“IAlive!” cried Dr. Frankenstein as his creation stirred life. But the creature had a life of its own, eventually escaping from its creator’s control.
Like Frankenstein’s monster, traditions are also alive, which means they can change or be rediscovered over time. Made from a hodgepodge of different parts, Halloween is a tradition that has been continually reinvented since its ancient origins. a Celtic pagan ceremony, Yet beneath the superhero costumes and bags of candy the heart of the original still beats.
The Celts lived in what is now Ireland as early as 500 BC. They celebrated New Year’s Day on 1 November, which they called Samhain, They believed that the door opened between the worlds of the living and the dead, leading to the transition into the new year. The souls of the recently dead, previously trapped on Earth, can now go to the underworld. Since they thought spirits came out after dark, this supernatural activity reached its peak the night before, on October 31.
The Celts invented rituals to protect themselves during this turbulent time. They wear costumes and disguises to fool the spirits. They lit bonfires and stuck candles inside the turnips—the first jack-o’-lanterns—to scare away any spirits looking for mischief. If all else failed, they took a pocket-full of treats to pay the wayward souls and send them back on the way to the underworld,
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Though focused on the deadwas eventually to live, who needed a lot of help on their own while transitioning into the new year. Winter was cold and dark. Food was scarce. Everyone came together to break the bread, share stories, and stand against the dead, to strengthen community ties at the time they needed it most.
When Catholics arrived in Ireland around 300 AD, they opened another door between the worlds, causing much conflict. He sought to convert the Celts by turning their pagan rituals into Christian holidays. He named November 1 “All Saints Day”, which today is a celebration of Catholic saints.
But the local people stuck to their old beliefs. He believed that the dead still roamed the earth. So the living is still dressed in costume. This activity still happened the night before. It had a new name to fit the Catholic calendar: “All Hallows’ Eve,” which is where we got the name halloween,
Irish immigrant Brought Halloween to America in the 1800s While surviving the Great Potato Famine. At first, Irish Halloween celebrations were an oddity, viewed suspiciously by other Americans. As such, Halloween was not celebrated much in America at that time.
As the Irish became integrated into American society, Halloween was rediscovered as an all-American celebration. It became a holiday mainly for children. Its religious tone faded, supernatural saints and sinners were replaced by ordinary ghosts and ghosts. Carved turnips gave way Pumpkin Now the symbol of the holiday. Although trick-or-treating resembles ancient traditions, such as under the guise, where costumed children went from door to door for gifts, it’s actually an american inventionDesigned to entice kids away from rowdy holiday pranks and toward more wholesome activities.
Halloween has become a tradition many new immigrants adopt along their journey toward American-ness, and increasingly being exported to all over the worldLocals rediscovered it in new ways to adapt it to their culture.
The special thing about Halloween is that it turns the world upside down. The dead walk the earth. Rules are meant to be broken. And children use a lot of power. They decide which outfit to wear. They demand from others by asking for candy. “Trick or Treat” is their battle cry. They do things they would never be able to do with any other time, but on Halloween, they act like adults, trying to see how it fits.
Because Halloween gives children more freedom, it is possible to mark important life stages through the holiday earlier. First Diwali. First Halloween without parents. The first Halloween that is no longer good. First Halloween as a parent.
Growing up used to mean getting out of Halloween. but today, young adults The kids seem even more committed to Halloween than they are.
What Revenge: Adults or Halloween? Both.
Stranded between childhood and adulthood, today’s young adults find Halloween a perfect match for their struggles to find themselves and make their way in the world. Their participation has reshaped Halloween, now bigger, more elaborate and too expensive, so far becoming an adultIt comes full circle to return to its roots as a holiday celebrated mainly by adults.
Halloween is a living tradition. You wear a dress every year, but you’ll never wear the same one again. You’ve changed since last year, and your outfit reflects that. Halloween is no different. Every year, it’s the same celebration, but it’s also something completely new. How are you already re-inventing the Halloween of the future today?
Linus OwensAssociate Professor of Sociology, middlebury
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,
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