27.10 Halloween

Samhain – кельтский новый год Самайн, празднуется 31 октября.

Hallowe'en falls on 31 October each year. The origins of Hallowe'en date back over 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

This festival, which means the end of summer, celebrated the end of harvest and the beginning of the Celtic new year on November 1st.

Ancient Celtic celebrations

Not only did the Celts believe the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead dissolved on this night, they thought that the presence of the spirits helped their priests to make predictions about the future.

To celebrate Samhain the Druids built huge sacred bonfires. People brought harvest food and sacrificed animals to share a communal dinner in celebration of the festival.

During the celebration the Celts wore costumes - usually animal heads and skins. They would also try and tell each other's fortunes.

After the festival they re-lit the fires in their homes from the sacred bonfire to help protect them, as well as keep them warm during the winter months.

Roman Britain

By 43 CE the Roman Empire had conquered most of the Celtic regions. In the following 400 years two Roman festivals became incorporated with Samhain. The first was Feralia - a day in late October when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead, and the second was a day to honour Pomona the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. An apple is the symbol of Pomona, so perhaps this is the origin of the tradition of bobbing for apples: whoever bit into an apple first would be married first the next year. By the 800s Christianity had spread into Celtic lands.

Bobbing – связывать в пучки

Christianity

In the early 7th century Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome, formerly a temple to all the gods, as a church dedicated to Saint Mary and the Martyrs, and ordered that that date (May 13) should be celebrated every year.

It became All Saints' Day, a day to honour all the saints, and later, at the behest of Pope Urban IV (d. 1264), a day specially to honour those saints who didn't have a festival day of their own.

In the 8th century Pope Gregory III moved the date to November 1 when he dedicated a chapel to all the saints in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Gregory IV made the festival universal throughout the Church.

November 1 coincided with the Pagan festival of Samhain. Encyclopaedia Britannica says this date may perhaps have been chosen 'in an effort to supplant the Pagan holiday with a Christian observance', and this would have been in line with the policy, suggested by Pope Gregory I of adopting Pagan buildings like the Pantheon and festivals like Samhain to serve a Christian purpose.

Over the years these festivals combined. The mass held on All Saints' Day was called Allhallowmass - the mass of the Hallows. (In the Old English language hallow means to bless, consecrate or sanctify.) The night before was known as All Hallows' Eve - which eventually became known as Hallowe'en.

Consecrate – посвящать что-то кому-либо

All Saints' Day is said to be the day when souls walked the Earth. In early Christian tradition souls were released from purgatory on All Hallow's Eve for 48 hours.

Purgatory  -  чистилище

There was a clear parallel to the Pagan belief that the spirits of the dead could affect the land of the living on this night.

It was celebrated much like Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the Eve of All Saints, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day were called Hallowmass.

Modern meaning

With their pumpkin-lanterns and witch costumes there's many a child who'll have great fun this evening celebrating Hallowe'en. It was derived originally from an ancient Pagan festival, it has become part of our culture and generally it's an innocent excuse for people to have a good time.

Literally, of course, it is the eve of All Hallows - a preparation for the observance tomorrow of the Feast of All Hallows or All Saints. That feast gives the assurance that there is a state of being that stretches beyond our life here on this earth - an affirmation of the essential spiritual nature of human life. People are made for more than can be experienced over our lifetime spent in this world.

 Celebrations

Ancient Celtic celebrations

Not only did the Celts believe the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead dissolved on this night, they thought that the presence of the spirits helped their priests to make predictions about the future.

To celebrate Samhain the Druids built huge sacred bonfires. People brought harvest food and sacrificed animals to share a communal dinner in celebration of the festival.

During the celebration the Celts wore costumes - usually animal heads and skins. They would also try and tell each other's fortunes.

After the festival they re-lit the fires in their homes from the sacred bonfire to help protect them, as well as keep them warm during the winter months.

Halloween traditions – modern celebrations

Halloween is believed by some to be a day on which boundaries between the dead and the living become blurred, and the world of magic and supernatural touches the mortal world. As part of the tradition, bonfires and fireworks were lit to ward off evil spirits.

Versions of Halloween are celebrated all over the world. In parts of Latin America and Asia they coincide with local 'day of the dead' festivities. The festival caught the British public's imagination in the 1980s, primarily due to the influence of American pop culture. In the US, children dress up as ghosts, ghouls, witches, goblins and zombies on Halloween night and go from door to door crying 'trick or treat', collecting bags of sweets, fruits and nuts.

Ghouls – вампир, упырь, вурдалака

One of the recurring Halloween motifs is snaggle-toothed carved pumpkins with smiley or scary faces, spookily lit with a candle from inside, known as jack-o'-lanterns. In the US, these were symbolic of harvest festivities that pre-date Halloween, as were carved turnips and swedes in Ireland and Scotland, and carved beetroot in England.

Spookу – зловещий, страшный, жудкий

Pumpkin designs and carving instruments have recently become sophisticated and imaginative, often depicting celebrities, politicians and cartoon characters. Pumpkin carving competitions and festivals are widely held in the US, often in aid of charity.

Flesh from large carved pumpkins is not always eaten as it can be insipid and watery, but smaller, sweeter varieties should be used in cooking. Pumpkin is particularly good for making soup, bread or pie and roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious.

Insipid – безвкусный, пресный

In Ireland, Halloween was once a day of abstinence when no meat was eaten. Dishes based on potatoes were eaten, such as colcannon (mash with milk or cream, kale, and leeks or spring onions), champ (mash with milk and onions or chives) and boxty pancakes - fried potato cakes that are sometimes served savoury, sometimes sprinkled with sugar.

Colcannon – колканон, ирландское блюдо из картофеля и капусты

Other dishes include potato farls baked on a griddle; apple and potato 'fadge' - upside-down cake made by layering apples and potatoes inside pastry; and barm brack, a spiced bread made with dried fruit.

In England there was a tradition of eating 'soul cakes' - flat round or oval cakes flavoured with saffron, mixed spices, and currants - as well as apple tarts. Many of these Irish and English dishes contained coins, rings and other items with symbolic meanings. They were left out for wandering spirits and fairies overnight.

Toffee apples (called candy apples in the US) are enormously popular children's treats at this time of year. Variations include apples coated with caramel or chocolate.

Roasted or barbecued corn-on-the-cob and popcorn are also eaten. In the US, candy corn - sweetcorn-shaped sweets made from honey, sugar fondant and corn syrup - is consumed in large quantities. Novelty confectionery, decorated in festive shapes and designs such as skulls and worms, is also popular with children.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, parties featuring 'scary' foods coloured black, purple or red, have been a hit with the young and the young at heart. Dishes are often given names like 'witches cauldron' (red pepper and tomato soup), and 'fried brain' (walnut halves sautéed in paprika). Sandwiches are cut into spooky shapes like witches' hats and eyeballs, and drinks may contain 'squashed bugs' (actually flattened raisins or grapes).