Transcript Halloween

ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
While there are many versions of the origins and
old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent
by all accounts. Different cultures view
Halloween somewhat differently but traditional
Halloween practices remain the same.
Halloween culture can be
traced back to the Druids,
a Celtic culture in
Ireland, Britain and
Northern Europe.
Roots lay in the feast of
Samhain, which was
annually on October 31st
to honor the dead.
Samhain signifies "summers end" or
November.
Samhain was a harvest festival with
huge sacred bonfires, marking the
end of the Celtic year and
beginning of a new one.
Many of the practices involved in this celebration
were fed on superstition.
The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the
streets and villages at night.
Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts
and treats were left out to pacify the evil and
ensure next years crops would be plentiful.
This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.
FOOD
Give Me Something Good To Eat is a fun
Halloween themed song that incorporates the
traditional Trick or Treat? rhyme with different
foods and tastes. It has all of the traditional
Halloween treats you would think of (candy,
lollipops, chocolate, apples), but it also
introduces other foods and adjectives, such as
peaches and grapefruits, sweet and sour.
Whenever there is a
part that is meant to
be scary, like "boo!,"
say it loud and jump. It
will add to the
spooktacular effect.
The food is typical
Halloween popcorn,
pumpkin pie and caramel
apples.
SYMBOLS
Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed
over time. For instance, the carving of jack-o'-lanterns springs from the
souling custom of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the
souls held in purgatory. The turnip has traditionally been used in Ireland and
Scotland at Halloween, but immigrants to North America used the native
pumpkin, which are both readily available and much larger – making them
easier to carve than turnips. The American tradition of carving pumpkins is
recorded in 1837 and was originally associated with harvest time in general,
not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late
19th century.
Cats
Egyptians considered cats sacred and their Goddess Bast was considered the divine Mother of all cats. This
Goddess was believed to live in the city of Bubastis, which was also considered sacred and was well known
for its elaborate festivals and joyous festivities. Greek Goddess resembling Bast was known as Artemis, while
the Roman Goddess with similar traits was known as Diana. In the Middle Ages, Diana was thought to be the
Queen of Witches and thus, cats were thought to be related to witchcraft and considered as common pets of
the witches. Today, cats have become one of the popular emblems of Halloween and black cat is often
associated with misfortune and ill omens.
Masks
In the ancient ages, Egyptians often used masks to impersonate their deities. Their art included elaborate
masks that cover the entire face of the wearer, who were believed to embody the deities and divinities and
anyone who wearing such a mask was believed to manifest these pagan deities in human form. Mask was
known in Teutonic as 'Grim', which was also a common part of the names of the deities. In Medieval ages,
Christian churches forbade wearing of masks, to avoid such practices, but people continued to wear them on
pagan festivals and the celebrations adopted in Christianity, such as Halloween and Carnivals.
Owls
Owl represents the Wise Woman of the village, also known as cunning healer and Herb mother or Crone of
the village. It had once been associated with myriad forms of Goddess of Wisdom and Mortality, such as
Athene, Anath, Blodeuwedd, Lilith, Minerva and Mari (the Goddess having eyes like an owl and who seems
to stare). Mari could take the shape of the owl at will too. Today, owls are associated with witches, especially
at Halloween. Harry Potter's world created by J. K. Rowling also portrays owls being the pets of witches and
wizards and used by them as means of communication.