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A holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. |
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Halloween is a holiday celebrated in much of the Western world on the night of October 31. It is associated with trick-or-treating, [ghost stories]?, pumpkins, jack o'lanterns, witches, [black cats]?, costumes?, and parties. Children often dress up in costumes and knock on neighborhood doors saying, "Trick or Treat" and receiving candy, originally in return for a joke, a song, or some other trick. |
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Evolved from a Druid harvest holiday, a Roman festival known as [Pomona Day]? and the Christian "Day of the Dead". |
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There are several traditional games associated with Hallowe'en without which no Hallowe'en party is truely complete. The most common is Ducking for Apples in which a tub or a large basin is filled with water in which apples float. The participants must remove an apple from the basin using only their mouths. Naturally everyone gets wet. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup coated scones by strings. These must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity which inevitably leads to a very sticky face. |
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On October 31st after crops were harvested Druids in Britain would light fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the fires, the season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin. When the morning of November 1 arrived, the Druids would give an ember from their fires to each family who would then take them home to start new cooking fires. These fires would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits. A 3 day festival called Samhain (pronounced "sow-en") followed. |
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The Romans invaded Britain in the 1st century and brought with them the festival known as Pomona Day, named for the goddess of fruits and gardens. It was celebrated around the 1st of November. |
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History |
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In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Gregory III changed the date to November 1. |
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Although modern Halloween is a secular holiday, it evolved from several earlier religious holidays, first Pagan and later Christian. |
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October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en, and then - Halloween. |
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Its earliest roots are found in the Druid? harvest holiday which took place each year on October 31. After the crops were harvested, Druids in Britain would light fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the fires, the season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin. When the morning of November 1 arrived, the Druids would give an ember from their fires to each family who would then take them home to start new cooking fires. These fires were believed to keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits. A 3 day festival called Samhain (pronounced "sow-en") followed. After the Romans colonialized much of Britain, elements of the Roman festival known as [Pomona Day]? were also introduced. Pomona Day was held on November 1, and is named for Pomona?, a Roman Goddess of fruits and gardens. Need more details about Pomona Day and which elements of it became part of modern Halloween. When Christianity eventually reached Britain (year?), conversion began among the local people, including Christianization of the old traditions. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Pope Gregory III changed the date to November 1. October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en (still used), and then Halloween in the US. Need more details about the specific practices which were performed. |
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Irish emigrants from the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-46 brought with them the holiday of Halloween to the United States. |
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Irish emigrants from the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-46 brought with them the holiday of Halloween to the United States. Religious Viewpoints |
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Some Christian groups consider Halloween a Pagan holiday and refer to it as "The most evil day of the year". |
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Some fundamentalist Christian groups consider Halloween a Pagan holiday because of these early Pagan origins, and refer to it as "The most evil day of the year", refusing to allow their children to participate. Among these groups it is believed to still have Satanic influences, as are many other Pagan practices. |
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Halloween is associated with trick-or-treating, [ghost stories]?, pumpkins, jack o'lanterns, witches, [black cats]?, costumes?, and parties. Children often dress up in costumes and knock on neighborhood doors saying, "Trick or Treat". |
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Neopagans also do not practice Halloween, but for different reasons. Instead of rejecting it because of its Pagan origins, they rather embrace the earlier Pagan practice and celebrate a version of the older Celtic festival of Samhain. |
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The holiday of Samhain is celebrated by Neopagans . |
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See also El dia de los muertos. |
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