Halloween! Boo! I bet you don't know...

Walmir Bastos

20 de out. de 2018

4 min de leitura

Atualizado: há 6 dias

Descubra o que significa Halloween e como esse festival pagão chegou aos Estados Unidos. (Vídeo em português)

WHAT IS HALLOWEEN?

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Witches' Day, as it is called in Brazil, has become known worldwide as a celebration where children dress up in costumes and go from house to house asking for sweets or threatening to play tricks on their owners in case the request is not fulfilled.

They shout "Trick or Treat!" as the owner of the house answers the door, which literally means, give us something nice to eat, otherwise we will do something bad to you or your house. The treat is usually given and the threat is not carried out.

WHERE DOES THE WORD "HALLOWEEN" COME FROM?

Halloween was originally called "ALL HALLOWS 'EVE", i.e., All Saints' Day eve, for the word "Hallows" refers to holy people and the word "eve" means "the day before", seeing that November 1st was the day that the Catholic Church elected to honor all saints, including the unknown ones.

Over the years, as the tradition has been passed on from generation to generation by people who often did not know how to read and write, the term "All Hallows' Eve" underwent changes and became "Halloween."

WHERE DOES THE HALLOWEEN TRADITION COME FROM?

The Halloween tradition was originated in the ancient Britain and Ireland regions, as a Celtic festival called Samhain meaning "late summer" in the Celtic dialect.

In the Celtic culture the night of October 31st was considered sacred, for it marked the passage from fall to winter, the limit between abundance and scarcity.

It was believed that on that specific night, a kind of portal was opened between this world and the afterlife, allowing the spirits of the dead, and among them demons and evil beings, to return to wander among the living, scaring people.

Some spirits took the shape of animals like black cats

Some took the shape of animals, such as the traditional bats and black cats peculiar to Halloween decoration.

It was not a good idea to travel during that night, as was the custom of some at that time, and the windows of the houses should be closed before nightfall to prevent some evil spirit from settling into the house.

It was customary to leave a lit candle in the barns, for it would chase away some evil being that could spoil the milk of the cows or make the animals sick.

The Celtic druids or priests, to neutralize the power of darkness, would perform some rituals and light large bonfires at the top of the hills. People would take some of this sacred fire to light the fireplaces and stoves in their houses, which, as they believed, would protect them from being harassed by some visitor from the afterlife.

🧙‍♀️ Classic Halloween Characters - Personágens Clássicos do Halloween
🎃 Halloween Objects & Symbols - Objetos e Símbolos do Halloween
🏚️ Spooky Places - Lugares Assustadores
🍬 Traditions & Activities - Tradições & Ações
😱 Adjectives & Feelings - Adjetivos & Sentimentos

🧙‍♀️ 1. Classic Halloween Characters

Witch – Bruxa - a woman with magical powers who often rides a broomstick.
Ghost – Fantasma - the spirit of a dead person.
Vampire – Vampiro - a creature that drinks blood and avoids sunlight.
Zombie – Zumbi - a reanimated dead body.
Werewolf – Lobisomem - a person who turns into a wolf during the full moon.
Monster – Monstro - a frightening creature.

🕯️ 2. Halloween Objects & Symbols

Pumpkin 🎃 - Abóbora
Jack O’ lantern – A Abóbora símbolo do Halloween - SAIBA MAIS
Candle 🕯️ - Vela
Spider / Web 🕷️ - Aranha/Teia
Broomstick 🧹- Vassoura
Cauldron – Calderão
Bat 🦇- Morcego
Full moon 🌕 - Lua cheia

😱 3. Spooky places

Haunted house – Casa Mal-assombrada - a house believed to be visited by ghosts.
Cemetery / Graveyard – Cemitério - a place where dead people are buried.
Dungeon – Masmorra - dark underground prison.
Coffin – Caixão - a box in which a dead body is buried.
Crypt – Cripta - a stone chamber beneath a church, often used for burials.

🍬 4. Traditions & Activities

Trick or treat! – Gostosuras ou Travessuras! - what kids say when they go door-to-door asking for candy.
Costume party – Festa a fantasia - a party where people dress up as different characters.
Carve a pumpkin – Esculpir uma abóbora - to cut shapes into a pumpkin.
Tell ghost stories – Contar histórias de fantasma - share scary tales.
Get scared / Be afraid of – Ficar com medo / Estar com medo - expressions for fear.

😱 5. Adjectives & Feelings

Spooky – Assustador - strange and frightening.
Creepy – Repugnante / Assustador - causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or disgust.
Scary / Terrifying / Frightening – Assustador / Aterrorizante / Medonho - something that makes you afraid.
Eerie – Assustador - strange and mysterious in a frightening way.
Haunted – Assombrado - inhabited by ghosts.