Em Português:
História Resumida do Halloween:
O
Dia das Bruxas é festejado na noite de 31 de Outubro. Teve origem nos antigos povos
da Grã-Bretanha e Irlanda que acreditavam que os espíritos voltavam para as suas
casas na véspera do Dia de Todos os Santos.
Aos
poucos, a comemoração foi-se generalizando e muitos rituais começaram a ser
praticados, mas sempre em tom de brincadeira, como adivinhas e jogos divinatórios
para saber quem iria casar ou ganhar muito dinheiro naquele ano.
O
hábito de festejar a data foi ganhando adeptos, principalmente entre crianças e
adolescentes.
Levado
para os Estados Unidos pelos colonizadores, o Halloween é, hoje em dia, uma das
festas mais populares do país. Fantasiados conforme manda o figurino
fantasmagórico, meninos e meninas percorrem as casas vizinhas repetindo a
pergunta "Trick or Treat?" (“Doçura ou Travessura?”) e recebem doces
em troca do sossego dos donos da casa.
In English:
Like many other holidays, Halloween has evolved and
changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago the Celts lived in what is now
Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1st was
their New Year's Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October
31st) was a time when the living and the dead came together.
More than a thousand years ago the Christian church
named November 1st All Saints Day (also
called All
Hallows). This was a special holy day to honour the saints and other people
who died for their religion. The night before All Hallows was
called Hallows
Eve. Later the name was changed to Halloween.
Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also
believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They
worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night
people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They
thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead
and would not harm them.
The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by
the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For
example, on Halloween in Europe some people would carry lanterns made from
turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began putting candles
inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack 'o
lanterns today.
These days Halloween is not usually considered a
religious holiday. It is primarily a fun day for children. Children dress up in
costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of worrying about
evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on doors and ask "Trick
or treat?." The owner of each house gives candy or something special to
each trick or treater.
Happy
Halloween!
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