Halloween
Halloween is a festival held every year on the 31st of October and Halloween 2020 on the 31st of October. Tradition began in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and dress up to fend off ghosts.
Pope Gregory III, in the eighth century, designated November 1 as a day to remember all the saints. Soon, the All Saints Day added some of the Samhain rituals. The night before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later as Halloween.
Through years, Halloween has grown into a day of events such as trick-or-treat, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive parties, giving costumes and eating sweets.
Origin of Halloween
The roots of Halloween go back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mainly in the region now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on 1 November.
This day marked the end of the summer and the harvest and the beginning of the long , cold season, a time of the year often associated with human death. Celts assumed that the line between the realms of the living and the deceased had blurred the night before the New Year. Samhain was observed on the night of October 31, when it was claimed that the spirits of the dead had come to earth.
Besides causing trouble and destroying crops, Celts believed that the presence of unearthly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions for the future. For people entirely reliant on the unpredictable natural environment, these prophecies have been an essential source of relief in the long , dark winter.
Halloween in the Philippines
Halloween is a day when people will dress up , take part in celebrations, and enjoy free candy, but in the Philippines, this annual festival goes far beyond the normal traditions.
The Philippines, as a predominantly Catholic community, celebrates Halloween with devotion. The festivities begin on October 31, or sometimes on October 30, varying on the year. The celebration proceeds during two consecutive national holidays in the country: All Saints' Day on 1 November and All Souls Day on 2 November.
Thousands of people go to the nearest cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and remain there for the whole day. Some also set up a camp and spent the night there. Some families are taking advantage of this opportunity to reconnect and catch up with their relatives, particularly those who do not see each other on a regular basis.
There are some other ancient rituals such as atang (food offering) when families put the favourite dishes of dead loved ones on their grave or in front of their pictures at home.
Then there's Pangangaluluwa — the Philippines' own version of trick-or-treat — when people go door-to - door to sing for the dead in return for small cash or alms. Another ancient tradition that is still observed today is the lighting of the candles in front of the houses. The candles are illuminated in the evening and are thought to help light the way for the deceased as they journey to the afterlife. The people who went to the cemetery before the actual holidays is minimal compared to the number of people coming at the end of All Saints' Day.
For the incoming celebration of All Soul's Day here in the Philippines, cemeteries are closed by the Local Government because of the Pandemic so the people authorized to visit their love one's before the usual dates to secure the number of people and to secure their health. People also requested to celebrate it in their homes instead.
