D-1, people!!! Are you ready to celebrate this crazy and
terrifying night which is Halloween?
I definitely am! Ever
since I was little, I've never missed an opportunity to celebrate Halloween. When I
was younger, I always dressed up with my friends to go trick-or-treating in my
neighborhood. Whilst growing up, I changed it a bit. I now go to
Halloween parties and watch horror movies till the end of the night.
Yet, have you wondered
how Halloween ever started? I always thought that Halloween was created
in the United States to entertain children and make business out of it… but after some research, this is what I found…
Halloween actually dates back to the Celtic times. 3000 years ago, the Celts celebrated New-Year
during the night of the 31st of October. During that night, they celebrated
the Festival of Samhain (= summer's end), which is a
religious celebration that marked the end of the harvest season and the
beginning of the winter season ( mainly for the farmers). It was symbolized by the
extinction and the relighting of all the households. The Celts would gather around a bonfire set by a druid in the forest; they would dance and sing till nights'end. Believing that the dead could return to earth and mingle with the living, the druids dressed up and gesticulated in order to communicate
with the spirits and ward off the demons. Indeed, the druids were known for appeasing
the souls and protecting the people.
Later in the VIIIth
century, the Pope, Gregory III, established the “All Hallows ‘day” on the 1st
of November to celebrate All Saints ‘Day. Then, the immigrants of Ireland and
Scotland imported the event with them to the United States in the XIXth century.
It was then called “all Hallows ‘Eve” which means "the night before All-Saints ‘Day".
Don't you find it surprising that Halloween has existed for so long and doesn't, in fact, come from the United States?
One thing is for sure: every Halloween, I'll remain a child and whatever its origins, I find it amusing and will always dress up and party!
