick or treat”The custom of 'trick

or treat' probably has several origins. And they are mostly Irish. An old Irish peasant practice called for going door to door to collect money, bread cake, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts, apples, etc., in preparation for the festival of St. Columbus Kill. Yet another custom was the begging for soul cakes, or offerings for

one's self - particularly in exchange for promises of prosperity or protection against bad luck. It is with this custom the concept of the fairies came to be incorporated as people used to go door to door begging for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house.

Halloween Quotes• “Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, Voices whisper in the tress, “Tonight is Halloween!”• “This the night – the night of the grave’s delight…”• “When witches go ridin,and black cats are seen,the moon laughs and whispers,this near Halloween.”• “To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none.”• “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.

Yeah, I know Halloween is over, but I just wanted to tell you

HappyHallowee

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