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12                               Halloween Around The World





             Halloween Around The                        bonfires, which were called “bone fires,” were various households. Rather than pledging to
                                                         set up to burn effigies and symbolic “bones” of pray for the dead, they would sing a song, recite
                           World                         the Catholic pope. It was not until two centuries a poem, tell a joke or perform another sort of

                                                         later that effigies of the pope were replaced with “trick” before collecting their treat, which
                                                         those of Guy Fawkes. In addition to making typically consisted of fruit, nuts or coins.

          Halloween, celebrated annually on October 31,  effigies to be burned in the fires, children in
                                                         some parts of England also walk the streets Trick-or-Treating in the United States
          is one of the world’s oldest holidays. Although
                                                         carrying an effigy or “guy” and ask for “a penny
          it's derived from ancient festivals and religious
                                                         for the guy,” although they keep the money for  Some  American colonists celebrated Guy
          rituals,  Halloween is still widely celebrated
                                                         themselves.  This is as close to the  American
          today in a number of countries around the globe.                                               Fawkes Day, and in the mid-19th century, large
                                                         practice of “trick-or-treating” as can be found in
          In countries such as Ireland, Canada and the                                                   numbers of new immigrants, especially those
                                                         England today. Guy Fawkes Day was even
          United States, traditions include costume                                                      fleeing the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s,
          parties, trick-or-treating, pranks and games.  celebrated by the pilgrims at the first settlement  helped popularize Halloween.
          Versions of the holiday are celebrated         at Plymouth. However, as the young nation              In the early 20th century, Irish and
          elsewhere, too. In Mexico and other Latin      began to develop its own history, Guy Fawkes    Scottish communities revived the Old  World
                                                         was celebrated less frequently and eventually   traditions of souling and guising in the United
          American countries, Día de los Muertos—the
                                                         died out.                                       States. By the 1920s, however, pranks had
          Day of the Dead—honors deceased loved ones
          and ancestors. In England, Guy Fawkes Day,                                                     become the Halloween activity of choice for
          which falls on November 5, is commemorated     How Halloween is Celebrated in                  rowdy young people.
          with bonfires and fireworks.                   Ireland                                                The Great Depression exacerbated the
                                                                                                         problem, with Halloween mischief often
          How Día de los Muertos is Celebrated           In Ireland, where Halloween originated, the day  devolving into vandalism, physical assaults and
          in Latin America                               is still celebrated much as it is in the United  sporadic acts of violence. One theory suggests
                                                         States. In rural areas, bonfires are lit as they  that excessive pranks on Halloween led to the

          In Mexico, Latin America and Spain, All Souls’  were in the days of the Celts, and all over the  widespread adoption of an organized,
                                                                                                         community-based trick-or-treating tradition in
          Day, which takes place on November 2, is       country, children get dressed up in costumes and
                                                         spend the evening “trick-or-treating” in their  the 1930s.  This trend was abruptly curtailed,
          commemorated with a three-day celebration that
                                                         neighborhoods.  After trick-or-treating, most   however, with the outbreak of  World  War II,
          begins on the evening of October 31.  The
                                                         people attend parties with neighbors and friends.  when sugar rationing meant there were few
          celebration is designed to honor the dead who, it
                                                         At the parties, many games are played, including  treats to hand out. At the height of the postwar
          is believed, return to their earthly homes on
                                                         “snap-apple,” a game in which an apple on a     baby boom, trick-or-treating reclaimed its place
          Halloween. Many families construct an altar to
                                                         string is tied to a doorframe or tree and players  among other Halloween customs. It quickly
          the dead in their homes to honor deceased
                                                         attempt to bite the hanging apple. In addition to  became standard practice for millions of
          relatives and decorate it with candy, flowers,                                                 children in  America’s cities and newly built
          photographs, samples of the deceased’s favorite  bobbing for apples, parents often arrange     suburbs. No longer constrained by sugar
          foods and drinks, and fresh water. Often, a wash  treasure hunts, with candy or pastries as the
                                                         “treasure.”  The Irish also play a card game    rationing, candy companies capitalized on the
          basin and towel are left out so that the spirit can
                                                         where cards are laid face down on a table with  lucrative ritual, launching national advertising
          wash before indulging in the feast.
                                                         candy or coins underneath them. When a child    campaigns specifically aimed at Halloween.
                 Candles and incense are burned to help
                                                         chooses a card, he receives whatever prize is          Today,  Americans spend an estimated
          the deceased find the way home. Relatives also
                                                         found below it.                                 $2.6 billion on candy on Halloween, according
          tidy the gravesites of their departed family
                                                                 A traditional food eaten on Halloween in  to the National Retail Federation, and the day,
          members.  This can include snipping weeds,
                                                         Ireland is barnbrack, a kind of fruitcake that can  itself, has become the nation’s second-largest
          making repairs, and painting. The grave is then                                                commercial holiday. []
          decorated with flowers, wreaths, or paper      be bought in stores or baked at home. A muslin-
          streamers. On November 2, relatives gather at  wrapped treat is baked inside the cake that, it is  What movies about John
                                                         said, can foretell the eater’s future. If a ring is
          the gravesite to picnic and reminisce. Some
                                                         found, it means that the person will soon be wed;
          gatherings even include tequila and a mariachi                                                     F. Kennedy and/or His
                                                         a piece of straw means that a prosperous year is
          band.
                                                         on its way. Children are also known to play                 Assassination
                                                         tricks on their neighbors, such as “knock-a-
          How Guy Fawkes Day is Celebrated in
                                                         dolly,” a prank in which children knock on the
          England
                                                         doors of their neighbors, but run away before the
                                                                                                           1. Parkland (2013)
                                                         door is opened.
          On the evening of November 5, bonfires are lit
          throughout England. Effigies are burned and
                                                         Early Christian and Medieval Roots of             2. PT109 (1963)
          fireworks are set off. Although it falls around the
                                                         Trick-or-Treating
          same time and has some similar traditions, this
          celebration has little to do with Halloween or the                                               3. JFK (1991)
                                                         By the ninth century, Christianity had spread
          ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The English,
                                                         into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended
          for the most part, stopped celebrating Halloween                                                 4. Thirteen Days (2000)
                                                         with and supplanted older pagan rites. In 1000
          as Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation
                                                         A.D. the church designated November 2 as All
          began to spread.  As followers of the new                                                        5. Executive Action (1973)
                                                         Souls’ Day, a time for honoring the dead.
          religion did not believe in saints, they had no
                                                         Celebrations in England resembled Celtic
          reason to celebrate the eve of All Saints’ Day.
          However, a new autumn ritual did emerge. Guy   commemorations of Samhain, complete with          6. JFK: The Making of a President
          Fawkes Day festivities were designed to        bonfires and masquerades.                         (2017)
          commemorate the execution of a notorious               Poor people would visit the houses of
                                                         wealthier families and receive pastries called
          English traitor, Guy Fawkes.                                                                     7. JFK: Three Shots that Changed
                                                         soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for
                 On November 5, 1606, Fawkes was                                                           America (2009)
                                                         the souls of the homeowners’ dead relatives.
          executed after being convicted of attempting to
                                                         Known as "souling," the practice was later taken
          blow up England’s parliament building. Fawkes
                                                         up by children, who would go from door to door    8. In the Line of Fire (1992)
          was a member of a Catholic group who wanted
                                                         asking for gifts such as food, money and ale.
          to remove the Protestant King James from
          power.  The original Guy Fawkes Day was                In Scotland and Ireland, young people     9. Jackie (2016)
          celebrated right after his execution.  The first  took part in a tradition called guising, dressing
                                                         up in costume and accepting offerings from
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