Halloween is one of the most popular days to celebrate
for Americans and many other countries today, but it was originated from the
ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000
years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern
France, celebrated their new year on November 1. The Christians designated
November 1 as All Hallows’ Day, meaning all saints’day. Thus the evening of
October 31 was called All Hollows’ Eve, which has become Halloween. I
would not like to discuss hagiography
here, but rather talk about how Halloween is celebrated in many western
countries. Halloween has become more secular rather than religious as a more
community-oriented activity. On the evening of Halloween, children (and/or
their parents as well) have fun in disguise of their favorite TV, movie, or
animation characters and get around the town knocking on door to door for
candies.
Have you ever made Jack-o’-Lanterns for Halloween? People
visit a pumpkin patch to choose
their own handsome pumpkins for the special carving project. Jack-o’-Lanterns
is a carved pumpkin that is hollowed out
with a candle or light inside. “Jack” used to be a common name for a boy since
the 16th century, and the British started to use the phrase “jack-o’-lantern”
which was supposed to mean a night watchman. Also, it was referring to a
nickname for mysterious lights seen at night over wetlands that looked like
fairies or ghosts. The original Jack-O-Lanterns are not even close to the
happily grinning pumpkins of Halloween today. According to the Irish myth, they
had actually terrifying look, which were carved from turnips or beets rather
than beautifully ripened orange pumpkins. Their horrifying look was intended to
ward off bad spirits, souls, or ghosts, because all grim grinning ghosts come
out to socialize on Halloween night! (more information at http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/original-irish-jack-o-lanterns-were-truly-horrifying-and-made-of-turnips)
*Expression
-
hagiology: critical study or a biography/ narrative of the lives
of the saints
- pumpkin patch:
a farm or establishment in rural areas that stocks a large amount of pumpkins
in the month of October
- hollowed out:
dug out/ cored out/ emptied out/ made void or empty of contents inside
Would you like to solve the following fun
quiz in regards to Halloween?
Fill in the blanks or choose the
correct answer.
1.
Halloween originally refers to all
____________________ ______________.
2.
Where has Halloween originated from?
_____________________
a.
American Indians
b.
The Celts in Ireland
c.
Italy
3.
On Halloween evening, children and/or their
parents put on their costumes and _____________________________
a.
go “trick-or-treating”
b.
dance in the streets
c.
hide behind bushes
4.
What would you do when trick-or-treaters
knock on your door? ( )
a.
give them candies
b.
chase them away
c.
invite them to a horror film watching
5.
Where do people go to choose and buy
pumpkins? a __________________ ______________________
6.
What do you make out of pumpkins to
decorate or light up your porch on the Halloween night? a __________________________________
7.
The answer to Q #5 was created in a
horrible look long ago to ward off ______________________________.
* Answer Key
1. Hollows’ Eve
2. b. the Celts in Ireland
3. a. go “trick-or-treating”
4. a. give them candies
5. pumpkin patch
6. Jack-o’-lantern
7. bad spirits, souls, or ghosts
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