The Halloween night is close upon us, so I decided to write this post about the American festivity that has spread all over the world. It has become more and more popular in Spain, although some people criticize for being a mere copy of an American festivity. Anyway, it's a festival, right ? Why not learn something about it and enjoy it as much as possible ? Let's start with some of the Halloween symbols:
10. Black cats : You are alone at night in a lonely alley and you see some bright eyes looking at you and you hear screeching howl. Scared ? Our perception of cats have changed over the centuries. They were considered sacred animal in the Egyptian culture and they were even considered a token indicating that a marriage was flourishing. However, in the Middle Ages they were closely associated to witchcraft, wickedness and death. Do not cross a black cat in Halloween, Friday, 13th or Tuesday 13th he he. Last trivia fact about cats: in Spanish they are said to have seven lives, but in the English culture, have got nine lives. Cats seem difficult to kill, don't you think ?
9. Skeletons and skulls: These bony depict dead people that on the night of Halloween come back to life. They belong to the spirits realm. The Celts believed that the soul could be found in the skull, which is the head of skeletons. In fact, Hamlet holds a skull while he reflects upon the human existence. For me, skeletons are funny characters and one of the best Halloween costumes.
8. Witches flying on a broomstick and casting spells using a cauldron: Witches are the most characteristic female characters in the night of Halloween. As you know, alleged witches were often burned because people were afraid of their powers. What is characteristic about them ? Well, they wear pointed hats, they have hideous warts in their faces, the can fly using a broomstick and they cast their spells in cauldrons using odd ingredients such as frogs, spiders or more 'loathsome' animals. The most famous film about witches is probably Hocus Pocus (El Retorno de las Brujas). Why not watch it during the Halloween night ?
7. Spiders and cobwebs : Spiders usually produce disgust and loath among people (with the exception of Spiderman he he ). Spiders weave cobwebs, which are associated with the passage of time and fate. Spiders and cobwebs are necessary elements in haunted houses, so watch your eyes if you happen to be in a haunted house !
6. Bats and vampires : Who hasn't seen a bat at night ? Bats are nocturnal animals They suck the blood of their preys and they are said to be able to communicate with the devil. Vampires can transform themselves into bats to escape and so can witches. There are a lot of famous vampires, Count Dracula being the most famous one. If you want to kill them, stab them with a stake in their heart while they sleep in their coffins, use silver or wear garlic wherever you go.
5.Ghosts in haunted houses : Dead spirits with unfinished business in our world, spirits that can walk next to us and we cannot even touch them. The spirits that are released in Halloween frequently take the shape of ghosts, spooky creatures that dwell in haunted houses and scare us to hell !
4. Graveyard or cemeteries, tombs and gravestones: Apart from a haunted house, what is the spookiest place of all ? A cemetery, of course. This is the place where all the dead rest. However, in Halloween, they all come to life (either as ghosts or as zombies). You wouldn't like to be there on October, 31st !
3. Pumpkins : This orange plant is the Halloween symbol per excellence. It is said that witches can turn you into pumpkins, much like they did in Cinderella where a fairy transformed a pumpkin into a carriage.Anyway, other than using pumpkins for decoration, American use it for food, pumpkin pies and roaster pumpkin seed being two typical Halloween dishes.
2. Trick-or-treating : As you know, in this tradition, children go door to door asking for candy, pronouncing the words "trick or treat". They are just saying that if they don't receive candy, they will play a prank, for example, they will throw eggs to your house or they will cover your house in toilet paper. This tradition goes back to a Gaelic festival, the Samhain, where people offered some food to the spirits to calm them down.
1. Jack-o-lantern : This is probably the most representative element of house decoration. This is how it works. You take a real pumpkin, you empty it, you carve it to look scary and you put a candle in it. Perfect, right ? The origins of this object is a man named Jack, an unrepentant sinner, who managed to trick the devil and trapped him into a tree surrounded by crosses. He let the devil go only when he promised he will never reclaim his soul. When Jack died, he couldn't go to Heaven because he had been a sinner and he couldn't go to hell either. He had to wander eternally and the devil sent him a flame from hell. He put it into a turnip and used it to light his way.
Did you enjoy the Halloween icons ? I hope you did. To finish this post, here you have a funny video about Halloween, a video in which parents tell their little children that they have eaten all the Halloween candy. You must watch it. Their reaction is priceless.
In my educational blog, I have also written an entry about Halloween food. Click on the link to watch it.
I'll be in touch.
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