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Can someone tell me why Halloween exists?
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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I can't remember 'celebrating' Halloween when I was a kid, and i'm confused as to why it seems to be getting so popular over here, year after year. To me its just an American idea, and commercialism has taken over now and made it into an 'event'. I don't know about anybody else, but i get a bit embarrased looking at some of the lengths people go to to 'celebrate' Halloween.... maybe i'm just getting old and miserable....  |
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It's very commercialised these days. It's actually 'All Hallow's Eve' or the pagan Samhain. Samhain is a festival of the Dead. Meaning "Summer's End" and pronounced saah-win or saa-ween, Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"It's very commercialised these days. It's actually 'All Hallow's Eve' or the pagan Samhain. Samhain is a festival of the Dead. Meaning "Summer's End" and pronounced saah-win or saa-ween, Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year. "
And samhain has been celebrated longer than we have Christmas x |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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It's also the night before the Christian festival All Saints Day - which is today! Hence witches etc were said to cause mayhem the evening before as on all saints day good prevailed!
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The commercialism doesn't really bother me, I was visited by a lot of kids who looked like they were having fun last night.
We only age in one direction, let kids have fun being kids. |
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By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago
Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound |
"It's also the night before the Christian festival All Saints Day - which is today! Hence witches etc were said to cause mayhem the evening before as on all saints day good prevailed!
"
Let's not forget that tomorrow is All Soul's Day.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The commercialism doesn't really bother me, I was visited by a lot of kids who looked like they were having fun last night.
We only age in one direction, let kids have fun being kids."
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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You are a consumer. The shops and media will help you consume through any means possible. Xmas, Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, nov 5th, football, tennis etc etc. Spend spend spend so they get rich rich rich! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The commercialism doesn't really bother me, I was visited by a lot of kids who looked like they were having fun last night.
We only age in one direction, let kids have fun being kids."
True!
My only concern is that kids are going out in the dark and knocking on strangers doors! Thus they are far more vulnerable than usual and might be pray to the real 'monsters' out there!!
And before anyone says anything - I do know that over 99% of people are lovely and wouldn't dream of hurting kids!  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The commercialism doesn't really bother me, I was visited by a lot of kids who looked like they were having fun last night.
We only age in one direction, let kids have fun being kids.
True!
My only concern is that kids are going out in the dark and knocking on strangers doors! Thus they are far more vulnerable than usual and might be pray to the real 'monsters' out there!!
And before anyone says anything - I do know that over 99% of people are lovely and wouldn't dream of hurting kids! "
I didn't see much door knocking. And what there was, was under parental supervision. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The commercialism doesn't really bother me, I was visited by a lot of kids who looked like they were having fun last night.
We only age in one direction, let kids have fun being kids.
True!
My only concern is that kids are going out in the dark and knocking on strangers doors! Thus they are far more vulnerable than usual and might be pray to the real 'monsters' out there!!
And before anyone says anything - I do know that over 99% of people are lovely and wouldn't dream of hurting kids! "
For the last few years pretty much every trick or treater I've seen had someone older with them |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The commercialism doesn't really bother me, I was visited by a lot of kids who looked like they were having fun last night.
We only age in one direction, let kids have fun being kids.
True!
My only concern is that kids are going out in the dark and knocking on strangers doors! Thus they are far more vulnerable than usual and might be pray to the real 'monsters' out there!!
And before anyone says anything - I do know that over 99% of people are lovely and wouldn't dream of hurting kids! "
What is really scary is that people in the same street are classed as strangers.
If kids truck or treat neighbours they are still strangers. How sad is it that we don't know our own neighbours. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"When asked trick or treat, I would live to shout trick and then throw flower and water bombs at them...
Is that wrong?"
My brother had this happen when we were kids and he got shaving cream sprayed all over him. He was pissed but it was hilarious. 
-Courtney |
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in case you don't know, the celebration of Halloween is NOT "another American custom", it (originally "All Hallows Even") originated in IRELAND and was observed by the Celts on the evening before All Hallows Day (1 Nov) and is thus an over 1,500 year tradition.They believed that on Samhain (pronounced sah-win) the boundaries of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life to cause havoc such as illness and damaged crops. They lit giant bonfires and dressed in frightening costumes to"scare off the ghosts of the dead. Naturally, this tradition was carried to America by Irish settlers in the 1840's and eventually evolved into the celebration we know today, sweets, kids dressing up and adults going to "spooky" parties, etc. In the meantime, kids and adults alike enjoy the celebration here in Germany as well!!!! Also, lanterns, candles and decoration bring a bit of "light", color and spirit into the gray autumn over here.
Was posted on my friends Facebook
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In 10 years of living here, I bet I've had no more than 5 trick or treaters. They all go to the local pub for a kids party, where they play games, win prizes and stay safe.
I used to love Halloween as a kid. Plastic witches hat, black bin bag and a turnip for my Jack O'Lantern. |
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"It's very commercialised these days. It's actually 'All Hallow's Eve' or the pagan Samhain. Samhain is a festival of the Dead. Meaning "Summer's End" and pronounced saah-win or saa-ween, Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year. "
Someone's been Googling 
Anyway... this Celtic tradition was taken up by the Romans who took the tradition of celebrating a day of the dead and spread throughout them empire.
So it survives in to the Christian era, where it's firstly cleaned up by inserting All Saints Day on Nov 1st. (Halloween is the Eve before All Hallow's [Saints] Day - geddit?).
The tradition was kept alive in the small medieval mind when it was associated with goblins and ghoulies and fear... and it was accepted tradition to carve root vegetables (typically turnips) in to faces with which to scare away evil spirits (a bit like the rationale behind gargoyles).
I digress...
The tradition was taken to the New World by Irish immigrants where, in the absence of turnips, they used pumpkins.
The whole Americanised celebration has now been re-exported to Europe as a wonderful example of globalisation and an exercise in selling toot to people.
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