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Halloween is celebrated annually on the last day of October, starting in the late afternoon and lasting until midnight. People decorate their homes in spooky ways. During this time, children and adults dress up as scary characters or any characters they like, then go door-to-door collecting candy and exchanging greetings.
The origins of Halloween
The word "Halloween" itself originates from Christianity, as a shortened form of "All Hallows' Evening," which takes place on the first day of November, the month dedicated to praying for the souls of the deceased.
Halloween originated from the Celtic people, who lived over 2,000 years ago in what is now England, Ireland, and northern France. The Celts began their new year on November 1st. On this day, they celebrated Samhain to mark the end of summer and the transition to winter, and to begin a new year. The Celts believed that as summer ended and the cold, dark winter began, the boundary between life and death blurred on New Year's Eve (October 31st). This allowed the spirits of the deceased to find their way back to the living world.
Spirits are believed to return to the mortal world seeking bodies for reincarnation. Therefore, on this day, people often extinguish fires in their homes, making themselves appear cold and hoping the spirits will pass. At the same time, they also have the custom of wearing costumes resembling ghosts and demons, parading noisily through the neighborhoods to appease their fears of the spirits.
Over time, Halloween has spread to many different countries, but each country has adapted it to create its own unique Halloween celebration. And today, this festival has become popular in many countries around the world, including Vietnam.
The meaning of Halloween
According to Irish legend, the term "Jack-o'-lanterns" comes from a man named Jack. Jack was a young man who died, but his soul was not allowed into heaven because, during his life, he was a greedy and stingy person who hoarded money and never gave anything to anyone. However, he also could not go to hell because, while alive, he had played tricks on the devil, so the devil did not take him.
The story goes that one day a demon came to torment a populated area. Unfortunately, the alarm was raised, and people sought help from monks who brought sacred objects to "ward off" and "lock the doors." Thus, the demon was captured… Jack recognized it as the demon he often played with, and he found a way to remove the "demon-warding" objects, allowing the demon to escape.
To repay Jack for saving his life, the devil promised not to take his soul to hell. Therefore, when Jack died in an accident, his soul was rejected by heaven. Jack then sought refuge in hell, but the devil wouldn't let him in…because of the promise. Seeing Jack cold and miserable, the devil took some glowing embers from hell, put them inside a pumpkin, and gave it to Jack to warm himself on his way back to the mortal world. To allow air to feed the fire, Jack had to hollow out the pumpkin…and the light from within illuminated Jack's wandering path. Perhaps Jack will have to wander the earth with a lamp until the final judgment day of mankind.
Customs on Halloween
"Trick or Treat" - this is the main game played by most children and teenagers in the United States on Halloween night.
"Trick" literally means to deceive, a mischievous prank; "Treat" means to welcome, to treat kindly, to entertain. Children, teenagers, and young adults dress up in costumes and masks depicting ghosts and goblins, carrying lanterns and going from house to house in the neighborhood, knocking on doors and saying "trick or treat." This means: "If you don't want us to play a trick on you, then treat us to something." Usually, neighbors, wanting to avoid being tricked, would welcome (treat) them with candy and fruit (traditionally with coins hidden inside).
In particular, on Halloween you will encounter images of Jack-O'-Lanterns, bats, spiders, witches, devil masks, black cats... which are considered symbols of this holiday.
