The essence of the holiday and its beginning. Hallowing Pumpkin History: where did its name come from. Attributes and Halloween characters.

Why the head of the pumpkin became the symbol of Halloween and other riddles of the holiday

On the last day of October, Halloween is celebrated in many countries – a holiday when people are changed in an unclean power and everywhere put carved pumpkins with candles inside. Where did these traditions come from and what does this holiday mean?

The essence of the holiday

Halloween briefly translates from English as the evening of all saints. He is celebrated on October 31, on the eve of the day of all saints, according to the church calendar of Catholics.

For the first time, this holiday was mentioned in 1556, and its essence is to scare the evil by disguise under unclean power. It is believed that pumpkin lights are able to drive dead souls that come to our world on the night of October 31 to November 1, and scare away all evil spirits.

Halloween began to celebrate at first in Scotland and Ireland, and then the relay was picked up by other countries – the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Europe and the State of the former USSR.

Jack Lantern or Halloween Pumpkin History

The first mentions of the pumpkin, as the symbol of the holiday, were in 1837, and since 1866 no Halloween had no longer affected without it.

Ticking, on which the face of the monster is carved, and the candle is inserted inside, called the lantern or lamp Jack. The name has come from the fact that before the ancient ancestors of the Irish and Scottish, it was customary to leave the deceased people with lanterns, helping them find the road in purgatory, lighting the way.

Why Jack? This is associated with a whole legend. Once such a lamp had to do for the blacksmith named Jack. He drank a lot, but at the same time it was very cunning and smeared. Somehow he met Satan himself, but the man was not confused and suggested a unclean to drink.

To pay for the next glass of drinking, Jack asked Satan to turn into money, and he himself put them in his pocket, where there was a silver cross, who did not gave the dear to get out back. He decided to negotiate with the Kuznets and gave him a few additional years of life with the promise that he would not take His soul into hell after death.

Be that as it may, Satan kept his promise and did not pick up the man's soul when he died. However, he was also not accepted into paradise, given the way of life who led Jack. It so happened that the soul of the blacksmith became ridiculous and not necessary for anyone. The devil gave her a smoldering corner to see the soul to go where she would go. Putting the corner in the turnip, so as not to burn, Jack's soul went to wander in the light, waiting for the vessel day.

That's why the Halloween pumpkin began to call Jack's lantern, which symbolized the robust soul, illuminating the path.

Initially, instead of pumpkin, a turnip or other suitable vegetables were used, and when the holiday was firmly rooted in America, it was pumpkins everywhere that quickly conquered recognition and became the chief attribute of the holiday.

Characteristic symbols of Halloween

In addition to the burning pumpkin, the attributes of the holiday are:

• black or orange (pumpkin shade);
• music from popular horror films;
• noisy, costumed parties designed to fight evil spirits;
• fortune-telling and walks in various sinister places;
• various dishes of pumpkin, apples and honey.

In Western countries, priests do not see anything wrong with the fact that once a year people fool around and mow down under evil spirits. But Orthodox priests do not encourage this. Maybe that's why this holiday has not received much distribution among us.