With its decorations featuring skeletons, coffins and ghosts, Halloween is an opportunity to address a subject that is still quite taboo in our culture: death. Although the event is primarily a playful one, it is a good time to come to terms with the notion of death and to consider it part of the cycle of life.

The various traditions and celebrations of Halloween around the world certainly demonstrate the importance of dealing with this delicate issue. The Aeterna Complex would like to present you an overview of this very special holiday…

A little history
Halloween finds its origins in the festival of Samain, celebrated by the Celts around October 31 in honour of the arrival of the dark season. They believed that at this time, the barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds became thinner, allowing the ancestors to cross through it. The Celts dressed up as monsters or animals to scare the fairies away from kidnapping the souls of the deceased.

In the Middle Ages, the tradition of bonfires appeared among the Irish, as did the custom of making lanterns (Jack-o-lanterns) using turnips, and then pumpkins.

Around the 8th century, the Catholic Church moved the Feast of All Saints (or All Saints' Day) to November 1, whereas it had been celebrated after Easter or Pentecost before then. This may have been to compete with the pagan festival of Samain, but it isn't clear. In any case, this led to the holiday being referred to as “All Hallows' Eve”, which means “All Saints' eve” and evolved into “Halloween”.

The holiday then crossed the ocean to the United States and Canada with the arrival of Irish immigrants, beginning in the 1850s.

A few Halloween-related traditions around the world
Halloween celebrations have evolved in different ways around the world. In New Orleans, where the voodoo culture is very present, Halloween is celebrated in a big way with a concert festival and parades in the streets. In eastern France, beets are carved and lit up to scare passers-by.

In China, the period around the 15th day of the 7th lunar month (end of October) is considered dangerous, because death lurks. In Mexico, the Festival of the Dead is celebrated November 1-2 in order to honour deceased loved ones. In Australia, the city of Brisbane is famous for its Halloween Zombie Walk, which brings together some 15,000 participants during the last weekend of October.

A holiday firmly rooted in our customs
The many customs associated with Halloween attest to its enduring appeal in popular culture, right up to modern times. Almost every year, new horror movies are released and television series feature a Halloween-themed episode.

In addition, many commercial establishments sell decorations or hold activities to get in the mood for this colourful holiday. Recipe sites offer Halloween menus for young and old that are reminiscent of ghosts, skeletons, witches and other supernatural characters.

Whether you're celebrating Halloween, All Saints' Day or the Day of the Dead, we wish you wonderful celebrations!