Halloween (Halloween is the original name in English) is a traditional cultural event, which takes place in Anglo-Saxon countries, with special emphasis in the United States, Canada, Ireland and the UK, on the basis and origin celebrations the old people, and there is exactly precise references whence these celebrations.
The word Halloween comes from the Catholic Church.
It comes from a contracted tradition of November 1, the Day of All Saints, is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints.
But in the fifth century AD, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially concluded on October 31.
The holiday was Samhain, the Celtic New Year.
Some witches believe that the origin of the name comes from the word "Hallowinas" - the name given to female guardians of knowledge hidden from the northern lands (Scandinavia).
But scholars say the word Halloween came as follows:
The name is actually a shortened version of "All Hallows 'Even" (Night of All Saints), the eve of All Saints (All Hallows' Day).
"Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person" and the day of all the "holy people" is just another name for All Saints Day, the day when Catholics commemorate all the saints. Over time, people began referring to the Night of All Saints, "All Hallows' Even" as "Hallowe'en" and then simply "Halloween".
Halloween marks the official end of summer and the beginning of the New Year.
Also celebrates the end of the third and final harvest of the year, the start of the provisions for winter storage, the beginning of the return period for grazing herds and the renewal of its laws.
It was a party with several names: Samhain (end of summer), Samhein, La Samon, or, Fiesta del Sol.
But what was it was the Scottish Hallowe'en.
One of the legends of Celtic origin says that the spirits of all who died during that year would come back in search of living bodies to possess and use the next year. The Celts believed to be the only hope of life after death.
The Celts believed all laws of space and time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
As the living did not want to be possessed, on the night of October 31, they extinguished the torches and bonfires of their home so that they would become cold and unpleasant, put costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible, in order to scare those who sought bodies to possess, (Panati).
The Romans adopted the Celtic practices, but in the first century after Christ, they abandoned them.
Halloween was brought to America in 1840 by Irish immigrants fleeing famine in which their country was and began to be known as the "Halloween".
