Should we celebrate Halloween?

The worst holiday of the year is on the way. On the night of October 31 to November 1, the entire Western world Halloween The triumph of vampires, witches, ghosts and other evil spirits. Overseas festivities easily took root with us. Young people have fun at discos, competing, who has the most terrible costume, and schoolchildren decorate classes in the best traditions of the celebration. But what do we really celebrate: Celtic Samhain, Slavic Veles Night or Church All Saints Day?





Halloween 2019: Why, where and why do we do this? Opinions of people on this issue are divided: some do not attach much importance to the event and consider it an innocent children's fun, others are sure that Halloween is a great holiday. paganism with a demonic component, which in our time acquired the features of a costumed carnival. In other words, nothing but a coven of evil power.

“Everything was mixed up in the house of Oblonsky,” Leo Tolstoy would say in this case. But the editorialWebsiteIt was the confusion surrounding the demonic night. To understand the essence of the holiday, it is not necessary to watch "Halloween". Read the article and everything will fall into place.



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Halloween was previously known as Samhain (Samhain, Samhain). The historical homeland of the holiday is Scotland and Ireland. There are still rituals to calm the dead on the night of November 1. Samhain has a triple meaning: the end of the harvest, the Celtic New Year and the feast of honoring the dead ancestors.



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It was believed that at this time the souls of the dead visited their former homes to warm themselves by the fire. They wander around collecting food and drink donations from the rest of the family. The souls of the dead could take on different guises – the evil ones inhabited animals.

Along with them are other dark forces: demons, housewives, witches. All the evil spirit comes down to earth. In order not to become the prey of a dead shadow, people extinguished hearths in houses and dressed as terrible as possible - in animal skins and terrible masks, hoping to scare away evil spirits.

That night the gates to the other world were opened. Halloween night is the transition from one world to another. The gateway to winter, to a cold world where all life dies, but at the same time prepares for rebirth, freeing itself from everything superfluous, like trees from foliage.



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The ancient Slavs had a similar mystical holiday. And it's called Veles night (Veles is the god of the underworld). Surprisingly, the date of celebration, rites and traditions coincide with the Celtic Samhain. It was believed that the spirits of the ancestors return to their homes on Veles Night to bless the whole family or punish it.

In China, Halloween is also known as Teng Shieh. On this day, Buddhist monks make paper boats of fate, which are then burned. The smoke carries the souls of the dead to heaven.



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The confusion with the canonically different Samhain and Halloween arose with the spread of Christianity. After the Roman invasion, the Celts were forced to abandon their customs and adopt the Christian faith. By order of the Pope, the memorial day of all saints began to be celebrated on November 1. In the people, the night before this day was called All Hallows Eve - All Saints' Day Eve. This is where the name of the holiday comes from: Halloween.

In 1000, the Catholic Church declared November 2. By the day of all the departed faithful Remembrance of all deceased relatives and friends. Since then, the pagan mysticism of Halloween has coexisted with the Christian faith. In the XIX century, Irish immigrants brought Halloween to America, from where the holiday spread throughout the world.





Although the holiday with pagan roots resonates in the history of different peoples, the main “enemy” Halloween is a church that sees in it a kind of propaganda of Satanism: “The evil one gently stolet, but you will have to sleep hard ...” The Holy Fathers say that the veneration of such holidays leads to the fact that people cease to distinguish between good and evil.

They rejoice in violence, death and suffering, even in a playful way. A true Christian differs from an ostentatious one in that he does not take such festivities seriously, knowing that it is nonsense. Maybe it's time to stop monkeying and teach children to do this kind of thing?



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Despite the controversy, many people find this holiday fun. Today, no one worships otherworldly forces. Halloween is another reason to have a good time. Those who believe and fear evil will have more trouble than those who think Halloween is another fun.

Historical facts show that pagan roots are in the traditions of any people. Take, for example, our Maslenitsa – a holiday of spring and light. Or the Christmas carolers who walk around the yards with carols, begging for treats. Is there anything wrong with what the child wears? halloween You got some candy?



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You can protest all you want, but the fashion and entertainment industry doesn’t stand still. As they say, there is a demand, there will be a supply. Halloween is becoming popular not because of the veneration of evil spirits or adherence to ancient traditions, but just a fun pastime, especially among young people.



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Pumpkin is the leading character of Halloween. If you want to decorate your house for the holiday,It's easy.There are 14 original and stylish decoration ideas for Halloween.

Perhaps one of the best ways to celebrate Halloween is to bake an appetizing pumpkin pie with the most delicate filling. And dressing up in terrible costumes is not necessary.

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