How much do you know about Halloween?
Halloween (English: Halloween or Halloween'en, short for "Hallows' Eve" or "Hallows' Evening", meaning "All Saints' Day before dusk"), celebrated on the night of October 31st each year . It is mainly popular in Western countries such as the United States, the British Isles, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, which are mainly descended from Anglo-Saxons. According to local customs, children will wear devil costumes and masks that night to collect candy from house to house. With the evolution of commercialization, the Asian region influenced by the Western world is dominated by variants such as drag shows and is no longer rigidly adhered to the theme of ghosts.
Origin of the name
More than 2,000 years ago, Christians in Europe designated November 1 as "All Hallows' Day". "Hallow" means saint. Legend has it that since the fifth century BC, the Celts who lived in Ireland, Scotland and other places moved the festival one day forward, namely October 31. They consider this day to be the official end of summer, the beginning of the new year, the day the harsh winter begins. At that time, people believed that the deceased soul of the deceased would return to the former residence on this day to search for living beings in the living, so as to regenerate, and this was the only hope for people to be reborn after death. The living are afraid of the souls of the dead to take their lives, so people put out the fire and candles on this day, so that the souls of the dead cannot find the living, and they dress up as demons and ghosts to scare away the souls of the dead. After that, they will rekindle the fire and candlelight to start a new year of life.
Halloween was originally a celebration of autumn, just as May Day was a celebration of spring. The priests of ancient Gaul, Britain and Ireland, the Druids, had a grand festival in praise of autumn, which lasted a whole day from midnight on October 31st to November 1st. They believed that that night their great death, Saman, had summoned all the ghosts of those who died that year, and that these evil spirits would be punished by being born as animals. Of course, just thinking about this kind of ghostly gathering was enough to make the simple-minded people of that time tremble. So they lit bonfires soaring into the sky and kept a close watch on these evil spirits. That's how the idea of witches and ghosts everywhere on Halloween began. It is still believed to be true in some isolated parts of Europe to this day.
The ancient Romans also had a festival on November 1st to honor their goddess Pomona. They roast nuts and apples in front of a roaring campfire. Our Halloween seems to be a combination of ancient Roman festivals and Druid festivals.
The activities of Halloween turned out to be very simple, and most of them were carried out in churches. But across Europe, Halloween is seen as a chance to have fun, tell ghost stories and scare each other. So people stopped using this festival to celebrate autumn, but made it a festival for monsters, witches and ghosts.
Origin of clothing
Halloween costumes originated from pranks. Adults take children out with them (usually adults drive by the side of the road, and children say: "Trick or treat if you don't give candy." People who have lit the lamp are not allowed to be disturbed. In addition, during the process of begging for candy, you must always stand at the gate and wait, and are not allowed to enter the house. The returned candy must be checked by adults before eating. People who receive children are also required not to eat. Do not give unpackaged food.[3]
Halloween costumes are universal, not just monotonous big ghosts and little ghosts. The simplest way to make a ghost costume is to put a white sheet on the head, and cut two holes to leave the eyes; if you want to play a magician, you need to wear black clothes and black pants, and then put on a black top hat, and put on the top hat and the top of the head. There is a fluffy rabbit hidden in the middle for spare; children dress up as little angels in white clothes and white pants, and then tie a flashlight on their backs on their heads; there are also parents who dress up their children as their favorite cartoon characters.
Popular area
Halloween is mainly popular in the English-speaking world, such as the British Isles and North America, followed by Australia and New Zealand. Nowadays, the younger generation in some Asian countries are also inclined to celebrate the "foreign festival". On the eve of Halloween, some large foreign-funded supermarkets will put up special counters to sell Halloween toys, and small vendors will also sell some Halloween-related dolls or models, attracting young eyes.
Festival
New York City also held a parade on the night of Halloween, where a group of vampires, zombies, witches, Frankensteins, etc. appeared together. Citizens are also welcome to visit the venue. The participants are not limited to age, gender, class, and nationality. , even if you are a coward, you can join them for a lively carnival of people and ghosts.
In fact, these ghosts are all dressed up by people, so they are not scary. On the contrary, some of the little ghost faces are more cute, and it is like participating in a large-scale masquerade ball.
Among the various costume roles, the witch and zombie family are the most played, and those shops specializing in Halloween supplies also prepare such costumes for sale to meet the needs of the public; The popular character modeling including masks and clothing was launched in the market, in order to attract more people to participate in the craze of traditional western festivals. For example, the little wizard modeling in the movie "Harry Potter" has become a must-have role for many children.
Greenwich Village Halloween Parade (Greenwich Village Halloween Parade) began in 1973, initiated by a mask maker and puppet actor Mr Ralph Lee, it is said that he initially took friends and children to parade in the neighborhood, and then gradually evolved into a whole. Large-scale activities in the village, and of course, large-scale puppet performances are indispensable in the activities. At the same time, the purpose of the parade is to hope that everyone is a participant rather than a bystander, so even if people just have the mentality of wanting to watch the fun, when you step into the village , will soon be invited to join the parade and become a part of them.
The Halloween Parade in New York City attracts thousands of New Yorkers and tourists every year, and the parade is held in Greenwich Village (Greenwich Village) at about 7:00 p.m. from the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Spring Street ( 6th Avenue & Spring Street) and marched all the way to 23rd Street (6th Avenue & 23rd Street), the whole process is about several hours.
Visitors from Asia, South America, Africa, Europe, and even the Middle East can dress up as various characters, bring simple musical instruments, and instantly play unique local music, integrating the borderless terroir culture. Maybe I have never participated in a Halloween event before, let alone such a wonderful parade, so I feel very fresh.
As early as mid-October, Manhattan began to be "haunted". On busy streets, Halloween ghost decorations have been seen hanging everywhere, and many department stores are also busy stacking holiday gifts and clothing in the window, attracting many people. Few passers-by stopped to watch, and supermarkets and markets also placed large and small pumpkins for sale, for citizens to buy and decorate their homes or make jack-o-lanterns. Of course, there are also housewives who cook pumpkins for dishes or cakes. Foot festival tradition.