The Origins of Halloween and how it Became a Commercial Event - Anna H.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the anticipated spending for Halloween 2021 in the United States will be $10.1 billion. To give you an idea of what this represents, it is more than the GDP of the Maldives. But how did Halloween become such an important event?
Christianity had spread to Celtic lands, blending with, and later surpassing, the Celtic festivals. From this holiday comes the name Halloween or All Hallows’ eve, the evening before All Saints Day.
Halloween In the United States:
(unsplash.com)
In the colonies, Halloween wasn’t celebrated much because of the strict protestant beliefs in place. It was not until the Irish potato famine in the late 19th century, which led to the arrival of millions of Irish immigrants, that Halloween began to transform into the event we know it to be. By the 1950s, the practice of trick or treating was already a major commercial event and Halloween had lost most of its religious and superstitious meaning. Today, Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday after Christmas.
A short history of Halloween :
(pexels.com)
Though different tales are told as to exactly how Halloween became the celebration we all know, most agree that the roots of the current practices come from a Celtic festival called Samhain. It celebrated their new year - which started the next day - and the transition from the end of the harvest season to the beginning of winter. During this festival, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead were said to be blurred, allowing ghosts to return to earth. The Celts believed that the world of the gods became visible to mortals during Samhain and the gods were said Side note: to play tricks on their worshipers. From this festival we inherit many of the most appreciated customs of Another custom which is quite similar to Halloween Halloween such as trick or treating, and dressing up. is el Día de Muertos , the day of the dead in Spanish, which occurs at the same time of year in Mexico. By 43 AD, when the majority of Celtic territories were However, el dia de los muertos is not an adaptation of invaded by the Roman Empire, the Roman festival Halloween as some may be tempted to believe. Indeed, of Feralia, which commemorated the passing of the the origins of the festival come from prehispanic dead, as well as the festival honoring Pomona, goddess traditions and it is nowadays one of the most important of fruits and trees, were incorporated into Samhain. celebrations in Mexico. Whilst it is true that nowadays it is quite linked to Christian holidays, it has a very The Christian holiday of All Saints Day - or All different perspective from Halloween on the role of Hallows’ Day - was first created May 13, 609 AD as the dead. The greatest difference is that during el Día “all martyrs day” but later moved to November 1 and de Muertos the dead are not feared but welcomed into made to include all saints as well. By the 9th century, the homes of their families.
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