While the Orthodox Church is trying to prove that Halloween cannot be celebrated, young people are looking on the Internet for original outfits for costume parties. It is foolish to ignore the interest in this holiday, which is becoming more and more popular in Russia from year to year.
Halloween (All Saints' Day) is celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1, and has a long history. By this time, Irish peasants were harvesting their last crop and locking up their livestock for the winter in stalls. They celebrated the end of rural work and prepared to wait out the long winter. This is how the pagan holiday Samhain appeared (Samhein, Sauin, Saovina - the name has many readings).
It was believed that after Samhain comes the dark season. Therefore, on this day, spirits and incomprehensible beings from other worlds rule, and deceased relatives can look to the living for a spark. For such guests, special food was prepared and the table was set. The poor, knowing this, disguised themselves as dead people and ghosts, went from house to house and asked for food. Centuries have passed. Children and teenagers wear carnival costumes to present neighbors with a choice between sweet and nasty.
Since people believed that the spirits of their ancestors came to them on Halloween night, daredevils dared to ask them questions about the future. There are many divinations designed specifically for this holiday.
More timid peasants gathered together, feasted and burned fires to protect themselves from otherworldly forces and alien spells. Judging by the popularity of theme parties in numerous bars and nightclubs, this tradition still flourishes today.
Halloween is incredibly dark and picturesque. Fallen leaves smell of cinnamon, orange lanterns are lost in the fog, cafes and eateries beckon to try new seasonal dishes, and at home you can finally spend an evening by candlelight wrapped in your favorite old blanket. Admit it, you are also looking forward to this mystical season.
If you still think that it is impossible to celebrate Halloween, remember about the Kolyada and the Pancake dish, which are widespread in our area. Think of the tradition of Epiphany divination, of the pagan memorial traditions, of the harvest festivals approved by the Orthodox Church. Think about these traditions and compare them with similar foreign ones. You will understand that our cultures differ much less than many propagandists and fighters for the primordially Russian values would like.
