Halloween
Originally, Halloween is a Celtic festival of Irish origin. Indeed, it was the Irish who brought the tradition with them to the United States!
It is therefore, in reality, the Celtic New Year!
About 3000 years ago, the Celtic calendar did not end on December 31 but on October 31. And this last night of the year was the night of the god of death: Samain.
In October, the nights get longer and legend has it that the ghosts take the opportunity to pay a little visit to the world of the living. However, to prevent the ghosts from coming to haunt them, the Celts used to dress up in terrifying costumes to scare the ghosts away and gather to party on the evening of October 31st.
With the arrival of Christianity, Catholics decided, from the 19th century, to celebrate All Saints' Day (“Feast of All Saints”) on November 1. The name Halloween is a contraction of the English All Hallows'Eve which means the eve of all Hallows'day and which can be translated as "the eve of all saints", or October 31.
The Halloween party was born!
With it, we find its symbols such as the pumpkin or the famous phrase "a candy or a spell".
Originally, the symbol of this festival was… a turnip! From the Irish legend of Jack-o'-lantern, condemned to wander eternally in darkness between hell and paradise by lighting up with a brand placed in a sculpted turnip. In the United States, the turnip was replaced by the pumpkin, growing in the territory and easier to carve.
The maxim “trick or treat” also has its roots in Irish history. The poorest families used to knock on the doors of the richest houses once a year to ask for food. These families had the choice to give or not. However, some refusals led poor families to steal or play tricks on those rich families who refused to help them. This is where the "Trick or Treat" tradition comes from, which we can nowadays translate as "a candy or a spell".
In Fréjus, Halloween is an opportunity for young and old to put on their scariest costumes and take part in the activities on offer.
On the program creative workshops, make-up and other surprises await you to share a friendly moment in a decoration and a scary atmosphere.
All this without forgetting the search for the best sweets at the merchants as well as the snack offered on occasion.
