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History
(and
etymology) of
...and the Day of the Dead
 
They share some of the same origins!
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Table of
Contents
(Just click on the pumpkin jack-o-lantern)
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Etymology & Meaning of the word
"Halloween"
"Hallow" is short for
"hallowed"
and it means holy.
"E'en"
is short for "evening".
Hence, "Halloween" means: "holy
evening."
If Halloween is a HOLY
evening, why do so many people think that Halloween is the night
of the Devil? I don't know. In reality, Halloween has nothing to do with the
Devil. The concept of a Devil is a Judaeo-Christian fabrication.
Halloween actually stems from an Irish Celtic Holy Night called Samhain
[pronounced: Sao-wain].
History of Halloween
(and the Day of the Dead)
(my source: Encyclopedia
Britannica)
Teachers:
Here's a ppt to show your class. Just click on this link to download.
Halloween was a holiday (literally a holy day) in Ireland and other British Isles for close to
3 thousand years before Christianity was introduced by Saint Patrick around 430
A.D. So, it was a part of their culture long before Christianity came to the
British Isles; only it wasn't called "Halloween" back then. It
was called "Samhain" [pronounced: Sao-wain]. Samhain
literally means "summer's end." It was a time of the changing of
the seaons.
There was a group of people living on what is now known as
Ireland (and the British Isles),
called Celts. The religious leaders of the Celts.
On the last day of the Celtic calendar (which is October 31 by the Roman calendar), after sundown, it was believed that all the spirits of the dead came
forth from their resting places and roamed the earth. In some traditions,
it was Hel (Loki's daughter, and gate-keeper of Hell/The Underworld) who
unlocked the gates of the underworld only one night per year to allow the
spirits of the deceased to visit loved-ones in the land of the living.
It was believed that MOST of the spirits
of the deceased were harmless; however, some of the spirits of the
deceased were considered to be wicked or might have been enemies of the family. So, in order for the living to protect
themselves from the wicked spirits, the Celts made scary lanterns out of a kind
of radish called a "turnip," and placed the 'jack-o-lanterns' in front of their houses to
scare away all wicked spirits.
| Then...
|
There
weren't any pumpkins in Ireland back in those days. They used
turnips.
They turned turnips into
miniature
jack-o-lanterns.
|
 |
| Today
Pumpkin
|
Today,
in America, people use pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns, because they
are much bigger and easier to carve.
|
Jack-o-lantern |
Source of information: Encyclopedia Britannica
and History Channel
When Christianity came to the British
Isles in 432 A.D., the Catholics
tried to change such pagan practices, and they initiated a three-day holiday
called "AllHallowTide,"
which consists of (1) "All-Saints' Eve (on the night of October 31st); and
(2) "All Saints' Day," on November 1st ; and (3)
"All Souls' Day" on November 2nd.
Later, Mexicans changed
"AllHallowedTide" into "Day of the Dead" (Dia de los
Muertos), which is celebrated on the same, exact days.
The Mexican version of the
European Holidays (All-Hallowed-Tide) is mixed with local traditions that are
said to come from ancient Aztec traditions as far back as 3,000 years ago.
When the Irish settlers
came to the U.S.A., they brought with them their traditions of Samhain and
changed the name to "All Hallow's Eve," which later was
shortened to "Halloween." And, the American Aborigines
introduced pumpkins to the settlers, which became very handy in making
jack-o-lanterns.
So, what happened to
Halloween (or Samhain) in Ireland and the other parts of the British empire???
Well, it kind of became
overshadowed by "Guy Fawke's Day," which is celebrated on November
5th.
Halloween is coming back,
though, probably due to American and Hollywood's influence.
Other Halloween traditions include:
(1) Wearing scary masks
The Celts wore scary masks
if they had to leave their houses on Halloween, to scare away would-be molesting
evil spirits.
(pic from http://www.deathstudios.com)
(2) Trick-or-Treating
Since no one still believes
that evil spirits roam the earth, children dress up in costumes, both cute
and scary, and go from door to door soliciting tricks or treats from their
neighbors. The custom of "trick-or-treating" seems to be a
fairly modern custom. It seems to have started in the United States in 1950's.
Apparently, it was started by parents wanting to stop the Halloween
pranks. (Source: History Channel)
It is very similar to the Christmas
tradition of "wassailing," where people get together in a small group
and go from house to house singing Christmas carols, and hope to get some treats
for their singing.
1. Bobbing for Apples
| Materials
|
- a big bucket full of water
- as many apples as there are contestants
(or more)
- a stop watch
- a score sheet/board
- writing implement |
| Method |
Put all the apples in the bucket. The apple
should float. If it doesn't float, get another apple.
The first contestant must try to grab the apple with his/her
teeth and stand up straight with the apple securely lodged in
his/her mouth. The contestant may not use his/her hands.
Someone should use the stop watch to time the contestant.
Then, the next contestant tries. The contestant with the
quickest time wins. |
2. Pin the Tail on the Donkey
(or Pin the Nose on the Jack-o-lantern)
| - |
for:
pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey |
for:
pin-the-nose-on-the-jack-o |
| Materials |
- a big paper donkey
w/o tail
- a paper donkey tail
- a blind fold
- a writing implement |
- a big paper
jack-o-lantern w/o nose
- a paper nose
- a blind fold
- a writing implement
|
| Method |
Make a
paper donkey with a separate
tail. Stick the
tailless donkey to the wall or board. Put the blind fold
one the first contestant. Put the donkey tail in his/her
hand. Spin the contestant three times. Send the
contestant in the direction of the tailless donkey. The
contestant must place the donkey tail as close to it's
original position as possible. Mark the chosen spot with
a pen or other writing implement. Then contestant number
two tries. The closest contestant wins.
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Make a paper
jack-o-lantern with a separate nose. Stick the nose-less
jack-o-lantern to the wall or board. Put the blind fold
one the first contestant. Put the nose in his/her
hand. Spin the contestant three times. Send the
contestant in the direction of the nose-less jack-o-lantern. The
contestant must place the nose as close to it's
original position as possible. Mark the chosen spot with
a pen or other writing implement. Then contestant number
two tries. Repeat as many times as there are
contestants. The closest contestant wins. |
3. Scariest Mask Contest
| Materials
|
- lots of paper
- lots of coloring implements
- tape
- scissors
|
| Method |
Have all contestants draw and color the scariest
mask they can imagine. Then have them cut the eyes out.
Then have them tape the mask to their faces. When
everyone is finished. Have the contestants vote for the
scariest mask. The winner gets the most votes, of
course. |
4. Pumpkin Carving Contest
| Materials
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- one pumpkin for each team or contestant
- one knife for each team of contestant
- lots of old newspapers
- two big pots
|
| Method |
Each contestant or team gets one pumpkin, and
one knife. Each team must spread out newspapers under
their work area. Then, they must cut open the top of the
pumpkin and take out all the seeds and put the seeds in one of
the pots. Then they must try to carve out the scariest
face they can imagine in the side of the pumpkin. The
chucks of pumpkin must be put into the other pot. Then
the contestants vote for the scariest jack-o-lantern. The seed can be cleaned, roasted and eaten.
The pumpkin
chunks can be used to make pumpkin pie or pumpkin porridge. |
Halloween Movies (for
kids)
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Hocus Pocus |
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Adams Family |
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It's the Great
Pumpkin Charlie Brown |
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Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone |
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Nightmare Before
Christmas |
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Halloween Funny
Photo
(Photographer: Unknown)
If you took this photo, please
contact me and let me so I can
give you credit for the photo... GREAT PHOTO, by the way!!!!
A Comparison between
Halloween
and Day
of the
Dead
| Aspect |
Halloween
|
Day of the Dead
|
| Origins |
Samhain
Americans have twisted the original
traditions. It has morphed into what it is today. |
Aztecs,
Samhain,
& Catholic
Church. It
is a mixture. |
| Date: |
October 31st
(Especially in the evening).
|
October 31st
evening and...
November 1-2
Some sources say that it actually starts on
October 31st at night and ends on November 2nd to coincide with the
European Catholic traditions of All-Hallows-Tide which is 3 holidays:
- Oct 31st - All Saints' Evening
- November 1st - All Saints' Day
- November 2nd - All Souls' Day.
|
| Who started it? |
Irish Celts
('Twas morphed by Americans)
|
Mexicans
(It's a take-off of the Europeans' All Saints'
Day and All Souls' Day), which was basically Samhain under a different
name (a Catholic name).
Wikipedia's article suggests that there may be
some Aztec influence upon the traditions, such as honoring the skulls.
It became a national holiday in the 1960's.
|
| When was it started? |
around 3000 B.C. |
Aztec influence goes back 3000
years.
Catholic influence goes back to the 1600's.
Became a Mexican national holiday in 1960's. |
| Purpose: |
- Celebrate the
changing of the seasons.
- Celebrate the harvest.
- Celebrate the arrival of loved-ones from the spirit world.
- Protect against unwanted spirits. |
Celebrate / Honor / Recognize the
deceased saints / ancestors / love-ones in the spirit world. |
| Where
is it celebrated today? |
The American form of
celebrating Halloween is catching on all over the world, but it's really
an American Holiday.
There may be different ways of celebrating it
in all English-speaking countries.
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Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela (source).
Wikipedia's
article explicates that there are celebrations in other parts of the
world as well, but only in certain parts of those countries.
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Leon's Other Links
Pictures of REAL
Ghosts
Exorcism (How
to get rid of ghosts)
How
to know if it is a good ghost or a bad ghost
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