What's Halloween?

This festival every year is a lot of fun for everyone. Although it has its controversies as in the Christian point of view. Since they see it as this holiday they make children worship Satan and dress up as scary things and etc. But there are some people who doubt that they do not know what Halloween is and other related things. So in this article I will teach you what is Halloween?

But before you start, you must first know a few things so that you take them into account.

Elements of this holiday

Food

Since Halloween is situated with the apple harvest season, it has become a cultural staple of this holiday. Since it consists of dipping the apples in caramel of any flavor. Then embed a toothpick in them and you can hand them out to trick-or-treating kids.

Although there was a time in America when apples were rumored to have broken glass and razor blades. And anything dangerous inside this healthy sweet and although there were tests in few hospitals, even so, on October 31, all hospitals in that country offered free X-rays to be warned of any danger to people. But nowadays caramel apples are being seen more and more frequently.

Trick-or-treating

This consists of children going from house to house to trick or treat. This means that if you make a deal of giving children candy they will leave grateful and happy but if you tell them no it will automatically be a trick that will be simple harmless pranks that they will make on you if you say no. Although some kids take trick-or-treating to the limit by becoming demanding or play mean or dangerous pranks on people who don't give them what they ask for. This stems from the Jack-o'-lantern story as Jack's spirit goes into every house asking for treats or mischief. And the most reliable thing was to make a deal no matter how difficult it is because if you tell mischief. It can put a curse on you or much worse things.

Jack-o’-lantern

There is an old Irish story that takes us to the life of Jack, a stingy, quarrelsome Irishman with a reputation for being drunk all the time.

The devil that got the rumors that this person has a black soul and went to meet him to see if he was a rival of such caliber. Disguised as a normal man, he went to see Jack and they drank with him for many hours. After a time full of drinks, the devil revealed his identity since he knew that he was truly evil. He told Jack that he was going to take him to pay for all his sins so Jack had to manage not to die.

He told him that by last wish he wanted to have another round of beers so the devil agreed, after finishing Satan was going to finish his work when it was time to pay for all the drinks. Jack told him that if it's true that the devil would at least turn it into a coin to pay the bill. He himself accepted to show him and it became a coin, Jack grabbed the coin and quickly put it in his pocket that said place has a silver cross kept. The suffering Satan told him that he will do whatever it takes as long as he gets him away from that cross, so Jack made him a deal not to take him to hell for a year.

The devil had to accept it and Jack took it out of his pocket and they both went to their respective places. And so he was Satan trying to take Jack to hell but Jack's amazing cunning managed to save him time and time again. Until the day of his death he came. Jack could not go to heaven because of the many sins he has done and he could not go to hell either since the last deal he made with the devil had not yet expired so the devil made the decision to throw him into some burning embers to finish at once which Jack caught with a hollow turnip and mockingly escaped with a turnip lantern. And so he was left with a sentence of wandering the roads with a turnip lantern.

This is how he was nicknamed Jack the Lantern (Jack of the Lantern), a name that was shortened to the definitive Jack Lantern. And this is the reason that turnips were used for a long time, and later changed to pumpkins. As they mimic the glow of hellish embers and are also easier to carve when compared to turnips and to decorate houses with "scary" pumpkins so that Jack's spirit does not appear asking for Treat or mischief.

Halloween currently

Today Halloween is one of the most important dates in the American and Canadian holiday calendar. But the Iberia-American countries, even knowing this festivity, decide to adapt them to their culture or change it to something related such as death. For example, it is Mexico where the Day of the Dead is celebrated in somewhat popular towns. Holiday that honors the dead of their loved ones, but in the most populated cities Halloween is celebrated so that it adapts to the United States since this country is the center of attention in case any holiday becomes famous in that country. The other countries are adapting to this festivity but at the same time it is mixing with their culture to turn it into something entertaining.

This also affected the cinematographic. The United States is making more and more movies with a Halloween theme for everyone, and other countries decide to dub them and show them on television during the holidays. And children running through the streets in the dark with the costumes they want or terrifying to be able to trick-or-treat at any house.

And in the houses if you had a deceased person, a candle was placed in honor of that person since on that day the spirits of the dead people went to their house to bother people giving them nightmares every night if you did not place one watch over keeping the memory of them.

What is Halloween?

It is a modern celebration that came out as a result of syncretism and originated by the Christianization of the end of summer festival. Of Celtic origin called Sambaing.

Internationally it is celebrated on October 31, especially in the Anglo sphere, such as in the United States. And to a lesser extent in other places such as Spain and Latin America. Although it belongs to the Anglo-Saxon world, in Australia and New Zealand this custom is not observed much compared to the previous countries.

Its roots are linked to the Celtic commemoration of Sambaing and the Christian holiday of All Saints' Day. It is celebrated by Catholics on the 1st of November. And it is a celebration although some see it as having a religious background.