Fright night
- POSTED ON: 26 Oct, 2018
- TOTAL VIEWS: 1239 Views
- POSTED BY: Jenny Varghese
- ARTICLE POINTS: 200 Points
In the west, this time of the year when Halloween is celebrated, marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Halloween comes from ‘All Hallow’s Eve’, which falls on the evening just before ‘All Hallows’ Day’ — also known as ‘All Saints Day’ — on November 1, which is celebrated to honour saints and dear ones who have passed.
In Northern America, you will find many people — children and adults — dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treating for candy around their neighbourhoods. Houses, shops, and even offices have spooky decorations, especially jack-o’-lanterns carved from pumpkins, besides spider webs, bats, skeletons, and more. People who love to add little excitement to their celebrations visit haunted houses, which have scary attractions that jump out at you unexpectedly.
What about celebrations in other parts of the world? Here are some Halloween (and Halloween-like) traditions.
Ireland: In the place where Halloween is believed to have originated from, the Irish eat a special Halloween fruitcake called Barmbrack in which items such as rings and coins are hidden for fortune-telling. For example, rings mean marriage, while coins mean wealth in the coming year.
Poland: People across the country travel to cemeteries to visit and decorate the graves of their family members.
Mexico (and Latin America): The day here is called Día de los Muertos which literally translates to ‘Day of the Dead’. It is believed that the gates of heaven open up at midnight on October 31 and souls of children return to Earth to be reunited with their families for 24 hours. On November 2, the souls of adults come down from heaven to join in the festivities. Graves are decorated with items such as fake skeletons, marigolds and skulls made of sugar.
China: Chinese Halloween is known as ‘The Hungry Ghost Festival’. People believe that spirits get restless around this time of year and begin to roam the earth. The festival is a way to “feed” these spirits both the food and money they need for the afterlife. Children avoid staying out late and people place lanterns on water to guide lost spirits.
Italy: People pay tribute to departed loved ones by placing a red candle on the window at sunset and setting a place at the table for those spirits they hope will pay them a visit.
Click here to get your very own Halloween themed colouring sheet to get into the spirit. And here’s a little game for you to try. See how fast you can match the jack-o’-lanterns.