Halloween is ... The history of the holiday. Traditions, scenario

Today, Halloween is not only a purely American holiday, but also a topic for most Russian parties. In the US, October 31 is the second largest celebration after Christmas and New Year. In Russia and Europe, this is a relatively new tradition, but nevertheless, more and more people are dressed up every year in the most unusual costumes and street processions. How did it all start and where did this holiday come from?

The History of Halloween

Where did the tradition of dressing up in suits and going to neighbors' houses go, offering "sweetness or muck"? In fact, several centuries ago it was not just a holiday, but an obligatory annual rite with its strict rules. The history of Halloween dates back to the era of the birth of England, Ireland and France. In those times the year was not divided into 12 months, but consisted of only two parts - winter and summer. Since the population of the countries was predominantly pagan, there was a legend that the Sun God was held captive every winter by Samhain, who in turn was the ruler of darkness. Therefore, it was on October 31 that the Celts prepared offerings to the dark knight in order to cajole him so that he would return the sun back.

Also, Halloween, whose date fell at the end of the harvest season, was a symbol of the transition to a new life. In winter, all living things perished and found themselves under the snow, but then again reborn. In addition, it was believed that Samhayn lived in a white desert, where peace and tranquility reigned. After a hard working time for the Celts, winter was a period when you can take a break from hard work and devote time to the family.

Another legend associated with the lord of darkness says that it is on this night that he opens the gate to other worlds and allows you to see the past and the future. Just as summer is replaced in winter on this day, the Celts hoped that life would change its course and bring them luck next year.

Rituals

In Ireland, it was decided to meet in the main city of the country - Tara. During the holiday, a huge feast was held, which began in the early morning, and ended only the next day. The admirers of Samhain extinguished the houses in the fire, and ignited it again only from the sacred fire of the druids. The priests consecrated the flame, and with it all the Celts, promising them prosperity and luck.

According to the legend, Halloween is the time when other creatures can enter the real world: spirits, demons, goblins, witches and other mystical creatures. To prevent dangerous creatures from attacking local residents, the Celts dressed in costumes that corresponded to these images, and went home, threatening tenants and demanding food from them.

After the lands of England were captured by the Romans, the festival remained, as its date coincided with the Roman triumph of the goddess Pomona, who was responsible for all living plants on earth. Gradually the traditions mingled, and in the rite appeared the popular and now Halloween pumpkin.

Where did the name of the holiday come from?

All Saints' Day is a holiday dedicated to those saints who do not have their own day for celebration. In medieval English the day before November 1 was called All Hallows Even, or All Hallows Eve, after a while the phrase was shortened to Hallowe'en, and eventually acquired the now known form of Halloween. Despite the fact that the Pope in every way tried to eradicate pagan festivities, for some reason it was Halloween that got so established that it became one of the most popular days of the year.

Give it away, and then I'll bewitch!

"Pleasure or punishment" has become a popular gaming tradition. The meaning of it is known to everyone. October 31, children wear costumes for Halloween and start walking around the houses of the townspeople, asking people to eat sweets. Of course, giving small witches and other candy creations is not necessary, but otherwise one can not expect the most pleasant punishment. In ancient England, the little heroes of the holiday smeared the doors of the entrance doors with soot if they were refused. Now you can find your house with eggs or toilet paper. Of course, this does not happen in Russia, but for the USA this is quite a common phenomenon, therefore city dwellers prefer to buy as much as possible delicacies in advance.

Jack

Lantern Jack - this is another tradition and an integral attribute, which must necessarily be entered into the script for Halloween.

It all started with one cunning Irish blacksmith. Jack twice deceived the devil by concluding a deal with him. He remained the owner of his soul, but, unfortunately, it did not help him. When Jack died, for his sinful life the gates of paradise did not open before him. Therefore, the stingy blacksmith was forced to wander the earth for the rest of the ages in anticipation of the Day of Judgment. The only thing that he got in the afterlife was a small coal that was protected from rain and wind by a familiar vegetable. So the famous Jack-o-lanterns lantern, or the famous pumpkin for Halloween, appeared.

How to celebrate Halloween in other countries?

In China on this day it is customary to remember the dead ancestors and put a flashlight and food before their photos. Thus, the Chinese help their departed relatives to illuminate their path in the afterlife. In the evening of October 31, city dwellers gather and send paper boats to sail , which they then set on fire. Smoke, according to the belief, helps souls to go to heaven.

In Germany on the night of November 1, residents dress up in monsters and recover to the castle of Frankenstein. Many are sure that on this day a crazy alchemist appears on the roof of the building.

France is famous for its fantastic parades. Annually more than 30 thousand tourists and residents of the country dress up in costumes for Halloween and go to the suburbs of Paris, to Disneyland and Limoges. Thousands of goblins, ghosts, vampires and witches arrange the most colorful shows.

Scenario for Halloween for students

In Russia, it is customary not to go home, picking candy and scaring guests with unusual decorations. Most often, theme parties are held in clubs or cafes. Consider one of the options for holding such a theme party.

The presenter welcomes the guests and briefly tells the story of the origin of this legendary holiday. After that, he offers the gathered to hide from evil spirits under the masks.

Witch exit

The host tells the guests the following story: "As this night opens the passage to the other world, witches come to us and arrange their coven. Since ancient times, people have tried to catch at least one such witch, for this was even invented a certain ritual. In order for a real witch to appear before you, on Halloween you need to go out into the street turned inside out, and then on your way a mystical creature will necessarily meet. Especially for you we found real witches. Let's greet them! "

After that, witches come on the scene, who perform a coven dance and pose for a photo. Halloween begins.

After the dance, the presenter tells another story related to the appearance of a pumpkin lantern, and about the Irish blacksmith Jack. Next, anyone can try to create the most unique flashlight. A professional decorator shows what unusual things can be cut out of a pumpkin.

When the winner is determined and has already received his memorable prize, the evening's presenter tells the public about the other mystical creatures who can appear before their eyes at any moment. On the scene there are mummies, mermaids and other creatures. At this time, hired stylists make everyone want the most unusual make-up for Halloween, so by the end of the evening all the guests turn into witches and goblins.

After dances, carving pumpkins and other things, the long-awaited contest "The Best Halloween Costume" is announced. At the end of the evening, the cake and other food for the students are taken to the stage.

Scenario for Children's Halloween

Halloween is primarily a children's holiday, as no one likes to dress up in fairy-tale characters more than children.

Little pranksters believe in miracles, so for them such a party can be no less fascinating than the New Year or birthday. And it is not necessary to dress up your child with a witch or goblin, it can be any fairy-tale hero and character from your favorite cartoon. How can you have a fun Halloween children?

It is better to tell the pranksters beforehand what the holiday is. It is very important that all participants of the children's party carefully prepared and dressed in unusual costumes. You can look in the shop for jokes and buy dummy worms, eyes and other things. Such attributes will help you fully feel the triumph. And, of course, you should not forget that you will definitely need to put makeup on Halloween. And this make-up is done both for children and adults.

The room is better to decorate not too ominously, do not get carried away, a holiday all the same for kids, therefore it is not necessary to frighten them strongly. Optimal will decorate the apartment with a cobweb on which the toy spiders will sit. You can also hang the balloons in black. Young children should be warned in advance that all this is not real, but just a performance.

How to make Jack's lantern ?

Of course, for the children's holiday, you will definitely need the main attribute of Halloween - a pumpkin lantern. To do this, you will need:

• Buy a rather large pumpkin.
• Sharp knife gently cut off its upper part.
• Spoon all the flesh out and grease the vegetable with vegetable oil, so that the pumpkin does not wither.
• Draw your eyes and cut out an ominous grin.
• Place a candle inside the lantern.

Suits for the child for Halloween

Of course, you can buy a ready-made suit in the store, but quite often they are made of poor-quality material and look not very attractive. In addition, the cost of this outfit can reach 5000-7000 rubles, and the next year the child will outgrow it, and will have to buy a new one. Therefore, it is better to sew a suit yourself. So, the most favorite heroes in which children like to dress up:

• A vampire. For such an image you will need to sew a cloak, buy a kapu with fangs and white makeup for the face.
• Koschey. For this, the usual black tights, on which the bones of the skeleton will be drawn or embroidered, will do.
• Shrek. For such a fat man will need a lot of foam rubber or another filler, so that the monster turned out to be the most believable.
• Spider-Man. Spiderman also wears tights, but, in addition, he needs a mask.
• Princess or fairy. Girls love to dress up as little queens. For this outfit, any lavish dress that will later come in handy for holidays in kindergarten and birthdays is suitable.
• Witch. A wicked or kind witch on Halloween will necessarily wear a high cap.

You can sew a costume with a child, who, most likely, will be very interested in joining this fascinating process.

We make potion and other festive dishes

Little pranksters can be offered to cook a "real" witch's potion. To do this, you will need:

• Half a liter of milk;
• 1 banana;
• 1 kiwi fruit.

All the ingredients are mixed in a mixer with awesome laughter. It's over, the mixture will not look very attractive, but for that it's a potion. The taste of the cocktail will turn out to be nutritious and sweet.

You can also prepare "swamp jelly", for which you need a mixture for making jelly "Kiwi" or "Tarhun".

A few more secrets to preparing a horrific menu for children:

• If you put marmalade worms in liquid, they will swell and will look very nasty.
• Tomato juice can be called "Vampire drink".

These dishes can be used in competitions, for example, to determine who will dare to eat anything from the above.

And, of course, we must not forget to make memorable and funny photos during the holiday. Halloween is a very colorful holiday, so the pictures will turn out to be very funny. At the end of the fun you can give the children prizes and ask them to tell about their characters and what they liked at the party.

Finally

The night of November 1 becomes very popular all over the world, and annually the inhabitants of many countries happily reincarnate in the most unthinkable characters. Halloween is a wonderful holiday for children and adults, as it is on this day that kids can grow older, and parents hit their childhood and realize their forgotten dreams into reality. Girls can turn into princesses, female cats or ancient Greek warriors. Men can dress up as heroes of their favorite films or characters from popular comics.