Around the world people celebrate harvest festivals that marks the arrival of a new crop and a new time of prosperity. Most agricultural societies had such a festival. For instance, North India celebrates Holi in March as the annual Wheat crop gets harvested in March. Tamil Nadu celebrates Thai Pongal in January righter after the Samba rice harvest in December. In case of Kerala, Onam festival is celebrated in August to mark their rice August after the monsoon.
In most agricultural societies in Northern Hemisphere, late autumn is one of the prime harvest seasons and thus it is the time for major festivals. This is the last opportunity to celebrate before huge snowstorms cover up the ground in the month of January.
Two such major autumn harvest festivals in the North America are Halloween and Thanksgiving - both with English agricultural roots. Halloween is the 31st October ever year and Thanksgiving is the last thursday of every November.
Halloween
Halloween is a corruption of holy evening. The Celts believed that it is the time the dead would revisit their homes. They would lit bonfires and ask for purity.
After a few centuries, the belief in ghosts had gone away but people thought it was funny to dress up as one. Thus, from about 18th century people in Wales and other regions started dressing up as evil spirits and ghosts to make fun of the concept of bringing back the dead. To scare the dead, people also carry various lanterns such as the Jack-o'-lantern.
Halloween in the present day
It is the time people play with pumpkins. Everywhere around there are pumpkins.
Adults dress up in various costumes - traditionally scary ones.
Kids move to other people's homes and ask for trick or treat. You either show them a trick or give them chocolates.
Teens go and watch the scariest horror movies that will come on theatres.
Ilgiardino.wiki
Harvest Origins
Around the world people celebrate harvest festivals that marks the arrival of a new crop and a new time of prosperity. Most agricultural societies had such a festival. For instance, North India celebrates Holi in March as the annual Wheat crop gets harvested in March. Tamil Nadu celebrates Thai Pongal in January righter after the Samba rice harvest in December. In case of Kerala, Onam festival is celebrated in August to mark their rice August after the monsoon.
In most agricultural societies in Northern Hemisphere, late autumn is one of the prime harvest seasons and thus it is the time for major festivals. This is the last opportunity to celebrate before huge snowstorms cover up the ground in the month of January.
Two such major autumn harvest festivals in the North America are Halloween and Thanksgiving - both with English agricultural roots. Halloween is the 31st October ever year and Thanksgiving is the last thursday of every November.
Halloween
Halloween is a corruption of holy evening. The Celts believed that it is the time the dead would revisit their homes. They would lit bonfires and ask for purity.
After a few centuries, the belief in ghosts had gone away but people thought it was funny to dress up as one. Thus, from about 18th century people in Wales and other regions started dressing up as evil spirits and ghosts to make fun of the concept of bringing back the dead. To scare the dead, people also carry various lanterns such as the Jack-o'-lantern.
Halloween in the present day