What's behind Halloween?

Is Halloween celebrated in your country, or is it just seen as a commercial bridge? Many countries with American influence celebrate it. However, what is behind all those graphic representations of terror, witches, skulls, walking corpses (zombies) or spirits of darkness?

Maybe you don't believe in spirits and maybe Halloween is just an opportunity to have fun like a child playing dress-up.

An encyclopedia that reports on American traditions says: "Basically, the aim of Halloween is to contact the spirits, many of whom are dedicated to intimidating or scaring." The same is true of other similar festivals: they have hidden pagan roots and are closely related to ancestor worship. Even today, people around the world take advantage of them to communicate with the supposed spirits of the dead.

Although Halloween is considered an American holiday, it is being celebrated in more and more countries. However, most people do not know the origin of the symbols, customs and decorative elements of this festival, many of which are related to supernatural beings and hidden forces.

VAMPIRES, WEREWOLVES, WITCHES, ZOMBIES: These creatures have long been associated with the evil spirit world.

CANDY: The ancient Celts tried to appease wicked spirits with sweets. The church later encouraged celebrants to go from house to house on All Hallows’ Eve, asking for food in return for a prayer for the dead. This custom eventually became Halloween’s trick or treat.

COSTUMES: The Celts wore frightening masks so that evil spirits would mistakenly think the wearers were spirits and would leave them alone. The church gradually amalgamated pagan customs with the feasts of All Souls and All Saints. Later, celebrants went from house to house wearing costumes of saints, angels, and devils.

PUMPKINS: Carved, candlelit turnips were displayed to repel evil spirits. To some, the candle in the turnip represented a soul trapped in purgatory. Later, carved pumpkins were more commonly used.

Halloween is an occasion where children have fun asking for sweets

Thousands of Wiccans, who follow ancient Celtic rituals, still call Halloween by the ancient name Samhain and consider it to be the most sacred night of the year. “Christians ‘don’t realize it, but they’re celebrating our holiday with us. . . . We like it,’” stated the newspaper USA Today when quoting a professed witch.

And it is very true, the so-called "Christians" * celebrate the "Day of the Dead" this is a traditional Mexican celebration that inspired other areas of Latin America and currently other parts of the world to honor the dead. It takes place on November 1 and 2 and is linked to the celebrations * "Catholic Day of the All Souls and All Saints".

In light of all of the above, don't you think it's worth investigating the dark origins of Halloween and parties like it before participating in them? If you meditate, you may decide to join the many people who do not participate in this celebration.