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Halloween traditions

Halloween , also known as All Hallows' Eve, is one of the oldest

holidays with origins going back thousands of years. The holiday weknow as Halloween has had many influences from many cultures over

the centuries.According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve isaChristianized feast initially influenced by Celticharvest festivals,

andfestivals of the dead with possiblepagan roots, particularly

theGaelicSamhain.Other scholars maintain that it originated

independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots.

Typical festive Halloween activities includetrick-or-

treating (also known as "guising"), attendingcostumeparties,

decorating, carvingpumpkins intojack-o'-lanterns,

lightingbonfires,apple bobbing,visitinghaunted attractions,

playingpranks,telling scary stories, and watchinghorror films.

Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been

influenced by folk customs and beliefs from theCeltic-speaking

countries,some of which have pagan roots, and others which may be

rooted inCeltic Christianity.Indeed,Jack Santino,an

academicfolklorist,writes that "the sacred and the religious are a

fundamental context for understanding Halloween in Northern

Ireland, but there as throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existsbetween customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those

associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived.

The modern imagery of Halloween comes from many sources,

including national customs, works of Gothic and horror literature

(such as the novels Frankenstein and Dracula) . Halloween costumes

are traditionally modeled after supernatural figures such asmonsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christianization/115013995182528https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harvest-festival/108151195879699https://www.facebook.com/pages/Festival-of-the-Dead/106636436043588https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paganism/105998732765012http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelichttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Samhain/105649529468882https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trick-or-treating/105459946155380https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trick-or-treating/105459946155380http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guisinghttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Halloween-costume/106467569388578https://www.facebook.com/pages/Costume-party/112005252158624https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pumpkins/106070246097769https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-o-lantern/116553501691739https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonfire/107673149253399https://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-bobbing/114526218564781https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haunted-attraction/111007582257525https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prank/107736709259905https://www.facebook.com/pages/List-of-films-set-around-Halloween/326173880732276https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celtic-nations/105674849466100https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celtic-nations/105674849466100https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celtic-Christianity/107806912574386https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-Santino/137798069573987https://www.facebook.com/pages/Folkloristics/103823912990246https://www.facebook.com/pages/Folkloristics/103823912990246https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-Santino/137798069573987https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celtic-Christianity/107806912574386https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celtic-nations/105674849466100https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celtic-nations/105674849466100https://www.facebook.com/pages/List-of-films-set-around-Halloween/326173880732276https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prank/107736709259905https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haunted-attraction/111007582257525https://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-bobbing/114526218564781https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonfire/107673149253399https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-o-lantern/116553501691739https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pumpkins/106070246097769https://www.facebook.com/pages/Costume-party/112005252158624https://www.facebook.com/pages/Halloween-costume/106467569388578http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guisinghttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Trick-or-treating/105459946155380https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trick-or-treating/105459946155380https://www.facebook.com/pages/Samhain/105649529468882http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelichttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Paganism/105998732765012https://www.facebook.com/pages/Festival-of-the-Dead/106636436043588https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harvest-festival/108151195879699https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christianization/115013995182528

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Development of artifacts and symbols associated with

Halloween formed over time. Jack-o'-lanterns are traditionally

carried by guisers on All Hallows' Eve in order to frighten evil

spirits. There is a popular Irish Christian folktale associated withthe jack-o'-lantern, which in lore, is said to represent a "soul who

has been denied entry into both heaven and hell":

On route home after a night's drinking, Jack encounters the

Devil who tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack

etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil.

Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a

life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven

when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into

hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It

was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to

stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern havebeen roaming looking for a place to rest.

Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on

Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for

treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick

or treat?" The word "trick" refers to "threat" to perform mischief

on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. The

practice is said to have roots in the medieval practice of mumming,

which is closely related to souling (discussed above). John Pymm

writes that "many of the feast days associated with the

presentation of mumming plays were celebrated by the Christian

Church." These feast days included All Hallows' Eve, Christmas,

Twelfth Night and Shrove Tuesday. Mumming, practised in Germany,

Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, involved masked persons infancy dress who "paraded the streets and entered houses to dance

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or play dice in silence." Their "basic narrative framework is the story

of St. George and the Seven Champions of Christendom."

Because Halloween comes in the wake of the yearly apple

harvest, candy apples caramel or toffee apples are common

Halloween treats made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup,

sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.

At one time, candy apples were commonly given to children, but

the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that

some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in

the apples in the United States.

Halloween in Romania is celebrated around the myth of

"Dracula" on 31 October. The spirit of Dracula is believed to live

there because the town was the site of many witch trials; these are

recreated today by actors on the night of Halloween. The most

successful Halloween Party in Transylvania takes place in Sighisoara,

the citadel where Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula) was born.Theprestigious Fodor's travel guide, placed Halloween in Transylvania in

a list of Top Ten Must-Do-Adventures