Dubai Night has decided to get in touch with our dark side and find out about Halloween. Halloween is an abbreviated version of All Hallows Evening and is celebrated in many countries on October 31st every year. It was originally a Celtic pagan festival called Samhain (pronounced soween), which celebrated the end of the summer harvest. In addition it was viewed as a time when the walls between the worlds of the living and dead became thin, which is where Halloweens spooky reputation comes from. People dressed up as the dead in white clothes and blackened face to protect themselves from evil spirits, and lit bonfires and gave offerings of food and drink to placate the spirits. Additionally they carved turnips to ward off spirits, a tradition that has carried on till the present day, although the turnips have been exchanged for the more American pumpkin.
Trick or treating, or guising as it is was originally called, is when people dress up and go from door to door asking for treats in exchange for a song or joke or play pranks. The phrase ‘trick or treat’ originated in the United States in 1927, and expanded on traditions brought over by Scottish and Irish immigrants. The costumes that Halloween revellers wear have got more adventurous over the years, with many people spending quite a lot of money on costumes from fancy dress shops. Its now not just for children as many adults love the chance to dress up in costume and change themselves into a different character for one night. Some countries have their own peculiar Halloween traditions such as in Austria where people leave a lit lamp and bread and water out for the dead. In the Czech Republic people leave chairs out for dead family members, while in Germany they make sure and hide all their knives so that spirits cannot harm them or be harmed themselves. The Japanese city of Kawasaki holds a yearly parade on Halloween, with over 100,000 people turning up to watch it. In Ireland, people bake a ‘barnbrack’, which is a type of fruitcake, with treats inside it. Different treats mean different things such as coin for good fortune, or a ring meaning signifying wedding bells.
Every Halloween in Manila in the Philippines people dress up their pets in fancy dress and enter them into a contest to raise money for animal charities. As you can see, there are many ways to celebrate Halloween across the world, but the most popular way is by dressing up and going out to have fun with your family and friends. Dubai joins in with this, with Halloween themed parties at nightclubs and bars and revellers dressed up in fancy dress. So grab some pals and get dressed up on the spookiest night of the year.
Trick or treating, or guising as it is was originally called, is when people dress up and go from door to door asking for treats in exchange for a song or joke or play pranks. The phrase ‘trick or treat’ originated in the United States in 1927, and expanded on traditions brought over by Scottish and Irish immigrants. The costumes that Halloween revellers wear have got more adventurous over the years, with many people spending quite a lot of money on costumes from fancy dress shops. Its now not just for children as many adults love the chance to dress up in costume and change themselves into a different character for one night. Some countries have their own peculiar Halloween traditions such as in Austria where people leave a lit lamp and bread and water out for the dead. In the Czech Republic people leave chairs out for dead family members, while in Germany they make sure and hide all their knives so that spirits cannot harm them or be harmed themselves. The Japanese city of Kawasaki holds a yearly parade on Halloween, with over 100,000 people turning up to watch it. In Ireland, people bake a ‘barnbrack’, which is a type of fruitcake, with treats inside it. Different treats mean different things such as coin for good fortune, or a ring meaning signifying wedding bells.
Every Halloween in Manila in the Philippines people dress up their pets in fancy dress and enter them into a contest to raise money for animal charities. As you can see, there are many ways to celebrate Halloween across the world, but the most popular way is by dressing up and going out to have fun with your family and friends. Dubai joins in with this, with Halloween themed parties at nightclubs and bars and revellers dressed up in fancy dress. So grab some pals and get dressed up on the spookiest night of the year.