Where
does Halloween come from?
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The
name Halloween probably stands
for “All Hallows' Eve”, which means "the eve of All Saints" and is on October 31st. After dark, in Anglo-Saxon
countries and now also in many others
(including Poland), children and adults celebrate it. Halloween is a
festival with pre-Christian roots; it has
roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain.
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http://www.globalimmersions.com/go-global-blog/the-origins-of-halloween
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Samhain was the period during which farmers were preparing for the coming winter.
They celebrated tor nine days.It was the time of preparing inventories for winter, it was
time to return to winter settlements with cattle and spend time with families and neighbors.
At that time the Celts watched dying nature, which reminded them about the cycle of human
life and the inevitability of death. They believed that the souls of those who passed away
visit the world of the living people to meet with them and share their stories.
Celtic people were scared of the anger of ghosts; therefore, they left them gifts (like food and lanterns) in front of the house.
They believed that the gifts pleased ghosts and they left their villages.
The custom of celebrating Halloween survived for centuries in Ireland. It moved to America
in the nineteenth century (20th in Europe) thanks to Irish immigrants who left their homeland
in large numbers.
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The symbol of Halloween and its almost indispensable gadget is… pumpkin. Carved pumpkin with lantern (in Irish “will-o'-the-wisp”) means
wandering souls in the living world.
Today, the pumpkin with carved eyes, nose and mouth is placed
in in front of the house . So scary
pumpkin entertains and scares the participants at Halloween parties.
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| http://chicago.cbslocal.com/top-lists/halloween-trick-or-treating-times-for-cook-county-ill-2013/ |
During Halloween
people dress up as ghosts,
vampires, characters from horror movies. Kids collect sweets under the threat
of pranks "Trick or treat!"
Halloween is the second-largest commercial holiday, with Christmas being
the first. According to the Federation of Retail Trade in the United States,
Americans in 2015 spent on Halloween about USD 7.86 billion.. In 2016 it could
be $ 10 billion. In the UK last year It was more than 350 million pounds (12
million in the early 90s).
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Nowadays, I think Halloween has nothing to do with the real Day of the
Dead. We shouldn’t connect these two concepts. Halloween is the only day of
fun, when you can dress up as witch, ghost, mummy and other ugly
characterizations.
Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, How?
Do you think the tradition of Halloween should spread in Poland?
Do you have a favorite dish of pumpkin? :)
( I recommend a recipe for a delicious pumpkin pie !
https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18470/libbys-famous-pumpkin-pie/)
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https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/jack-o-lantern-orange-pumpkin-pie/ad5f3fed-62ae-4a3f-8be9-66373e554e7a
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Sources:
1. No, I do not celebrate Halloween
ReplyDelete2.I think that Halloween is a "celebration", which did not exist in Polish culture and customs, so we should not celebrate it officially. Halloween is geared towards joking about death and dead. In our culture, we are not joking about dead and we have a custom that we should not speak badly about dead people. Halloween is a celebration of a commercial, profit-oriented and therefore for me it is an artificial feast. For some people Halloween it is just an opportunity to drink and wear silly costumes.
3.Yes, I have. My favourite dish of pumpkin is Cream of pumpkin with ginger. It is very aromatic, colorful, delicate and silky taste. Worth trying, especially in the autumn days :)
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Delete2.Klaudia, you're absolutely right. Polish people are not joking about dead and they have a custom that we should not speak badly about dead people. All Souls' Day in Poland is a time of reflection on the dead loved ones.
Delete3.Klaudia, i often eat pumpkin soup without the addition of ginger. This combination of tastes and aromates must be amazing. Next time, when I will make creamy soup of pumpkin, I'm sure I'll add ginger :)
1. No, I don't celebrate Hallowen.
ReplyDelete2. I think that, Halloween isn,t spread in Poland and such state should be continued. Halloween is a day preceding our catholic All Saints' Day, where we give our died respect. It would not be right, when we would day before when we go on cemetery, would play and joking about dead.
3. My favorite dish of pumpkin is Soup Cream of pumpkin whith roasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin. It's great and very nutritious soup.
2. Adam, you're absolutely right about Halloween. If on October 31 we party and joking about dead people, and the next day when we celebrate All Saints' Day, with remember dead loved ones - it is an act of hypocrisy.
Delete3. Soup Cream od pumpkin with roasted sunflower seeds is my favourite dish too :)
1. No, I don't celebrate Halloween.
ReplyDelete2. I don't see any reason, why it shouldn't. The world is becoming a global village and some traditions are also becoming global. I don't think there's anything wrong about it, as it doesn't necessarily mean we lose our traditions, it's only up to us to preserve them.
3. My favorite pumpkin dish is a creamy pumpkin soup with coconut milk and cardamom, it's absolutely delicious.
DeleteEva, thank You for Your comment and opinion on Halloween.
I have never eaten soup cream of pumpkin with coconut milk. This soup should taste amazing! :) I love Asian cuisines, where coconut milk is one of the main ingredients.
1. No, I also don't celebrate Halloween.
ReplyDelete2. I don't like Halloween, but I don't mind this holiday. This is a good for shops. Traffic in stores are grown in these days. I think that Halloween are not popoular in our country because our nationality is strongly conservative. We do not easily implement foreign cultural traditions. I think that this is good, becasue we have other traditions (in example catholic All Saints' Day). We are different. Lovely this.
3. I do not often eat pumpkin dishes. But many years ago my grandmother often prepared delicious pupkin soup.
Kamil, thank You for Your comment and opinion on Halloween.
DeletePumpkin dishes are usually seasonal, so autumn is the ideal time when you should try them out :) I highly recommend you try the creamy soup with roasted pumpkin and pepper. If you like sweets, you try the pumpkin pie - is delicious! In the autumn at the cafe starbucks you you can buy a special pumpkin spice latte - wonderful taste ^^
For me, Halloween is another element of foreign culture I don't care much. The form of it is very nice and friendly, it makes people integrate each other. Apart from that, are poles really want to have another holiday? We have two already: All Saints Day / Dead Day and Dziady, the slavic pagan equivalent of Halloween, now forgotten. I think, if somebody really wants to celebrate not so serious holiday, let's celebrate Dziady or something derived from this tradition. Anyway, pumpkin is really delicious without this halloween stuff. I highly recommended little sour pumkin and zucchini pancakes, mmmmm, delicious :)
ReplyDeleteIngvar, thank you for your comment. You are right, Polish people celebrate a lot of holidays. But much of which is a serious public holidays such as Independence Day or the Feast of the Constitution. In my opinion, Halloween can not be called a celebration such as Independence Day. Halloween is the only day in which people can go to party togheter. It has nothing to do with a major holiday.
Delete1. No, I don’t celebrate Halloween. Not because I don’t care about it, not because I’m an ignorant. I just don’t find it particularly popular in Poland. My friends don’t celebrate it, neither my family. With whom shall party then? :)
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion if the idea was good and matching our culture there would be no need of spreading it. It would flow to our reality by itself. Somehow it didn’t happen so far, so I guess Poland is not ‘in the target’ of Halloween. As mentioned above we have other national customs like Dziady. Somehow they got forgotten, but I don’t think they need to be replaced by American holiday.
3. Yes! Pumpkin cream & pumpkin cake! :)
1. Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, How?
ReplyDeleteNo I don’t celebrate Halloween. I grow up in traditional way. In our polish tradition is to celebrate All Saints Day. I think that Halloween is a kind of fashion which comes to our country in the era of globalization few years ago. It is not our holiday and we shouldn’t celebrate it, because we should not be affected by western culture, but respect our tradition and culture.
2. Do you think the tradition of Halloween should spread in Poland?
As I wrote above we have our traditions and our holidays, and Halloween shouldn’t spread In Poland, because when we start to celebrate someone else tradition we will forget about our roots. All Saints Day is the time to visit the graves of loved ones and it should be the day of reflection on our’s life.
3. Do you have a favourite dish of pumpkin? :)
Yes, sometimes I like to eat pumpkin soup cream with a truffle oil.
1. Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, How?
ReplyDeleteNope, I don't celebrate Halloween.
2. Do you think the tradition of Halloween should spread in Poland?
In my opinion it shouldn't spread in Poland. We have our own traditions. We have many occasions when we celebrate and enjoy. In this time we should reflect and focus on All Saints Day instead of partying.
3. Do you have a favorite dish of pumpkin? :)
To be honest - no. I don't like a taste of pumpkin.
1. Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, How?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't. This holiday is totally not for me :)
2. Do you think the tradition of Halloween should spread in Poland?
As most of my colleagues I think we should stay with our own traditions. Still we live in a different culture and that day we should spend with our families and visit the graves of loved ones.
3. Do you have a favourite dish of pumpkin? :)
Yes! For me absolutely the best is soup cream :)
1. Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, How?
ReplyDeleteNo I don’t celebrate halloween. It is not for me.
2. Do you think the tradition of Halloween should spread in Poland?
In fact, Halloween has some influence on our lives. I've noticed that there are special parties for adults connected with haloween, when people can weare some funny costumes and do funny make up. I'm not taking part in that parties, because Halloween for me is a time to do reflection about life and death. I can agree with these that Halloween is an occasion for children to get some sweets, but everyone need to be aware accept this that Halloween may be not so easy for everyone.
3. Do you have a favourite dish of pumpkin?
Unfortunately not
I’ve never celebrated Halloween. Maybe because that when I heard about it in my opinion I was too old. I do not see obstacles to small children playing in it. I heard about a letter from the ministry to teachers about Halloween. In my opinion it was funny. If kids want to play something – let them play. It is just fun in the fresh air without computers, TV or Internet. It is healthy if they do not eat all candies on the same day.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to know that the Halloween is the second-largest commercial holiday. I suspected that it might be.
About eating pumpkin – I like pumpkin cream made by my fiancée ;)
Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, How?
ReplyDeleteI attened a party that my friends throw every year :P its fun - we do dress up.
Do you think the tradition of Halloween should spread in Poland?
I dont mind, I am really neutral when it comes to that.
Do you have a favorite dish of pumpkin? :)
I really love pumpikn cream soup
1. Do you celebrate Halloween? If yes, How?
ReplyDeleteNo, I do not celebrate Halloween. However, I remember that in primary school we had a "Halloween day" on English classes. Once or twice it was organised for whole school and all students could participate in activities and games inspired by the holiday. Anyway it was more or less connected to English lessons. One of that days was on Friday and students wanted to organised a disco in the evening but school authorities didn't agree for that arguing that it would not be appropriate because of the very next day's holiday, which is much more important in our Polish culture.
2. Do you think the tradition of Halloween should spread in Poland?
Well, I think that Halloween for many people is just one more opportunity to throw a party and drink booze and ... why not ;) But I think that we shouldn't forget about our own holidays. It's ok to know other cultures and celebrate their feast but Halloween, Valentine's day become more and more a commercial feast...
3. Do you have a favorite dish of pumpkin? :)
Recently I tasted really great jam made of oranges and pumpkins. The taste was very interesting and surprising, I really liked it!
1. I don't celebrate Halloween.
ReplyDelete2. Indeed we become a global village. Kids love
Halloween. They can dress up in cool outfits and get a
lot of sweets. Despite this, I think we should cherish
our native traditions and holidays, and do not take
others.
3. I have eaten only one pumpkin dish in my life. It
was a roasted pumpkin baked with cheese and béchamel
sauce. I recommend it. Inspired by this article,
tomorrow, for the first time, I will try a pumpkin
cream soup. I think it will be delicious.
I don't celebrate Halloween.
ReplyDeleteI'm rather closer to celebrate this time in old fashioned, Polish way and visit graves of my family, try to recall them. Light a candle and such.
I don't eat pumpkin dishes to often, don;t remember when i did last time.