28 August

What is Halloween and why do we celebrate it? Designerplanet

 AuthorSakina Khatoon








Halloween Festival .  What is Halloween and why do we celebrate it? Designerplanet 


Halloween Origin

Halloween originated with an ancient Celtic festival where people lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts. So, to this day, the tradition continues, with people wearing costumes, serving each other trick-or-treating, and carving jack-o-lanterns.

Halloween This festival is one of the most awaited by children and adults - especially in the USA! One of the most famous Halloween traditions is "trick or treat," when children dress up and knock on neighbors' doors to ask for candy and other goodies. If the neighbors don't give them a treat, then the kids are playing a prank! So watch out! Halloween is also the time to celebrate all things spooky and spooky. The holiday is believed to have originated in Ireland as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which took place at the end of the harvest season and indicated that the darkest part of the year (winter) had arrived. Samhain was observed on November 1st and the night before it was called All Hallows Eve. So this is why October 31st is now called Halloween.

Why Do We Celebrate Halloween?



Halloween has been around for more than a thousand years. Originally a religious observance, it became increasingly secular over the centuries until its religious trappings all but disappeared. Today Halloween is considered a holiday for dress-up and fun, especially for children. 

When is Halloween? 

In the United States, Halloween is always celebrated on October 31. Countries that celebrate Halloween like us, like Canada, share the same day. However, not everyone is as obsessed with Halloween as Americans are. In England, Halloween is generally not celebrated. This was a result of the Protestant Reformation. Instead, the UK celebrates a completely independent holiday around this time (November 5, to be precise): Guy Fawkes Day, which revolves around the execution of an infamous traitor and features bonfires, flaming effigies and fireworks. artifice. In Mexico, people celebrate the Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Although it runs from October 31st to November 2nd, the tone is very different from Halloween. Yes, people dress up as colorful skeletons and celebrate in the streets, but the point is to honor the dead and welcome their spirits back to earth, not be afraid of them. To celebrate, people also adorn their ancestors' graves with ornaments and offer food to let them know they have not been forgotten.

Why do we celebrate Halloween on October 31st? 

Halloween falls on October 31st because the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, considered to be the oldest known root of Halloween, took place on this day. It marked a crucial time of year when the seasons changed, but more importantly, observers also believed that the boundary between this world and the next became especially tenuous at this time, allowing them to connect with the dead. This belief is shared by some other cultures; a similar idea is mentioned around the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which also normally takes place in October and involves saying prayers for the dead. This is also where Halloween gets its "haunted" connotations.


Is Halloween a religious celebration?

 In Christianity, Halloween is the eve of All Saints. It is the day before All Saints' Day, which is also called All Saints' Day - or All Souls' Day. The name derives from the Old English 'hallowed', meaning holy or hallowed. This is where the modern name 'Halloween' came from. The Western Church now observes All Saints' Day on November 1, after Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel to All Saints in St Peter's Basilica in Rome in the 8th century. Traditionally, the Church held a vigil on All Saints Eve, where worshipers prepared themselves with prayers and fasting before the feast day itself.


How can you Halloween celebrated in India?

Halloween is the day to remember the dead. People believed that the spirits of their ancestors came to visit them and they could communicate with the spirits. This festival was celebrated with bonfires, costumes and good food. The clothes were used to ward off evil spirits and protect crops.

Halloween becoming increasingly popular among Indian kids and even adults.

Now there are many who criticise how enthusiastically the younger generation has taken to celebrating Halloween. Don’t we have enough Indian festivals to celebrate, they ask. Why must we make so much fuss over a Western festival?

What does one stand to gain from celebrating it anyways? 

Yes, we have plenty of desi festivals, especially around this time of the year, to celebrate. But none of them involves dressing up as spooky creatures. Which is why kids just love Halloween. And why just kids, a lot of adults love celebrating it too, because who wants to give up on an excuse to show off their creativity.

History of Halloween Costumes and Trick or Treating

Trick or Treat might be a strange concept, but it was very common for children to do this during Samhain. Trick or treating evolved from a ritual where people dressed in spooky costumes, performed dances and received treats to appease the evil spirits.

 Many people were said to dress up as saints and recite songs or verses from door to door. Children also went door to door asking for "soul cakes," a cookie-like treat. Tech Note: Soul Cakes originated as part of the All Souls Day holiday on November 2 (yes, a third holiday!), but eventually became part of Halloween night as the concept evolved into trick-or-treating. The concept of picking up candy also became popular in the US in the early to mid 1900s, during which time families would give treats to children in hopes that they would be immune to any holiday pranks. As for the costumes, they also evolved. While they started out as heartfelt tributes to the saints, this tradition likely fell out of favor at some point... until young pranksters in Scots and Irish got the idea to dress up in scary clothes again as a way to scare unsuspecting neighbors. And so, thanks to these local hooligans, Halloween costumes have become spooky, scary, funny and creative at the same time.


Halloween  Candy Bowl 

What is the true meaning of Halloween? 

Although it no longer has a religious significance in the UK, Halloween was once the symbol of the end of summer and an important day in the pagan calendar. It was also the Feast of the Dead. This may sound frightening, but death was not feared by heathens. They accepted it as just another part of life and used the occasion to respect and honor the dead. During the celebrations, the spirits of the recently deceased are invited to join the party. There are also costumes, dances and bonfires. Furthermore, Samhain was a way of welcoming the harvest in the 'darkest time of the year', and could be similar to the harvest festivals we are familiar with today.

Halloween Costumes 

Halloween Bags for Candy

Halloween  Candy Bowl

Halloween Decoration Items 




Disclaimer: All images used in the blog have been sourced from Google purely for the purpose of informative reference. The models, celebrities or products showcased in these pictures are not to promote any brand in any manner.All the content shared is for information purpose only.


AuthorSakina Khatoon 








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