Halloween
Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31 st every year. Halloween is a fun festival, celebrated mostly in western countries. The countries where it is mainly celebrated include Ireland , United States , the United Kingdom , New Zealand , Canada and Australia . In India , it is still unknown to masses, even in big cities. Halloween is observed as the holiday.
Background of Halloween:
Origin of Halloween lies in Christian customs. Ancestors of Irish welsh and Scottish people were called Celts and October 31 st was the eve of Celtic New Year. They believed that, on eve of New Year ghosts come and mingle with living ones. People used to prepare food for the sake of ghosts and as the night fell, they dressed up like ghosts to look like souls of dead. To please ghosts and make them leave town before midnight of New Year, people left food on the edge of town. During the 19 th century, Irish immigrants to USA brought this tradition there.
How is it celebrated?
Halloween has become more of a children’s celebration. Children dress up like ghosts. Children in costumes like ghosts, princess, favourite hero, knock their neighbour’s door and shout “Trick or Treat”. While neighbours guess who is under the mask, children open their bags to catch the candies showered by neighbours.
Many parties are arranged in schools and neighbourhood. Pranks are played to amuse the participants. In big cities, Halloween parties are arranged in shopping malls, where big stores entertain people with games and treats. Halloween is enjoyed by having activities like Trick-or-Treat, ghost tours, costume parties, bonfire or visiting haunted houses. Traditional games are played.
Another activity of Halloween is to collect money and distribute it into the poor and needy ones.
Symbols of Halloween:
Halloween is the celebration for evil spirits. Ghosts, skeletons, witches flying on the broomstick with black cats; goblins are some symbols of Halloween. Traditional symbolic colour for Halloween is, undoubtedly, black. Pumpkin is also a Halloween symbol.
