Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient (antiguo) Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest (cosecha) and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary (la frontera) between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred (se difuminaban). On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging (dañar) crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly (sobrenatural) spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
Today’s Halloween Traditions
The American Halloween tradition of “trick-or-treating” probably dates back to (se remonta a) the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg (medigaban) for food and families would give them pastries (pastelitos) called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged (animada/alentada) by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits (espíritus errantes) . The practice, which was referred to as “going a-souling” was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale (cerveza), food, and money.
The tradition of dressing in costume (disfraz) for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots (raíces). Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain (incierto) and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low (se quedaban cortas) and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter (se encontrarían inesperadamente) ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them (les confundirían) for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease (apaciguar) the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.(intentar entrar)
