Scary masks, Trick or Treat games and Halloween fun

Halloween - All Hallow's Evening is the oldest traditional festival in the world and is held on October 31 every year.

When it comes to Halloween, we often think of spooky, creepy, masquerade, pumpkins, bats or trick-or-treat games. However, few people know where the origin of this festival is as well as the hidden truths and meanings of Halloween?

What is Halloween?

The original name of this festival is All Hallows'Eve, which means the eve of All Saints' Day. "Hallow" is an Old English word meaning "holy" and eventually changed to Halloween as we know it today. Now, Halloween no longer carries a religious meaning that everyone considers it a fun festival.

Why dress up and wear masks on Halloween?

Halloween would be so boring without masks. But the real reason why the mask becomes an indispensable part of this festival is little known. It is believed that, on October 31 every year, the boundary between the world of the living and the dead becomes the thinnest, moreover, the dead can stay on earth.

For a long time, Halloween was considered as the day when evil spirits were returned to the earthly realm, and in order to avoid the evil spirits that followed and threatened, people wore masks to disguise themselves so as not to be afraid. Demons recognize and harass. Besides, wearing a mask also allows people to be free, mischievous, free from daily shyness, comfortably have fun and meet each other during the festive season.

Trick or Treat Game

Knocking on a neighbor's door on the night of October 31, waiting for them to open the door to scream Trick or Treat is one of the best childhood memories. Is a very familiar game in the Halloween holiday of children today. But this is actually a form of begging in ancient times. Today, Children will wear devil costumes, go in groups and carry baskets of candy, lanterns... Then, the children will knock on each neighbor's door in the neighborhood, waiting for them to open. door and shouted happily: "Trick or Treat".

Trick in English means fool, just naughty prank on Halloween. Treat is hospitality, good treatment, in this case just confectionery. This saying means: "If you don't want to be played badly, treat us to something". Usually, the host is happy to give the children a lot of candy, cake to go... to scare the next house. But why "Trick or Treat", not any other saying? What is the real meaning behind it? According to Dictionary, the origin of this saying goes back to medieval times, but it was not a practice for children as it is today. Since ancient times, beggars often disguised themselves with costumes made from straw, going around the village, knocking on doors to ask for candy or food.

Gradually, this has become a custom, an indispensable feature in Halloween. In the Middle Ages, the poor would beg for food on October 31st. In response, they will pray for the departed souls on All Souls Day, which falls on November 2 (All Souls Day). Today's Trick or Treat is a variation on the ancient practice. Halloween festival came to America thanks to the first immigrants, most of them from Scotland and Ireland. And whatever its origin, today it is still a popular custom, most looked forward to by children around the world on Devil's Day.

Traditional Halloween colors

Orange, black, and white colors and spooky symbols in Halloween also carry indescribable creepy meanings. Almost all symbols and decorations for Halloween are orange or black. Orange is the color of pumpkins, which are harvested at the end of October just in time for Halloween. Therefore, it is associated with autumn, fertility and life. On the contrary, black represents mourning, death and the afterlife. Putting orange and black next to each other on Halloween is a reminder of the devil to people, that the line between life and death is too fragile. Another very superstitious thing is that it is said that ghosts will also disguise themselves and knock on doors from door to door begging for food and money. If unfortunately you refuse those ghosts, you will be haunted by angering the spirits.

The custom of carving on pumpkins

Few people know that the Jack O'Lantern pumpkin has a rather mysterious and dark origin, originating from an ancient Irish legend. The story is about a farmer named Jack - a man who always plays tricks on the devil, and until his death, no place accepts him. People have been making "Jack-o'-lantern" pumpkin lights on Halloween for centuries. This has its roots in an Irish story about a man nicknamed "shy Jack". According to legend, Jack invited the Devil to drink with him. Due to his stingy nature, Jack doesn't want to pay for their drinks, so he convinces the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack can use to buy alcohol. When the Devil transformed, Jack decided to keep the coin and put it in his pocket next to a silver cross. The frightened Demon could not escape and changed back to its original form. Jack eventually frees the Devil, but on the condition that he won't disturb Jack for a year and after Jack's death, he won't be able to capture his soul.

The next year, Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree to pick fruit. When the Devil climbs the tree, Jack carves a sign of the cross into the trunk so that the Devil can't come down until the Devil promises not to bother him for another ten years. Not long after, Jack dies. According to the story, God did not allow a cunning man like Jack to go to heaven. The Devil kept his promise not to ask for Jack's soul, so he did not allow him to go to hell. He gives Jack a coal to light his way in the night. Jack put coal in an indented turnip and roamed the earth. Since then, the Irish have called Jack's ghost "Jack-o'-lantern".

The Rose Shelter Case: Did District 12 loosen its management, leading to a serious incident? Quỳnh Quỳnh15:53:29 05/09/2024On the morning of September 4, the District 12 Police of Ho Chi Minh City and related units investigated the case of a series of orphans who were treated causing outrage at the Rose Shelter (Trung My Tay Ward).