History of
Halloween
Traditional activities include
trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted
houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried
versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other
western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century including
Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well
as of Australia and New Zealand.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival
known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win").
The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the
harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans
to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed
that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the
dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such
as sickness or damaged crops.
The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is
believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to
the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.
Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil
spirits or appease them.
Trick-or-treating, is an activity for children on or around
Halloween in which they proceed from house to house in costumes, asking for
treats such as confectionery with the question, "Trick or treat?" The
"trick" part of "trick or treat" is a threat to play a trick
on the homeowner or his property if no treat is given. Trick-or-treating is one
of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become socially expected that if
one lives in a neighborhood with children one should purchase treats in
preparation for trick-or-treaters.
The history of Halloween has evolved. The activity is
popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to
increased American cultural influence in recent years, imported through
exposure to US television and other media, trick-or-treating has started to
occur among children in many parts of Europe, and in the Saudi Aramco camps of
Dhahran, Akaria compounds and Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The most significant
growth and resistance is in the United Kingdom, where the police have
threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to carry out the
"trick" element. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven
importation of Halloween is seen with more skepticism, numerous destructive or
illegal "tricks" and police warnings have further raised suspicion
about this game and Halloween in general.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar