European immigrants took their habits with
them when they left for America. Because of the Protestant religion,
characterized by a profound rigidity, Halloween was not celebrated with
fast in those colonial times. Instead, people in Maryland and the
southern colonies used to celebrate Halloween.
Ethnic beliefs and customs of Europeans, American Indians and
those of the merged and formed a distinct American version of Halloween.
This consists of public events where people sing and dance to celebrate
the harvest gathered to share their stories with scary ghosts and dead
or to one another and predict the future. Also, participants made their
holidays each other sorts of wickedness, which is due to amused.
By
the middle of the ninth century, annual autumn festivities even if it
is found in several regions, Halloween was still a holiday observed
throughout the country.
Towards the end of the century, America
became a new wave of immigrants, especially Irish, who helped popularize
Halloween. Thus, Americans began to take habits, to costumes and go
from house to house for food or coins. So was born the famous "trick or
treat" today. At the same time, young women began to devise various
tricks involving apple peel and mirrors to find the name of future
husband.
Celebration has evolved until it became an opportunity
for community gathering, rather than host of pranks, witches and ghosts
stories before.
Legend underpinning this celebration is called
"Jack's lantern." Formerly, the Irish Jack tricked the Devil to climb
into an apple. To prevent revenge, and thus take his soul, drew on the
tree trunk cross. Let him down after he obtained the promise that it
will not tempt. Jack's death, it was not received in heaven because of
evil nature, but no promises because the Devil in Hell. Therefore it
came to wander through the world with a lantern made from a hollowed
turnip that was holding a firebrand, to light the path. Hence the most
famous of Halloween traditions.
Fundamental tradition of
Halloween is "Trick or treat", a custom practiced by the children during
Halloween. They go from house to house and ask various goodies the
question, "Trick or treat?". The custom originated in England, All
Saints Day where poor people pies offered in exchange for promises that
they would pray for the souls of the dead family. Custom greeting is
like our "Trick or does not give us", except that in this case, if the
homeowner does not give anything, the children do various tricks.
Another
source of Irish tradition this is usually from 1 November. This day,
when considered on the first day of winter, spirits of the dead came to
earth, thus threatening to take over the bodies of the living. So Good
fairies disguised as poor people and went from house to house to ask for
help people. Fairies II reward those generous, but not avenge those who
wanted to help them.
Halloween is a holiday whose symbol we are
increasingly clear imprint in the mind of one year to another. If you
know, you have the opportunity to learn more about them, if not, it's
time to find out!
Pumpkin is the best known symbol of Halloween. Although North
America is associated with, the habit of making lanterns from vegetables
has its origins in Britain and Ireland, where used in this Gulia or
beet in order to ward off evil spirits from households. This custom came
to the United States with the Irish who have emigrated there. Gradually
it was associated with harvest time, but in time became the symbol of
Halloween.
Witches came to be associated with Halloween because
they believe that tonight is a big load of supernatural powers. Or
ghosts, spirits and witches are the best known symbols of the idea. As
for witches, legends say that they fooling people into retreat in the
mountains spells, where it remains trapped forever.
Bats are
associated with Halloween because they are nocturnal animals that live
in abandoned places, thus being considered evil. Even witches turn into
bats to fly and to move more easily at night.
The cat has always
been considered an animal with supernatural powers, in many
civilizations revered and regarded as having the ability to feel
positive and negative energies. Black cat and have been associated more
power, considering that even people can be reincarnated spirits in cats.
From here, and to consider a symbol of occult black cat was not much,
and by association has become a symbol of Halloween.
Masks and
costumes are almost always vampires, ghosts and witches. In recent
years, however, began to use and kept or masks representing various
public figures or cartoon characters. The custom started with the desire
of people to protect themselves from evil spirits and demons, ogres and
other demonic creatures. In the '50s he began selling these suits in
the United States.
The Moon was often associated with spirits and
death due to its cycles. Mythology speaks about the moon as the place
where souls are withdrawn and the full moon nights are associated with
horror stories, the werewolves transform. Thus, it joins the other
symbols of Halloween evil substrate.
The symbols are associated
certain colors, they always found in representations of this holiday:
White: associated with night, witches, black cats, vampires, bats;
orange: associated with pumpkins, fall;
Purple: associated with night, mystic, supernatural;
red: blood and associated with evil.
