What are the traditions and history of Halloween?

 In many European countries, including Iceland and the other Nordic countries as well as Celtic countries, the year was divided into two seasons rather than four, or winter and summer. People counted the time in winter and night rather than in years and days. Winter, like night, was considered to come first; The turn of October and November was therefore the time of the beginning of winter, and thus of the New Year. Then the cold and the darkness took over, the earth fell asleep and death reigned. In Iceland, an ancient in late October festival called the winter nights and then was kept Fairy sacrifice in the Nordic countries (disting). In the north of Scotland and Ireland, there is still a festival in Gaelic called Samhain, the festival of the dead. Lately, she has been named Halloween.

The beginning of winter and year is what is called the liminal period, a kind of intermediate state that prevails in times of great transition. Then one can even perceive beyond; they see ghosts and elves and can predict the future. Spirits were believed to be roaming on both Samhain and winter nights (see, for example, Þiðrandi and Þórhallur ).

Tradition has it that in Samhain / Hallowe'en burning candles were placed in carved turnips and in Ireland and Scotland, it was customary to light bonfires. Also, both teenagers and adults went between houses dressed in costumes and with masks, as is now customary on Icelanders' Ash Wednesday, and often did some other tricks along the way.

When the Irish and Scots emigrated to America in the 19th century, the Hallowe'en festival moved with them. In the United States, on the other hand, pumpkins grew that were much larger than turnips and easier to cut. Thus, the pumpkins took over from the turnips as a symbol of American Halloween.

As a result of the conversion to Christianity, winter nights gradually ceased. Likewise, many old Catholic festivals disappeared during the Reformation, or when Lutheranism took over from the Catholic faith. Due to the influence of American television and movies, however, it is becoming more and more common for Nordic people to celebrate Halloween according to American tradition. Various people have contributed to this development, for example, newspapers, shops, and even students in the English department of the University of Iceland.

 However, there seems to be little interest in getting kids in costumes to walk around and beg for candy, as they often do on Halloween in the United States, as there is already a tradition for this here at other times of the year. Rather, college and high school students, who no longer have the opportunity to go to the old country clubs at this time, have begun to hold various Halloween masks and masquerade parties. So far, at least, the teen festival, just like the Hallowe'en in Ireland and Scotland used to be.