Halloween in the eclipse corridor: traditions and divination

Despite the fact that we began to celebrate this holiday relatively recently, we managed to fall in love with many. Frightening costumes, creepy makeup, and scary jewelry are integral parts of the celebration.

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1. Halloween: history and traditions

The word "Halloween" is simply short for "All Saints' Evening" (eng. All Hallows Even).

And the holiday comes from the ancient Celtic holiday of the harvest and the days of the dead.

The Celts, who lived more than 2 thousand years ago on the territory of modern Great Britain, divided the year into two parts - light and dark (summer and winter). The dark part of the year began at the end of October when noisy festivities were held - Samhain (Saun). The main colors of the holiday were black, which symbolized death, and orange, as the harvest.

After the adoption of Christianity in the 9th century, November 1 began to celebrate All Saints' Day. The date, of course, coincided with the pagan Samhain. Halloween was brought to the US by emigrants from Great Britain at the end of the 20th century. To date, this holiday is massively celebrated in the UK, Ireland, the USA, and Canada.

2. Why dress up for Halloween

According to Celtic lore, during Halloween, the dead returned to our world to check on deeds and visit their descendants. Evil spirits could come along with them, so the Celts dressed in fancy dress to deceive evil spirits. Food was placed on the thresholds of houses so that they would not send misfortune to people.

3. Why is a pumpkin carved on Halloween?

The main attribute of Halloween - the pumpkin, also has its own history. According to Irish legend, the blacksmith-drunk Jack twice deceived the Devil, bargaining for a carefree life. After some time, Jack died unexpectedly, and neither God nor the Devil needed him. Jack's soul began to roam the earth, illuminating the path with a piece of coal, which the Evil One finally threw to him. This coal Jack put in a pumpkin. Hence the name of the lantern: English. Jack-o-lantern abbreviated English. Jack of the Lantern.

4. How Halloween is celebrated around the world

Americans are very fond of the holiday, for them, it is not just a theme party in a bar, but a whole culture. They prepare for the celebration in advance (in mid-September), and the shopping list is almost the same as for Christmas. Pumpkin lattes appear in coffee shops, the premises are decorated with various elements of Halloween decor. Many shops offer great Halloween costumes, which, by the way, can be bought at a discount.

In addition, cool parties and parades are organized. It is not complete without carving a pumpkin lamp (jack-o-lantern), which is installed everywhere: on the windowsill, on the steps, and indoors. Children especially enjoy Halloween. For them, this is a great opportunity to eat candy and other sweets (trick or treat).

Spain and Mexico also celebrate this holiday and it is an official holiday. It is customary not only to dress up but also to spend the day with the family, remembering the dead relatives.

5. Halloween divination

It is believed that Halloween night is a kind of bridge between this and the other worlds. The souls of the dead roam the streets, and mysterious forces awaken. Believe it or not, is up to everyone, but just in case, we have prepared for you comic fortune-telling for Halloween. So let's get started.

Divination for marriage. To see you're betrothed in the reflection, you need to sit in a dark room in front of a large mirror, light a candle and wait. In this case, you need to eat an apple and comb your hair. The betrothed should appear in the reflection from behind, but if the candlestick falls, it means that evil spirits intervened in fortune-telling.

Divination on saucers. Take three saucers: pour clean water into one, tinted water into the second (for example, with food paint or ink), and leave the third saucer empty. Bring the girl with her eyes closed to the saucer, and let her choose one at random. A saucer with clean water portends a good marriage, a saucer with colored water indicates that a widower will become her husband, and an empty one does not promise a wedding yet.

Universal divination. Cut the apple in half with a knife, if the seeds remain intact, then the wish will come true without any problems. Damaged seeds indicate that obstacles await you.

Prophetic dreams for Halloween. You need to put a letter from your beloved/beloved, folded nine times and fastened with a pin, under the pillow. If you dream of clean water or jewelry at night, then your soulmate is faithful. Any plants, flames, or rain portend disagreements in a relationship.
Divination with salt. At night, you need to eat salty foods or pure salt. In a dream, the betrothed will bring a glass of water.

Guessing the number of children. If the issue of marriage is no longer relevant for you, you can tell fortunes for children. On the night before All Saints' Day, take a small plate, fill it with clean cold water and add fresh egg white to it. How many parts it will be divided - so many children you can expect?

Divination for good luck. You will need beans, raisins, dried apples, and nails. Without looking, take a handful of beans, raisins, apples, and nails. An even number means a problem, and an odd number means a blessing:

beans - finance
raisins - love
apples - health
nails - home, family

To call spirits on Halloween, you will need an ouija board (an analog can be made from a simple sheet of cardboard or paper), a saucer, and candles. The ceremony begins after midnight, all those present should be in simple clothes and without jewelry. In order for the spirit to freely enter the room, you need to slightly open the balcony or window and turn off all the electricity (devices).

The Ouija board is placed in the center of the table, the saucer is slightly heated on the fire from the candle and placed in the center of the board. All those present touch the saucer with their fingertips and say the words: "Spirit (name of the spirit), come." After the end of the conversation, they say goodbye to the spirit and persistently ask him to leave the dwelling forever.