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Halloween Day – October 31, 2020
Excited about ghosts and mysterious characters? Does it tickle the curious bone in you? Then, read on to know more. Here’s a beautiful presentation about Halloween Day, which will make you turn your minds and praise your senses. Halloween Day is celebrated in many countries that follow the Christian culture. In these countries, October 31st is celebrated every year as Halloween Day.
Halloween as a term refers to a hallowed evening. It is celebrated on the day before All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1st. Halloween is also referred to as “All Hallows Eve”. Both Saints Day and Halloween Day are celebrations where homage is paid to great saints of their respective countries.
The terms “ All Hallows eve” and “ A Hallowed evening” were brought together to coin a simple, shortened phrase which people could use easily – Halloween Day. In this article, we shall study in detail about the many aspects of Halloween Day 2020 concerning its history, significance, themes, celebrations and FAQs.
Halloween Day History
Halloween Day celebrations are not limited to Christian traditions and customs alone. They are also quite related to the Celtic customary practices. The mysterious Halloween night has changed its celebration mode over the years. If we had our ancestors’ words about their Halloween experiences and relate them to present-day events, we could find a sea of differences.
We can date back to the earliest Halloween Day celebrations many centuries ago. Ancient practices and customary rules ruled the day’s theme. A particular belt of people called the Celtics worshipped Samhain. This time of the year was of particular importance to the whole Celtic population. They welcomed the festivities of the harvest season as it came to a close. Soon, the next arriving phase was something more mysterious ahead. After the harvest season came in a very dark period, where people believed that ghosts came back to visit their people on Earth.
These Celtic practices took a beating when the Roman rulers captured them. The Roman rulers celebrated the female goddess Pomona. The mix of cultures brought a better version of the original celebrations. Thus the Romans combined their Pomona worshipping of plants, fruits and trees with that of the Celtic culture and brought forward a new line of customs.
Adding to this, November 1st is All Saints Day, which celebrates the departed souls believed to have reached heaven. All put together, in a lineage of events, the Christian countries have reserved a beautiful day of celebrations with a dash of modernity in a beautiful name called the Halloween Day.
Significance of Halloween Day 2020
When October arrives in many Christian countries, they wait with bated breath for the day of Halloween. The evening of October 31st is a day to trick others and treat ourselves to goodies and sweetmeats. The Celtics dated back to almost 500 BC.
The present-day descendants of the Celtic tribes include the Britons, people of Scotland and Ireland and the Welsh population. The Celts were God-fearing people but respected and prayed to Mother Nature. They offered their prayers to the Sun. They celebrated two primary festivals in a year- Beltane and Samhain.
Beltane was the onset of summer, and Samhain was the approach of winter. In the transition phase between summer and winter, at the end of October the ghosts are believed to come back to Earth and meet their near and dear ones, hence the practice goes wild on October 31st.
People are often seen dressed in varied and scary attires and weird dressing styles on this day. There is the significance behind the particular dressing style adorned for the day. It is believed that evil spirits are turned away in their mirror reflections. So people put on masks and face-covering clothes to ward off evil spirits from noticing them. The Christian Culture brought in a new face of celebrations with a mix of Celtic-Roman customs and added their practices too!
Present-day parties include fun themed events for kids and adults alike. But there is a dark face to the celebrations and crimes, and anti-social crimes are reported to be on the rise. Celebrations apart, the police have expressed their concern over safety factors during Halloween Day.
Halloween Day Themes
There is no hard and fast rule to celebrate Halloween Day in a particular theme alone. It varies among cultures and popular themes over the years are listed below:
- Monster and evil-spirit dressing.
- White themed parties.
- Cosmo night stars.
- Candies and fruit themes.
- Harvest festival themes.
- Carnivals and light shows.
- Alice in wonderland and other similar characters.
- Hollywood themes, etc.
Halloween Day Celebrations
Halloween is celebrated in several ways, and there is no particular limit to the celebration themes on that day, take a look:
- People throw pumpkin, candies and fruit-themed parties to signify the closure of the harvest season.
- In commercial modes on street celebrations, people get together in funky attires and jazz up with dance formations.
- Children are encouraged to wear unique costumes and prop up age-appropriate toys and other dazzles.
- Streets are decorated on the evening of Halloween Day, and people light up the celebrations by wearing weird face masks, skeleton dresses.
- Food-themed parties are also part of Halloween Day celebrations.
- After the Harry Potter series ruled the screens and the world of witches and black magic, people have adopted the same themes in present-day celebrations too!
Conclusion
In the present day, Halloween day is celebrated as a national holiday across many countries. Children are dressed up in many beautiful types of attire and are sent to their neighbourhoods to collect candies and treats.
The day has undoubtedly taken a different road from the ancient Celtic traditions. Apple cakes, potato delights and gifts in various sizes and shapes adorn celebrations. Children going from one house to another with the question “Trick or treat” are the most common thing that people come across on this day.
The main attraction of the day includes children adorned in different costumes like zombies, evil spirits, skeletons, vampires and witch-hunters. The costume industries usually see a spike on their sales on Halloween day, and they make great business deals at the best prices. Halloween has existed for more than a thousand years and has transformed from a religious observance to a more secular celebration today.
Halloween Day 2020 – Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Halloween Day?
Halloween is the day before All Saints Day. It is believed that ghosts and evil spirits visit their families in the evening of Halloween Day.
2. What is the meaning of Halloween Day?
Halloween Day means ‘A hallowed evening’ or “All Hallows’ eve”.
3. Why was Halloween started?
The Celtic tribes worshipped the Samhain as the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. In this transition, they believed the re-entry of ghosts to visit their families and thus celebrations began as a mark of respect for all the departed souls.
4. When is Halloween Day?
October 31st is celebrated every year as Halloween Day.
5. Why do we celebrate Halloween Day?
Halloween day has religious importance that comes from ancestors as part of Celtic traditions. Later, The Romans combined Celtic traditions with their, and further the Christians added their version too. Today, the religious attachments have dropped off, but celebrations continue as a mark of respect for the ones who have left the world to heaven.