Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional customs - What is Halloween about?

What is Halloween about?

Halloween is an annual traditional festival in western countries. This night is thought to be haunted, so it is also called "Ghost Festival". Chinese-speaking areas often mistake Halloween for Halloween. "Hallow" comes from Middle English halwen, which is close to the etymology of holy. In some parts of Scotland, England and Canada, Halloween is still called "Halloween Mass", which means a mass held in memory of all saints.

There are many versions about the origin of Halloween, one of which is widely circulated. More than two thousand years ago, the Christian church in Europe designated 1 1 October as "Halloween Day". "Saint" means saint. Legend has it that since 500 BC, Celts living in Ireland, Scotland and other places have moved this festival forward by one day, that is, 65438+1October 3 1.

They think that this day is the day when summer officially ends, that is, the beginning of the new year and the beginning of the severe winter. At that time, people believed that on this day, the dead souls of the deceased would return to their former homes to look for all beings, so as to be reborn, which was the only hope of being reborn after death.

Living people are afraid of the ghost of the dead to take life, so people put out the fire and candlelight on this day, so that the ghost of the dead can't find the living people. They dress up as monsters to scare away the ghost of the dead. After that, they will rekindle bonfires and candlelight and start a new year's life.