What is Halloween

On the night from October 31 to November 1, Halloween is celebrated in many countries. The history of this holiday and its traditions is in the Kommersant reference.

How Halloween came to be

The history of Halloween dates back to the Irish and Scottish Celts’ harvest festival Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31st. It marked the beginning of a dark, long and cold winter. The Celts believed that at this time the doors to the other world opened and spirits could appear among people. For protection, people dressed up in animal skins and performed sacrifices.

After the spread of Christianity, Pope Gregory III announced the celebration of November 1 – All Saints’ Day. The day of October 31st was called All Hallows Evening. Later the name was transformed into All Hallows’ Eve (All Hallows’ Eve), from which the modern name appeared – Halloween. After the mass emigration of the Irish and Scots to the United States, the holiday became widespread in this country.

Halloween Traditions

The main symbol of the holiday is a pumpkin lantern with a carved grimace. It was believed that it warded off evil spirits. Initially, lanterns were made from turnips. Pumpkins began to be used by English emigrants in North America.

In some countries, on October 31, children play Trick or Treat. They knock on houses and ask: “Trick or Treat?” In return, the residents must treat the children with sweets, otherwise they might do something nasty. Children dress up in costumes to take part in Trick or Treat. In countries where the holiday is celebrated, houses are also often decorated in advance. The tradition of dressing up in costumes is also popular at Halloween themed parties.

Attitude to the holiday in Russia

In Russia, Halloween gained popularity in the late 1990s. The Russian Orthodox Church officially opposes the holiday. At the state level, initiatives regularly appear to ban Halloween as an element of Western propaganda.

On October 29, 2023, State Duma deputy from the LDPR Yaroslav Nilov proposed renaming the holiday “Day of Creepy Tales and Stories.”

“This way we will move away from being tied to Western culture and a foreign name, but we will retain the fun that many people are familiar with,” said the parliamentarian.

This year at Izhevsk school No. 16 instead of Halloween decided conduct a pumpkin rescue. In the local diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, the replacement of the holiday was considered unsuccessful, since in Christianity the Pumpkin Salvation does not exist, and the event itself does not belong to either church or folk traditions.