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HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO EVERYONE!!
Two days from now many countries are going to celebrate Halloween, a traditional way of party October 31, which was brought to America by the Irish. Its original name was Samhain (“summers end”), the night between summer and winter, between life and death of nature. It was transformed by Pope Gregory III, was modernized over the years and today is kind of a festival for children and adults.
For me it has
never been a special night, because my family never used to celebrate
Halloween. During my childhood nearly nobody who lived in my village dressed up
as a spooky character or knocked at people’s doors and asked for treats (“trick
or treat”). At the age of 16, I was invited to a Halloween-Party for the first
time and dressed up as a “modern” witch – no pointy hat, no green skin, just
dressed in black and gothic style. It always seemed to me as just another
festivity to celebrate and make parties.
At school we
talked about the origins of Halloween and so I was quite informed, but also
surprised by the new information I got when watching the videos. Did you know
that 100,000 to 200,000 people in medieval times had been arrested in Europe on suspicion of witchcraft? I was shocked by this
large number as well as by the fact that not only women, but also men and even
children were at risk to be accused of it. Another interesting thing for me was
that also this very day witches do exist. Groups of people worshiping nature
and taking an oath not to harm people with their magic can actually be found
all over the world (400.000 in the USA). One thing that made me laugh
is the annual world Championship “punkin chunkin” in Delaware. At this special occasion people
are launching pumpkins with air canons about 5,000 feet.
After some
research and new aspects to this special night, Halloween has a very different
appearance for me. It holds very interesting origins and is, besides the
negative aspect of its commercialization today, a festival which is worth
celebrating it.
