Halloween

Halloween (or Hallowe’en) is a traditional festival which is celebrated on 31st October each year. The name is derived from All-Hallow-Even as it is the evening before All Hallow’s Day (also known as All Saints’ Day).

Historically, All Hallow’s Day was a day of religious festivities in various North European pagan traditions until the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints Day from 13th May to 1st November. As was the custom at the time, the Church measured the day from sunset to sunset (which still occurs in some religious traditions including Judaism) and so All Saints Day (a Church celebration) began on the eve of All Hallow’s Day – Halloween.

Halloween is known by various traditional names around the British Isles: Samhain to the Wiccan and Neo-Pagan communities; Samhain or Oiche Shamhna to the Irish, Calan Gaeaf to the Welsh, Allantide to the Cornish and Hop-tu-Naa to the Manx.

Modern day celebrations involve children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruits or other treats. This sometimes involves a practice called "Trick or Treat" whereby the children threaten a reprisal if no treat is given – a practice which some in Britain have called to be outlawed since they regard it as a foreign (US) import, and also because some young people have caused serious damage, and even physical injury, as retribution. Many older people feel intimidated by such actions.

Other Halloween activities include costume parties and the hollowing out of pumpkins and the cutting of "eyes, nose and mouth" to resemble an illuminated face when a candle is placed inside. These are often known as Jack-o-Lanterns.

There is a tradition of linking the night with things magical and mysterious, so some older people watch horror movies or programmes or films associated with the occult. Bonfires, fireworks and dressing as ghosts, ghouls, zombies, goblins and witches are also associated with Halloween celebrations in Britain, although in the US, almost any fancy dress may be worn.

Although originally pagan British in origin, settlers from the British Isles have transported the tradition to the four corners of the earth, and it is now celebrated globally in countries with a predominantly Western culture. Having imported Halloween principally through mass Irish immigration, the United States has also influenced the spread of the festivities across many countries.

Locally around Britain there are many regional variations of the ways in which Halloween is celebrated.

If you're looking for a way to commemorate this event, you might be interested in this article: Commemorations with Cross Stitch

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