Halloween is just around the corner, shops are loading their windows with witches hats, broomsticks, plastic spiders and all manner of ghoulish costumes. Here in the UK, scorn is poured on the holiday, mainly due to the fact the meaning of Halloween is largely unknown and often misunderstood.
Many consider it to be an Americanisation and to some extent it is, others simply do not want to open their doors to mischievous children in cheap rubber masks. The true history of Halloween was lost long ago in a flurry of commercialisation, buried under a deluge of tawdry plastic decorations and begrudgingly given sweeties.
The belief that Halloween is an American invention is widespread but the roots of the holiday lay closer to home than you may …show more content…
Although similar traditions had long been observed across Europe they were largely forgotten by the early 20th century. The appearance of Trick-or-treating in the UK is largely to blame for the misconception that the entire Halloween holiday is an American creation.
The word 'Halloween' is an abbreviation of 'All Hallow's Eve' which in turn denotes that October 31st is the the eve of 'All Hallows Day', a holiday more commonly known today as 'All Saints Day'. This convenient overlapping of ancient pagan festivals and more recent christian ones came about simply because Pope Gregory IV moved the feast of All Saints Day from May 13th to November 1st so the festivals fell together.
By doing so he was able to begin the long process of amalgamation that resulted in the modern Halloween festival, a confusing mish-mash of christianity, paganism and commercialisation. Some elements of the pagan harvest festival are still …show more content…
Bonfires are another common thread, although now mainly used for entertainment, historically, the bonfire was used to cleanse and bond the village. The bones of slaughtered livestock were burnt and the fireplaces of all the houses in a village were put out and re-lit from the communal flame, a powerful symbol of community
Many consider it to be an Americanisation and to some extent it is, others simply do not want to open their doors to mischievous children in cheap rubber masks. The true history of Halloween was lost long ago in a flurry of commercialisation, buried under a deluge of tawdry plastic decorations and begrudgingly given sweeties.
The belief that Halloween is an American invention is widespread but the roots of the holiday lay closer to home than you may …show more content…
Although similar traditions had long been observed across Europe they were largely forgotten by the early 20th century. The appearance of Trick-or-treating in the UK is largely to blame for the misconception that the entire Halloween holiday is an American creation.
The word 'Halloween' is an abbreviation of 'All Hallow's Eve' which in turn denotes that October 31st is the the eve of 'All Hallows Day', a holiday more commonly known today as 'All Saints Day'. This convenient overlapping of ancient pagan festivals and more recent christian ones came about simply because Pope Gregory IV moved the feast of All Saints Day from May 13th to November 1st so the festivals fell together.
By doing so he was able to begin the long process of amalgamation that resulted in the modern Halloween festival, a confusing mish-mash of christianity, paganism and commercialisation. Some elements of the pagan harvest festival are still …show more content…
Bonfires are another common thread, although now mainly used for entertainment, historically, the bonfire was used to cleanse and bond the village. The bones of slaughtered livestock were burnt and the fireplaces of all the houses in a village were put out and re-lit from the communal flame, a powerful symbol of community