HALLOWEEN
Quando pensiamo ad Halloween ci vengono in mente streghe, zombie, mostri e zucche… Halloween cade il 31 ottobre di ogni anno e viene festeggiato soprattutto negli Stati Uniti e in Inghilterra, anche se negli ultimi decenni ha preso piede anche in molti altri paesi, compresa l’Italia. Durante la notte tra il 31 e il 1 novembre i bambini, spesso accompagnati dagli adulti, girano di casa in casa mascherati da creature mostruose per il famoso rito del “dolcetto o scherzetto”: gli abitanti della casa potranno evitare i terribili scherzi regalando dolcetti ai bambini.
In realtà questa festa affonda le sue radici in un passato molto lontano, risale infatti a circa 6.000 anni fa. Innanzitutto va precisato che non nasce in America, come molti credono, bensì nella verde Irlanda dominata dai Celti. Halloween corrisponde, infatti, a Samhain, il capodanno celtico.
dominata dai Celti. Halloween corrisponde infatti a Samhain, il capodanno celtico. - https://www.irlandando.it/halloween/storia
I Celti, come altri popoli antichi, misuravano il tempo in base alle stagioni e ai cicli del raccolto, così Semhain era la festa che segnava la fine dell’estate e l’inizio dell’inverno
e allo stesso tempo l’ultimo raccolto prima dell’inizio della stagione
fredda. Semhain rappresentava dunque un momento di passaggio. Da questo deriva il carattere mortuario della festa di Semhain, secondo cui il muro che
divide il regno dei morti da quello dei vivi si assottigliava e che i
due mondi potevano entrare in comunicazione tra di loro:
i morti potevano tornare nel mondo dei vivi ed entrare in contatto con
essi. Per questo motivo la festa di Semhain era anche un momento per
onorare i morti.
I Romani più tardi fecero coincidere la festa di Semhain con la loro festa dei morti, che aveva luogo in maggio, mentre più avanti i cristiani istituiranno la festa dei morti il 2 novembre, il giorno dopo di Ognissanti. In effetti il nome moderno di Halloween
è legato alla festa di Ognissanti, in quanto deriva da “All Hallow’s
Eve”, che in inglese antico significava proprio la vigilia di
Ognissanti. Semhain si lega dunque, oltre che ad Halloween, a una serie di feste in onore dei morti, sia religiose che non religiose.
Dall'Irlanda la festa di Halloween è giunta negli Stati Uniti nel corso dell’800, quando molti irlandesi, spinti dalla povertà,
decisero di emigrare verso le nuove terre americane in cerca di fortuna e di migliori condizioni di vita, portando con sé
molte delle loro tradizioni, compresa quella del capodanno celtico,
ovvero Halloween. Negli Stati Uniti, col passare del tempo, la festa ha poi preso il carattere consumistico che oggi conosciamo, svuotandosi dei suoi significati originari.
Alcune curiosità:
Arancione e nero sono i due colori di Halloween . Il primo indica, tradizionalmente, la virtù della forza ed è un colore tipico dell'autunno. Il nero indica, invece, la notte e la morte.
Secondo la tradizione, se la notte di Halloween si indossano i vesti al rovescio e si cammina all'indietro, si vedrà una strega .
Dopo il Natale, Halloween è la ricorrenza più commerciale negli Stati Uniti: gli americani, infatti, spendono circa 6,9 miliardi di dollari per festeggiare Halloween nell'acquisto di dolciumi e costumi.
Ovviamente non ci può essere Halloween senza zucche... ma cosa rappresentano le famose Jack o'lantern? Intagliare una zucca per Hallowen oltre ad essere un'attività divertente che coinvolge grandi e piccini, ha un altro significato: si dice che usando la zucca come lanterna aiuti a scacciare gli spiriti maligni!
La leggenda di Jack O'Lantern qui
When we think of Halloween, witches, zombies, monsters and pumpkins immediately come to our mind ... Halloween falls on October 31st every year and is celebrated mainly in the United States and England, although in recent decades it has also taken hold in many other countries, including Italy. During the night between 31st and 1st November, children, often accompanied by adults, go from house to house disguised as monstrous creatures for the famous ritual of "trick or treat": the inhabitants of the house will be able to avoid the terrible jokes only by giving sweets to the children.
Yet this festival has its roots in a very distant past, dating back to around 6,000 years ago. First of all it should be noted that it was not born in America, as many believe, but in the green Ireland dominated by the Celts. In fact, Halloween corresponds to Samhain, the Celtic New Year.
The Celts, like other ancient peoples, measured time according to the seasons and harvest cycles, so Semhain was the feast that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter and at the same time the last harvest before the beginning of the cold season. Semhain therefore represented a moment of transition. From this derives the mortuary character of the festival of Semhain, which was the moment when the wall dividing the kingdom of the dead from that of the living thinned so that the two worlds could enter into communication: the dead could return to the world of the living and get in touch with them. This is why the Semhain festival was also a time to honor the dead.
The Romans later made the festival of Semhain coincide with their feast of the dead, which took place in May, while later the Christians will establish the feast of the dead on November 2nd, the day after All Saints. In fact, the same modern name of Halloween is linked to the All Saints Day festival, as it derives from "All Hallow’s Eve", which in Old English meant precisely the eve of All Saints. Semhain is therefore linked not only to Halloween, but also to a series of festivals in honor of the dead, both religious and non-religious.
From Ireland the Halloween feast arrived in the United States during the 19th century, when many Irish people, driven by poverty, decided to emigrate to the new American lands in search of fortune and better living conditions, bringing with them many of the their traditions, including that of the Celtic New Year, or Halloween. Over the time in the United States this celebration then took on the consumer character we know today, thus getting deprived of its original meanings.
Some curiosities:
Orange and black are the two colors of Halloween. The first traditionally indicates the virtue of strength and is a typical color of autumn. Instead, black indicates night and death.
According to tradition, if on the night of Halloween the garments are worn upside down and you walk backwards, you will see a witch.
After Christmas, Halloween is the most commercial celebration in the United States: Americans, in fact, spend about 6.9 billion dollars to celebrate Halloween in the purchase of sweets and costumes.
Obviously there can be no Halloween without pumpkins, but what do the famous Jack o'lanterns represent? Carving a pumpkin for Hallowen as well as being a fun activity that involves young and old, has another meaning: it is said that using a pumpkin as a lantern helps to drive away evil spirits!
The Legend of Jack O'Lanternhere
La leggenda di Jack O'Lantern qui
When we think of Halloween, witches, zombies, monsters and pumpkins immediately come to our mind ... Halloween falls on October 31st every year and is celebrated mainly in the United States and England, although in recent decades it has also taken hold in many other countries, including Italy. During the night between 31st and 1st November, children, often accompanied by adults, go from house to house disguised as monstrous creatures for the famous ritual of "trick or treat": the inhabitants of the house will be able to avoid the terrible jokes only by giving sweets to the children.
Yet this festival has its roots in a very distant past, dating back to around 6,000 years ago. First of all it should be noted that it was not born in America, as many believe, but in the green Ireland dominated by the Celts. In fact, Halloween corresponds to Samhain, the Celtic New Year.
The Celts, like other ancient peoples, measured time according to the seasons and harvest cycles, so Semhain was the feast that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter and at the same time the last harvest before the beginning of the cold season. Semhain therefore represented a moment of transition. From this derives the mortuary character of the festival of Semhain, which was the moment when the wall dividing the kingdom of the dead from that of the living thinned so that the two worlds could enter into communication: the dead could return to the world of the living and get in touch with them. This is why the Semhain festival was also a time to honor the dead.
The Romans later made the festival of Semhain coincide with their feast of the dead, which took place in May, while later the Christians will establish the feast of the dead on November 2nd, the day after All Saints. In fact, the same modern name of Halloween is linked to the All Saints Day festival, as it derives from "All Hallow’s Eve", which in Old English meant precisely the eve of All Saints. Semhain is therefore linked not only to Halloween, but also to a series of festivals in honor of the dead, both religious and non-religious.
From Ireland the Halloween feast arrived in the United States during the 19th century, when many Irish people, driven by poverty, decided to emigrate to the new American lands in search of fortune and better living conditions, bringing with them many of the their traditions, including that of the Celtic New Year, or Halloween. Over the time in the United States this celebration then took on the consumer character we know today, thus getting deprived of its original meanings.
Some curiosities:
Orange and black are the two colors of Halloween. The first traditionally indicates the virtue of strength and is a typical color of autumn. Instead, black indicates night and death.
According to tradition, if on the night of Halloween the garments are worn upside down and you walk backwards, you will see a witch.
After Christmas, Halloween is the most commercial celebration in the United States: Americans, in fact, spend about 6.9 billion dollars to celebrate Halloween in the purchase of sweets and costumes.
Obviously there can be no Halloween without pumpkins, but what do the famous Jack o'lanterns represent? Carving a pumpkin for Hallowen as well as being a fun activity that involves young and old, has another meaning: it is said that using a pumpkin as a lantern helps to drive away evil spirits!
The Legend of Jack O'Lanternhere
Forse non tutti sanno
che la festa di Halloween non nasce in America ma ha origini
antichissime rintracciabili in Irlanda, quando la verde Erin era
dominata dai Celti. Halloween corrisponde infatti a Samhain, il
capodanno celtico.
Dall’Irlanda, la tradizione è stata poi esportata negli Stati Uniti
dagli emigranti, che, spinti dalla terribile carestia dell’800, si
diressero numerosi nella nuova terra. -
https://www.irlandando.it/halloween/storia/
Forse non tutti sanno
che la festa di Halloween non nasce in America ma ha origini
antichissime rintracciabili in Irlanda, quando la verde Erin era
dominata dai Celti. Halloween corrisponde infatti a Samhain, il
capodanno celtico.
Dall’Irlanda, la tradizione è stata poi esportata negli Stati Uniti
dagli emigranti, che, spinti dalla terribile carestia dell’800, si
diressero numerosi nella nuova terra. -
https://www.irlandando.it/halloween/storia/
Forse non tutti sanno
che la festa di Halloween non nasce in America ma ha origini
antichissime rintracciabili in Irlanda, quando la verde Erin era
dominata dai Celti. Halloween corrisponde infatti a Samhain, il
capodanno celtico.
Dall’Irlanda, la tradizione è stata poi esportata negli Stati Uniti
dagli emigranti, che, spinti dalla terribile carestia dell’800, si
diressero numerosi nella nuova terra. -
https://www.irlandando.it/halloween/storia/
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