Halloween

Halloween is traditionally celebrated in the Western world on October 31st, and for the past ten years, it has been gaining more and more followers in Bulgaria. Every year, on the night of October 31st to November 1st, pumpkin lanterns are lit in American and Canadian homes, and candy and treats are the most sought-after goods in stores. Children eagerly await this holiday, called Halloween, so they can dress up in costumes and go to other homes to receive treats.

Where does the holiday come from?

The ancient Celts celebrated their New Year – Samhain – on November 1st. They believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the dead and the living opened, and the shadows of those who had died in the past year visited the earth.
To protect themselves from the shadows, people put out the fires in their hearths and tried to look as frightening as possible – they dressed in animal skins and heads, hoping to scare away the apparitions. They left food for the spirits to eat so they wouldn't insist on entering their homes. And the residents themselves gathered around fires lit by priests. At these gatherings, predictions for the winter were made, and animals were sacrificed. At the end of the gathering, everyone took a burning coal from the fire and used it to light their own hearth.

Today, apples, walnuts, black cats, the magic of Samhain, ghosts, apparitions, skeletons, and skulls from All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are also part of the celebration. All three dates – the eve of All Saints' Day (October 31st), the day itself, and the following All Souls' Day are also called Hallowmas. The celebration of this day inexplicably combines pagan mysticism with Christian.