Halloween is a bright holiday with a scary backstory. According to legend, on the night from October 31 to November 1, the gates separating the world of the living and the dead open, and the souls of the deceased wander the earth, frightening us.
We are used to treating Halloween as a holiday when we can have fun and scare passers-by with scary outfits and masks. However, residents of Europe and the United States take this day very seriously, honoring traditions and superstitions. Ancient legends tell us the amazing story of the Celtic people and their festival of Samhain. It turns out that on Halloween night dark forces walk freely across the earth, looking into every house.
Halloween holiday
The origins of the holiday lie in the history of religious culture and relate to a special date in the calendar of the ancient Celts - Samhain. This name hides the most terrible time of the year, when the gates between the world of the living and the dead open, souls and dark forces break free and wander the earth. Initially, people dressed up as evil spirits for one simple reason - to pass as “their own,” confuse demons, and protect themselves and their families. Of course, now even a child cannot be frightened by such tales, but the tradition of dressing up in scary costumes has taken root in people’s memory and has become the basis of the holiday.
On the eve of Halloween, everyone chooses costumes for themselves, and the scarier the better and more interesting. Children especially love this holiday, because for them this night is almost the same as New Year. There are a lot of sweets all around, everything is bright, elegant and cheerful. Even for your tricks you can get a bunch of sweets as a reward. While children beg for treats, threatening: “Trick or Treat?”, adults tell fortunes, tickle their nerves with scary films and tell each other creepy stories from their lives.
The symbol of Halloween is the sinister pumpkin, which, according to legend, scares away evil spirits from the house and marks the end of the harvest. The pumpkin head is made over several days by emptying the pumpkin of pulp and cutting out its toothy mouth and scary eyes with a knife. To make it look even more frightening, a candle is placed inside it.
Fortune telling and omens for Halloween
On the night when spirits walk the earth, we too can travel through worlds. Every person has the opportunity to look into another reality and communicate with the departed. Many perceive even a seance as fun, while others are looking for answers to questions of interest, and sometimes find them. This is a night of magic, magic, mystery. On Halloween, miracles happen all the time, the main thing is to be able to notice them.
Fortune telling on saucers. The three saucers were used to tell fortunes primarily by girls who were looking for love. Of course, they gathered in a large group so that it would not be so scary. A saucer with spring water was placed on the table, another empty and a third with ink. The young fortune tellers took turns blindfolding each other and brought one girl to the table so that she could choose the saucer that would reveal her secret. It was believed that the hand at that moment was controlled by an otherworldly force, which directed and lowered the palm into one of the three bowls. If the saucer was empty, the girl remained among the unmarried that year. If with water, a quick wedding is expected, and the girl will become happily married. Well, if the hand was painted with paint, then the husband will have an unpleasant past.
Fortune telling by dreams. Through dreams, mysterious information comes to us. They are prophetic, colorful and frightening. On Halloween night they were used to guess and are still guessing to this day. It was believed that if you dreamed of water, a mirror or stones, then luck would be in everything that year. But if you see snow, hail, strong wind or faded flowers in a dream, expect trouble.
Signs for Halloween:
- To prevent spirits from entering the house and remaining there, candles were lit.
- To scare away misfortune from yourself and your family, you had to walk around the house or apartment three times. carnival costume and with a burning torch in his hands.
- Seeing a spider on Halloween means trouble.
- People put on their clothes backwards and went out at night in order to meet a real witch and find out their fate from her.
Halloween is a scary holiday with a fun component and centuries-old history. Whether you take it seriously or see it as a reason for fun is up to you. But we should not forget that our life is full of mysteries and secrets that we are not even aware of. Have a great mood and happy Halloween. be happyand don't forget to press the buttons and
30.10.2017 06:16
Halloween is coming very soon - an ancient holiday of Celtic origin, which in our time has become...
Modern Halloween has combined pagan and Christian holidays.
On the night of October 31 to November 1, the world celebrates Halloween. Traditionally, this time falls on two different holidays, But modern tradition celebrating Halloween brought many people together pagan holiday Samhain and the Christian Eve of All Saints' Day. At the same time, the form of celebrating modern Halloween is taken from paganism, and its name is from Christianity.
The holiday of Samhain (in other transcriptions - Samhain) dates back to the traditions of the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland. On the day corresponding to the modern October 31, they celebrated the end of the harvest and the beginning of the new year. In Ireland, on this day, warriors and ordinary residents of the country gathered in the city of Tara for a huge feast, which lasted day and night.
It was believed that on the night of Samhain, the veil separating the world of people and the world of creatures hostile to people - the Seeds - becomes so thin that they can penetrate each other's worlds. People believed that on this day the ghosts and spirits of the dead return in search of a body that they can take possession of. next year. The Celts believed that all the laws of time and existence did not work on this night, allowing spirits to do whatever they wanted. And since no one wanted to change places with a ghost, it was traditional to wear all sorts of scary costumes and do strange things to confuse the ghosts.
The holy fathers of the early Christian Church tried to resist the pagan tradition of the Celts and established the Christian holiday of All Saints on the same day (in the Eastern Church, the commemoration of All Saints is celebrated on the first Sunday of Pentecost). The word Halloween comes from the holiday of All Saints - i.e. Аll Hallows "Even, which means "All Hallows' Eve", which over time was shortened to "Hallow E" En."
Over time, the pagan holiday not only survived, but also inextricably merged in the popular consciousness under the general name Halloween with the church holiday.
This date also marks the ancient Roman holiday of Pomona, whose symbol, as well as the symbol of the connection of worlds, is the apple tree, so we can say that Samhain is a holiday of oak fires and apples, and they should be used in any rituals on this day.
Halloween is also an attempt to understand the connection between our world and the other world. Halloween night is a transition, a gateway from one world to another. The gateway to winter, to a cold world where all living things die, but at the same time prepare for rebirth, freeing themselves from everything unnecessary, like trees from foliage.
In its modern form, the holiday took place already in the 19th century thanks to European emigrants who brought with them to the United States the custom of vigorously celebrating Halloween and observing the superstitions associated with this holiday.
Now the main motto of this festive festival is the phrase “Trick or Treat!”, but everything originated in scary stories about witches, monsters, elves and ghosts. If you dig a little into the depths of centuries, then such stories are not at all innocent in nature, because because of superstitions, people were burned at the stake and subjected to terrible torture.
The most common Halloween holiday is considered to be in countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain and Spain. The Irish and Scots brought these beliefs, associated with pagan rituals that originated in Celtic times, to America, and then this day of exorcism of evil spirits began to be celebrated in different countries peace. For example, in Mexico, November 1 is celebrated as the Day of the Dead and is a rather gloomy holiday, if you can even call it that. A hundred years ago, the Irish and Americans prepared thoroughly for the first day of November, making scary masks, sewing dark robes, and then organizing processions through city streets to drive out evil spirits.
Many European cultural traditions associate Halloween with one of the most important, defining days of the year, when the spirit world comes into contact with the physical world with living people, ethereal substances travel in search of lost souls to inhabit them and live again in our material world. Of course, no one living wants to become a walking ghost, so various rituals were invented, people dressed up as scary monsters, lit live fires in their homes, decorated the walls with various scaring elements to ward off spirits from themselves and their homes.
Fortunately, Halloween has already arrived in our country. fun party, and now we complement it with our own customs, introducing adjustments and entertaining rituals.
One of the most famous Halloween traditions, lighting a candle in a pumpkin, dates back to Irish folklore. According to legend, the trickster and alcoholic Jack tricked the devil by forcing him to climb a tree and drawing a cross on the trunk so that the devil could not come down. When Jack died, he was denied entry into heaven because of his sins, but he was also denied entry into hell due to the fact that he outwitted the devil himself. Jack was only given one smoldering ember, designed to illuminate his further endless path among the icy darkness. This coal was placed in an empty turnip so that it would burn longer.
A pumpkin lantern was intended to drive away the good spirits that walk the earth that night.
By the way, pumpkin is an American invention. And before that, in Ireland and Scotland, scary masks, into which candles were then inserted, were carved from turnips and potatoes, and in England - from beets.
Halloween midnight is a time when the boundaries between worlds are erased, all secrets are revealed, and there is a real opportunity to find out what awaits us ahead...
Unmarried girls can see their betrothed on Halloween night. To do this, wash your nightgown late in the evening and hang it on the back of a chair to dry. Next, go to bed in this room, but try under no circumstances to fall asleep. You should imagine the appearance of your future spouse who will come to pick up the shirt. At the same time, it is important not to doze off even for a moment, otherwise you will simply miss it. But if suddenly you have not waited for the shadow of your betrothed to appear, it means that he has not yet found you and you will not celebrate your wedding in the next three years.
Fortune telling by wish
In the old days, fortune telling with seeds was of great importance. Often girls guessed their wishes by pumpkin seeds. A roasted seed was held in the left hand, and a raw one in the right. We made a wish and asked a friend to guess which hand the fried seed was in. If she guessed right, the wish was destined to come true.
You can also tell your wish when cutting a pumpkin. To do this, divide it into two equal parts, think of a wish and count the seeds. If there are more of them in the right half, this means that your wish will come true.
Another way: mix roasted and raw seeds in a cup, cover it with your hand and, making a wish, take a handful and count the seeds. If there are more fried ones, it means that the wish will not come true, but if there are more raw ones, it will come true.
And the last fortune telling: mix a handful of roasted and raw seeds. Now pour them out onto the table and count them. An even number of fried seeds means that enemies are preventing the execution. An odd number of fried seeds warns of disastrous consequences. If there is an odd number of raw seeds, it means that the fulfillment of your wish will bring you unexpected profit. An even number of raw seeds indicates that the wish will come true, but will not bring the expected joy.
How many children?
If searching for a loved one is not relevant, if you already have a strong family, then on the night before All Saints’ Day you can find out how many children you will have.
Take a small plate and pour it into cold water, and then drop some egg white into it. How many parts the protein divides into - how many babies will be born.
If you are concerned about the events of next year, try the following fortune telling.
It is necessary to prepare in advance a coin, a ring, a button, a heart cut out of red paper, a shell and a key. You will also need an empty bottle. Arrange all items in a circle. Place the bottle in the center of the circle and twist clockwise. When it stops, look at what object the neck points to - that will be the main event of the year:
ring - wedding;
- Cut a large apple into nine equal parts, eat eight of them, and throw the ninth over your left shoulder. If you quickly look around, out of the corner of your eye you can see the appearance of your future spouse.
- If you want to see the face of your betrothed, then you will probably be interested in another fortune telling. An unmarried girl should sit at midnight in a dark room with an apple in her hand in front of a mirror and look carefully at it. It is the mirror that will show her the image of her future husband after some time.
- The third fortune telling should be done in the company of friends, and it looks like a funny competition. But this is also a sure way to find out the future. It is probably because of this fortune-telling that Halloween is sometimes also called the Night of Floating Apples.
- At the dacha (or somewhere in nature), light a fire, and you definitely need to throw a sprig of heather, flax or broom into it to consecrate the ceremony. Next, take a small apple and, thinly cutting the peel from it (in a spiral, so that it does not tear and you get a long strip), ask the question out loud: “What is the name of my betrothed?” Then the cut peel should be thrown over the left shoulder into the fire, quickly turn around and carefully look at the shape of what letter it will take - this will be the first letter of the name of the future husband.
- Many people believe that black cats bring bad luck, although they keep these cute creatures in their homes, considering them pets. But on Halloween it is strictly not recommended to leave a black cat in the house, otherwise misfortunes will not be long in coming and will befall the whole family.
- Pumpkins and nuts are used as magical repellent foods on Halloween because the ancient Celts believed that Satan was afraid of even the smell of them, and there are several scary legends associated with these plants. It is enough to place a walnut tree branch above the entrance and place a pumpkin with a lit candle in the window and hope that evil spirits will not enter the house.
- On this holiday, it is customary to wear all clothes inside out, and in some countries it is even customary to leave the house backwards on Halloween to confuse ghosts.
- On Halloween, candles are lit in all rooms to scare away witches and evil spirits with live fire. If the candles in the house go out, then this is the first sign that “they” are somewhere very close.
- In all European countries, as well as in America and Canada on Halloween, at midnight in churches they begin to ring bells, since it is believed that all evil spirits can be scared by church chimes.
- According to Celtic customs, large bonfires were lit in the courtyards of houses and in central squares on Halloween, people put on masks and made ritual walks around the bonfires, thereby cleansing themselves of influence negative energy. The day after the holiday, it was customary to take a cooled coal from the fire into the house and keep it in your house for a whole year, until the next holiday.
- If an owl sits on the roof of your house on Halloween, then this is not good, it should be driven away, otherwise there will soon be a dead person in the house.
- On Halloween, in some countries, bats are exterminated, since these cute creatures are considered servants of the devil; in ancient times, the dead carcasses of these birds were hung on the doors of houses, on roofs and on fences.
- Another superstition is related to bats. On Halloween, they raided these creatures, driving them out of the attics of houses, lighting torches on the roofs and using rattles.
- In some countries, on the contrary, it was believed that if a large flock of bats circles for a long time above the house, then we must expect an excellent harvest next year.
- To drive away all evil spirits from their home, they used to bury the bones of dead animals under their threshold, and on Halloween they would display a stuffed animal near the house. This is where the tradition of hanging improvised skeletons on the doors and windows of houses came from. True, for some reason now it is not animal skeletons that are used, but human skeletons.
- Before sunset before Halloween, you should walk around the house three times with lit torches and in carnival costumes, then the home will be protected from the penetration of evil spirits for the whole year.
- And finally, the last superstition: if the owner sees a spider in the house on Halloween, it means that one of the deceased relatives is watching over the inhabitants of the house and warning about the danger that threatens one of the family members.
coin - wealth;
button - lack of love, loneliness;
heart - love;
shell - travel;
the key is success, power.
You can perform this ritual in the company of friends, but everyone should sit in a circle and spin the bottle in turn, passing the opportunity from participant to participant counterclockwise.
Where luck awaits
You can find out in which area luck awaits you using calculations.
For fortune telling you will need: beans, raisins, dried apples and nails. Without looking, take a handful of beans, raisins, apples and nails from the bag (or from any other container, such as a box or drawer where the items listed above are stored). Count everything separately. An odd number means good, and an even number means problems:
beans - finances;
raisins - love;
apples - health;
nails - home, family.
An example of interpretation: if you scooped up an odd number of beans, you definitely won’t face poverty next year, and if you scooped up apples, then you won’t have to complain about your health. If there is an even number of nails, quarrels with family are possible.
Even-odd
There is another fortune telling for “even-odd”. And all you need is buckwheat. Surely, when you cook buckwheat porridge, you usually select and throw away the black grains, but these are the ones that will come in handy on Halloween night.
Place a handful of buckwheat on the table, cover it with your hand and make a wish. Then select the black grains and count them. An even number means that your wish will certainly come true. This fortune telling is good because you can not only find out whether your wish will come true, but also sort out the grains for your porridge.
Of course, there are many more methods of fortune telling, and you can choose any, even the simplest, such as, for example, using quotes from books (this is when you ask a question, take some book, guess the page number, paragraph and line, and then open it in hidden place and read the answer). Or tell fortunes on cards, look into a crystal, throw runes... The main thing to remember: Halloween is a mystical holiday when all predictions definitely come true. If you believe in this, of course...
Apple, tell me
The most famous and common variants of fortune telling for Halloween are fortune telling with apples. And, by the way, there is nothing surprising here, because this holiday has several other names, one of which is “Apple Day.” In addition, there is a popular belief that it is apples that connect people with the gods.
You need to fill a large basin with water and put apples in it. Next, all participants must clasp their hands behind their backs and catch apples with their teeth. This is a rather complicated procedure, but the one who copes faster than others does not have to worry about his material well-being - he will have prosperity in his home for the entire next year. And if a guy and a girl are the fastest to bite off a piece of an apple floating in a basin at the same time, then they will get married this year.
You can throw the cut peel into water rather than into the fire, but then it is a little more difficult to recognize the shape.
If you don’t see any letter at all, don’t despair: this means that you simply took the “wrong” apple or did not cut the peel thinly enough. Therefore, you can do this procedure one more time.
Nuts and chestnuts
In addition to apples, nuts and chestnuts often appear in traditional Halloween fortune-telling techniques.
If you are curious about how your relationship with your chosen one will develop or are concerned about the issue of harmony in an existing family, then stock up on two ordinary chestnuts. Having made a wish for a prospective or real betrothed, you need to throw chestnuts into the fire. If the fruits begin to burn side by side, then this couple will live in harmony, but if the chestnuts roll in different directions in the fire, then sooner or later the paths of these people will diverge.
If you are interested in the future, ask a question that worries you, throw nuts into the fire, and by the pattern left by the fire on their surface you will certainly determine the answer. In this version of fortune telling, you can also use small light stones.
Beliefs, rituals and signs
There are thirteen (!) main superstitions, which for some are just nonsense, and some are ready to believe in them and perform all the necessary protection and rituals.
Based on materials from the websites “Superstition” and “Trust”
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We are used to treating Halloween as a holiday when we can have fun and scare passers-by with scary outfits and masks. However, residents of Europe and the United States take this day very seriously, honoring traditions and superstitions.
Ancient legends tell us the amazing story of the Celtic people and their Samhain festival. It turns out that on Halloween night dark forces walk freely across the earth, looking into every house.
Halloween holiday
The origins of the holiday lie in the history of religious culture and relate to a special date in the calendar of the ancient Celts - Samhain. This name hides the most terrible time of the year, when the gates between the world of the living and the dead open, souls and dark forces break free and wander the earth. Initially, people dressed up as evil spirits for one simple reason - to pass as “their own,” confuse demons, and protect themselves and their family. Of course, now even a child cannot be frightened by such tales, but the tradition of dressing up in scary costumes has taken root in people’s memory and has become the basis of the holiday.On the eve of Halloween, everyone chooses costumes for themselves, and the scarier the better and more interesting. Children especially love this holiday, because for them this night is practically the same as New Year. There are a lot of sweets all around, everything is bright, elegant and cheerful. Even for your tricks you can get a bunch of sweets as a reward. While children are begging for treats, threatening: “Trick or treat?”, adults are guessing, tickling their nerves with scary films and telling each other creepy stories from their lives.
The symbol of Halloween is the sinister pumpkin, which, according to legend, scares away evil spirits from the house and marks the end of the harvest. The pumpkin head is made over several days by emptying the pumpkin of pulp and cutting out its toothy mouth and scary eyes with a knife. To make it look even more frightening, a candle is placed inside it.
Fortune telling and omens for Halloween
On the night when spirits walk the earth, we too can travel through worlds. Every person has the opportunity to look into another reality, predict the future, and communicate with the deceased. Many perceive even a seance as fun, while others are looking for answers to questions of interest, and sometimes find them. This is a night of magic, magic, mystery. On Halloween, miracles happen all the time, the main thing is to be able to notice them.
Fortune telling on saucers. The three saucers were used to tell fortunes primarily by girls who were looking for love. Of course, they gathered in a large group so that it would not be so scary. A saucer with spring water was placed on the table, another empty and a third with ink. The young fortune tellers took turns blindfolding each other and brought one girl to the table so that she could choose the saucer that would reveal her secret. It was believed that the hand at that moment was controlled by an otherworldly force, which directed and lowered the palm into one of the three bowls. If the saucer was empty, the girl remained among the unmarried that year. If with water, a quick wedding is expected, and the girl will become happy in her marriage. Well, if the hand was painted with paint, then the husband will have an unpleasant past.
Fortune telling by dreams. Through dreams, mysterious information comes to us. They are prophetic, colorful and frightening. On Halloween night they were used to guess and are still guessing to this day. It was believed that if you dreamed of water, a mirror or stones, then luck would be in everything that year. But if you see snow, hail, strong wind or faded flowers in a dream, expect trouble.
Signs for Halloween:
To prevent spirits from entering the house and remaining there, candles were lit.To scare away misfortune from yourself and your family, you had to walk around the house or apartment three times in a carnival costume and with a burning torch in your hands.
Seeing a spider on Halloween means trouble.
People put on their clothes backwards and went out at night in order to meet a real witch and find out their fate from her.
Halloween is a scary holiday with a fun component and a centuries-old history. Whether you take it seriously or take it as a reason for fun is up to you to decide. But we should not forget that our life is full of mysteries and secrets that we are not even aware of.
We are used to treating Halloween as a holiday when we can have fun and scare passers-by with scary outfits and masks. However, residents of Europe and the United States take this day very seriously, honoring traditions and superstitions.
Halloween is a bright holiday with a scary backstory. According to legend, on the night from October 31 to November 1, the gates separating the world of the living and the dead open, and the souls of the deceased wander the earth, frightening us.
We are used to treating Halloween as a holiday when we can have fun and scare passers-by with scary outfits and masks. However, residents of Europe and the United States take this day very seriously, honoring traditions and superstitions. Ancient legends tell us the amazing story of the Celtic people and their Samhain festival. It turns out that on Halloween night dark forces walk freely across the earth, looking into every house.
Halloween holiday
The origins of the holiday lie in the history of religious culture and relate to a special date in the calendar of the ancient Celts - Samhain. This name hides the most terrible time of the year, when the gates between the world of the living and the dead open, souls and dark forces break free and wander the earth. Initially, people dressed up as evil spirits for one simple reason - to pass as “their own,” confuse demons, and protect themselves and their family. Of course, now even a child cannot be frightened by such tales, but the tradition of dressing up in scary costumes has taken root in people’s memory and has become the basis of the holiday.
On the eve of Halloween, everyone chooses costumes for themselves, and the scarier the better and more interesting. Children especially love this holiday, because for them this night is practically the same as New Year. There are a lot of sweets all around, everything is bright, elegant and cheerful. Even for your tricks you can get a bunch of sweets as a reward. While children are begging for treats, threatening: “Trick or treat?”, adults are guessing, tickling their nerves with scary films and telling each other creepy stories from their lives. 
The symbol of Halloween is the sinister pumpkin, which, according to legend, scares away evil spirits from the house and marks the end of the harvest. The pumpkin head is made over several days by emptying the pumpkin of pulp and cutting out its toothy mouth and scary eyes with a knife. To make it look even more frightening, a candle is placed inside it.
Fortune telling and omens for Halloween
On the night when spirits walk the earth, we too can travel through worlds. Every person has the opportunity to look into another reality, predict the future, and communicate with the deceased. Many perceive even a seance as fun, while others are looking for answers to questions of interest, and sometimes find them. This is a night of magic, magic, mystery. On Halloween, miracles happen all the time, the main thing is to be able to notice them.
Fortune telling on saucers. The three saucers were used to tell fortunes primarily by girls who were looking for love. Of course, they gathered in a large group so that it would not be so scary. A saucer with spring water was placed on the table, another empty and a third with ink. The young fortune tellers took turns blindfolding each other and brought one girl to the table so that she could choose the saucer that would reveal her secret. It was believed that the hand at that moment was controlled by an otherworldly force, which directed and lowered the palm into one of the three bowls. If the saucer was empty, the girl remained among the unmarried that year. If with water, a quick wedding is expected, and the girl will become happy in her marriage. Well, if the hand was painted with paint, then the husband will have an unpleasant past.
Fortune telling by dreams. Through dreams, mysterious information comes to us. They are prophetic, colorful and frightening. On Halloween night they were used to guess and are still guessing to this day. It was believed that if you dreamed of water, a mirror or stones, then luck would be in everything that year. But if you see snow, hail, strong wind or faded flowers in a dream, expect trouble.
Signs for Halloween:
– To prevent spirits from entering the house and remaining there, candles were lit.
– To scare away misfortune from yourself and your family, you had to walk around the house or apartment three times in a carnival costume and with a burning torch in your hands.
– Seeing a spider on Halloween means trouble.
“People put on their clothes backwards and went out at night in order to meet a real witch and find out their fate from her.
What should you not do on Halloween?
According to a huge number of mediums and psychics, there are things that under no circumstances should be done on this day. Thus, religious people do not eat meat and meat products at this time, and also attend church without fail, pray and remember their deceased relatives.
Halloween: Do's and Don'ts
If we talk directly about traditions, then there are no strict canons for this holiday:
“However, there are beliefs and superstitions that are best observed;
– So, a person should never turn around if, during a night walk, he heard clear persistent steps behind him;
– It is believed that these dead souls decided to go after you;
– And at the crossroads you can find out your fate;
– To do this, you need to go out at night to the intersection of two or more roads and listen to the wind;
“In his barely audible whisper you can hear a prediction of all the important events that will happen to a person in the coming year.
Halloween is a scary holiday with a fun component and a centuries-old history. Whether you take it seriously or take it as a reason for fun is up to you to decide. But we should not forget that our life is full of mysteries and secrets that we are not even aware of.
Have a great mood and happy Halloween.
Halloween came to us from Europe and the USA. And if they still approach this holiday with all seriousness, then we, by and large, perceive it more as a day when you can fool around, have fun and scare passers-by with scary masks and costumes. But Halloween has a deep history, its own traditions and superstitions. What's behind this? an unusual holiday, and how should it be carried out correctly?
According to ancient legends, on the night of October 31, the Druids gathered around a fire and made sacrifices to evil spirits to appease them. The Celts believed that on this night the spirits of the dead come from the afterlife. And in order not to become their victims, in the evening people took food outside the threshold of their house so that the dead would be more favorable. Now this belief has grown into an ingrained tradition where children dress up in animal skins, put on masks and knock on houses to take what is owed to the spirits. As a rule, people willingly open their doors to children dressed as spirits. If someone does not want to open the door, then the mummers, according to tradition, can slightly mischief the inhospitable owners, for example, smear the door handle with soot.
As you know, the most important attribute of the holiday is a pumpkin, or rather a pumpkin head. It symbolizes the end of the harvest. Usually it is prepared long before the holiday itself: the pulp is cut out and the eyes and mouth are made. A candle is inserted inside the pumpkin.
It's common to tell fortunes on Halloween. On this day, spirits become very active, so many girls strive for this mysterious night. There are several ancient fortune tellings that have been used since ancient times.
On this night, the girl can see her betrothed. To do this, she must take a red apple, a lit candle in a candlestick and a mirror. The lights in the room must be turned off. The candle must be placed next to the mirror. After this you need to look in the mirror. At the same time, you need to either eat an apple or comb your hair. The betrothed will appear in the reflection, as if he will be standing behind the fortuneteller. This method is very unpredictable. You can attract not only the image of your future spouse, but also invite uninvited guests - evil spirits. If the candlestick suddenly falls, fortune telling about your betrothed must be stopped immediately, as this is a sign of the presence of evil spirits.
Special attention people took time to sleep on Halloween night. If you dream of water, glass or stones this night, then this is a harbinger of good luck. If you dream of rain, hurricane or flowers, expect trouble.
There are still many beliefs and signs regarding this holiday. As a rule, people noticed everything that happened to them on this day, because their future for the coming year depended on it.
To attract good luck, people wore their clothes inside out. Thus, they confused the spirits and they could not harm them.
Candles were usually lit in the house to scare away spirits. If the candles went out, this was considered a sign that evil forces had entered the house. In order to protect your home from the influence of evil spirits, damage and misfortunes, it is customary to walk around your house three times counterclockwise before sunset in a carnival costume with a torch in your hands.
If you see a spider in the house on Halloween night, it means that the house is being protected by your deceased relative, who thus warns that you are in danger this year. If you want to see a real witch or evil spirit on this night, you need to wear all your clothes inside out and inside out, go outside and walk backwards.
How to perceive Halloween? Ironically or seriously? For each of us, this holiday is, first of all, a day of miracles and fun. However, behind all this lies centuries-old wisdom and traditions, which should not be forgotten either. So if you want to spend this holiday according to all the customs, then unforgettable emotions await you, caused by unusual holiday paraphernalia, bright suits, fortune telling and superstitions.
16.10.2013 12:40
Every person wants to protect themselves and their loved ones from life’s failures and the negative influence of other people - the evil eye and damage. ...
