What is Halloween? |The origin And Meaning
The cooler days have made it easier to spend time in the city, and it has completely turned into autumn. There are many ways to enjoy autumn, such as enjoying the arts, engaging in sports, and reading books, but the most exciting autumn event in recent years is probably Halloween.
Halloween has become a well established event in Japan, and events are held here and there in autumn. Because of this image, many people may think that Halloween is just a festival where people dress up in costumes and have fun. However, it was originally a traditional event with a long history to celebrate the harvest.
In this issue, we will introduce the origin, history, and hidden anecdotes of Halloween. We've also created a quiz about Halloween, so give it a try!
Table of Contents
01What is Halloween?
When is Halloween?
Origins of Halloween
The Beginning of Halloween in Japan
At Disney Halloween
Why do we dress up as 02?
03The meaning of Trick or Treat
04Halloween is Pumpkin
Anecdotes about Jack-o'-lanterns
05Halloween Miscellaneous Quiz
06Summary
What is Halloween?
Halloween is a traditional event that has been celebrated for over 2000 years. It was a religious event to celebrate the fall harvest and to drive out evil spirits.
Halloween was originally called "All Hallows Eve" because it was a festival held on the eve of All Hallow's Day (All Saints' Day), which was designated by Christianity on November 1. It is said that the name "Halloween" was derived from this.
When is Halloween?
Halloween is an event that takes place on October 31. It was originally a Celtic festival called "Sawin" from Ireland.
Since the Celtic calendar changed to November 1, they held a harvest festival on October 31, the turn of the year, to celebrate harvest and fertility.
Origins of Halloween
The Celts believed that on October 31, the end of the year, a doorway to the afterlife opens. It was a day to celebrate harvest and fertility, as well as the return of the souls of the dead to their families. In Japan, it is a combination of "Omisoka," "Autumn Festival," and "Obon!
Later in history, the Celtic culture came to the Americas with immigrants and came to be enjoyed as a highly entertaining event. In modern times, the religious flavor has faded and it is now enjoyed as an entertaining event.
The Beginning of Halloween in Japan
In Japan, "Kiddy Land" is said to be the pioneer of Halloween.
In 1983, Kiddy Land held a Halloween parade in Omotesando, Harajuku, to promote sales of its products, but the number of participants was small and not many Japanese attended.
[Reference] https://www.value-press.com/pressrelease/30185
At Disney Halloween
It is said that Halloween gained recognition when Tokyo Disneyland held the Halloween-themed "Disney Halloween" in 1997. Nowadays, Halloween has become well established in Japan, with Halloween events held throughout the country in the fall.
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Why do we dress up?
As mentioned above, Halloween was originally a day for the souls of the dead to return, but it was also believed that demons, witches, and evil spirits would also come to this world to bring misfortune along with the souls of the dead. People would dress up in the same clothes and make-up as the demons and witches to make them feel like they were friends and to protect themselves. This custom led to the culture of dressing up for Halloween.
In Japan, many people enjoy dressing up as witches, vampires, black cats, and other standard costumes, as well as anime and manga characters and celebrities.
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Meaning of Trick or Treat
On Halloween, after sunset, children in costumes visit their neighbors' houses saying "Trick or Treat! and visit houses in the neighborhood. When the children say "Trick or Treat," the adults usually reply "Happy Halloween!
Trick or Treat" means, in Japanese, "Give me candy, or I'll make you do it! Trick" means "trick or treat" in Japanese. Trick" means "trick" or "trick" and "treat" means "treat" or "entertain.
The custom of going from house to house to receive candy is said to have existed in the Celtic tradition since ancient times, and gradually spread and took root throughout the United States. Today, Halloween has become a central event for American children.
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Halloween is all about pumpkins
When you think of Halloween, you probably have a strong image of pumpkins hollowed out into scary faces. It is said that decorating a room with pumpkins with scary faces serves to ward off evil spirits by scaring them away from the afterlife. Originally, however, "turnips" were used.
When Halloween was introduced to the U.S., pumpkins, which were harvested in large quantities in the U.S., were used as a substitute for the unfamiliar turnip. In Japan, where Halloween was introduced from the U.S., its influence is strong, and the image of Halloween = pumpkin has taken root.
In Ireland, the home of Halloween, turnips are still used instead of pumpkins.
Anecdotes about Jack-O-Lanterns
In fact, the pumpkin hollowed out into a scary face is named "Jack O'Lantern. It comes from an anecdote in Ireland.
There was a man named Jack who was always misbehaving. On Halloween, Jack almost lost his life to a demon he met by chance, but the demon deceived him and made him promise never to take his soul again.
Jack's life is about to expire, and he hopes to go to heaven after his death, but he is unable to do so because of his misdeeds during his life. He has no choice but to try to go to hell, but the devil refuses to take him there, saying, "I promised I would not take your soul, so I cannot take you to hell.
Jack was so distressed that he decided to go back the way he came, but it was dark and windy that night, so he begged the devil for a light. The Devil gave him a small hellfire, which he shared with Jack. Jack, not wanting the devil's flame to be extinguished by the wind, hollows out a turnip that was lying nearby and uses it as a lantern.
Jack, now unable to go to heaven or hell, continues to wander forever in the dark with the turnip lantern in his hand.
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Halloween Miscellaneous Quiz
Halloween is not only about jack-o'-lanterns, but also about many other related monsters and characters. We have created a quiz with miscellaneous trivia about these Halloween-related characters! There will be a total of 5 questions in the quiz. Please take the challenge!
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Conclusion
In this issue, we introduced Halloween. Halloween has become a familiar annual autumn event, but you may be surprised to know that it also has a bit of scary background, such as the anecdote about the jack-o'-lantern.
Halloween in Japan is strongly influenced by the U.S., and not much is known about its original origin. By learning about the historical background, I think you can enjoy Halloween more deeply.
QuizGenerator," which we used to create our Halloween trivia quiz, allows users to create their own original quizzes and share them on SNS and websites for free, with no registration required. We hope you will enjoy creating your own original quizzes too!
We also recommend this one! Also read
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