The growing influence of Halloween: Exploring its rising popularity and festive tradition

Halloween (from All Hallows' Eve) is celebrated on the night of October 31st every year.

The birth of the ghost vigil was caused by many coincidences. Among them, the ancestral worship from the Native Americans coincided with the All Saints' Day of the European Church. Under the cultural intersection, the All Saints' Day went beyond the scope of the church and became the Day of the Dead in early November, a common worship of the dead in modern Mexican society. After this concept sprouted in America, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Halloween was integrated with British immigrants and local pagan customs. On that night, children would wear ghost costumes and masks and go door to door to ask for candy.

With the date being unified to the night of the end of October, Halloween gradually became popular in the United States. In the 20th century, it became an international festival under the increasing influence of the country. With the trend of secularization and entertainment, Halloween activities in many regions no longer emphasize the mysterious and terrifying atmosphere, but mainly focus on pranks and costume performances. Anoka, Minnesota, is known as the "Halloween Capital of the World" and holds a large parade every year to celebrate.

Symbols

The theme of Halloween is ghosts, scary things, and things related to death, magic, and monsters. Things that are usually associated with Halloween include pumpkins, ghosts, ghouls, witches, bats, black cats, owls, elves, zombies, skeletons, and demons, as well as fictional characters such as vampires and Frankenstein. Black and orange are the traditional colors of Halloween.

Modern Halloween products also use a lot of purple, green, and red. Autumn elements such as pumpkins and scarecrows have also become symbols of Halloween.

Jack-o'-lanterns are the most well-known symbol of Halloween. In the UK and Ireland, locals make Jack-o'-lanterns by burning candles in hollowed-out turnips or beetroots. Later, immigrants to the United States changed the carved pumpkins originally used to celebrate the harvest to Jack-o'-lanterns because pumpkins are larger and easier to carve patterns on them. Many families carve scary faces on pumpkins and place them on the steps at the door to drive away demons and monsters.

Trick or Treat

Main article: Trick or Treat

"Trick or Treat" is one of the main activities of Halloween, popular in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and other regions. Children dress up as various ghosts and ring the doorbells of their neighbors from door to door, shouting "Trick or Treat!" (meaning "Trick or Treat!"), and the host (who may also wear horror costumes) will take out some candy, chocolate or small gifts, and some people will even give some change. Some families even use sound effects and smoke machines to create a scary atmosphere. The candy that children get in one night is often counted in bags, and they carry bags home.

In Scotland, when children ask for candy, they will say: "The sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween." ("The sky is blue, the grass is green, let's celebrate Halloween together."), and then win candy by singing and dancing.

Traditional Halloween decorations include zombies, ghosts, witches, demons, etc. The typical costume is to wear a white sheet with two eye holes cut out to dress up as a ghost.

In Scotland and Ireland in the 19th century, people believed that ghosts would come to the human world on Halloween, so they would dress up like ghosts so that ghosts would regard themselves as the same kind. In recent years, the costumes on Halloween Eve are no longer limited to horror, but can be more diverse, such as dressing up as movie stars or public figures. For example, during the 2004 US presidential election, George Bush and John Kerry became popular Halloween costumes in the United States. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, firefighters and police officers became the objects of children's costumes. It is estimated that in 2004, about 2.15 million American children dressed up as Spiderman, which was the most popular costume of the year. 

Finally, baobaolighting sincerely wishes everyone a happy Halloween！！！