| Lisbon, 28th of October 2006. According to | | | | centuries back, naturally based on the druid's |
| historic manuscripts, Halloween dates back to | | | | customs. A group of farmers of a small village |
| traditions and customs of the civilization that | | | | got together and decided to honor their Gods by |
| occupied Gaul from the years 600 a.c to 800 a.c, | | | | throwing a Halloween party. They went door to |
| where today is Portugal, Spain, Italy and Britain's | | | | door begging for food to have at the party, the |
| Islands. The lit up pumpkins and door to door trick | | | | kind givers were whished good luck, but the ones |
| or treating became popular in the United States. | | | | that didn't give any food were threatened. |
| Traditionally, Halloween was not related to witches. | | | | As the celebration takes place over night, 31st of |
| It was a festival marked on the Celts calendar, | | | | October to November the 1st, the name |
| today a land we call Ireland, by druid priests, who | | | | Halloween is believed to have come from the |
| joyfully commemorated their Gods and the dead | | | | combination of Hallow Evening, taken to America |
| - The Samhain festival, Lord of the dead, | | | | by Irish emigrants (Celts) during the 19th Century. |
| celebrated on the 1st of November. The festival | | | | For over two thousand years Halloween has |
| also marked the end of summer, the coming of a | | | | become a tradition in many countries because of |
| new year and the abundance of crops. | | | | the American cultural influence. This date is now a |
| They believed that on the eve of October the | | | | celebration where children and adults dress up in |
| 31st, Samhain summoned all the spirits that for | | | | the scariest costumes and go out trick or |
| the past twelve months had been doomed to live | | | | treating. |
| in the bodies of animals. | | | | Black, orange and purple are the colors that |
| On that very night, the community would gather | | | | symbolize Halloween. The main impersonations are |
| around a fire offering their crops and animals, | | | | of ghosts, witches, vampires, Jack-O-lantern, |
| they were sure that it was then that the earth | | | | pumpkins, bats, skulls, skeletons, monsters, |
| and the spiritual world collided. So they wore | | | | demons, spiders and other elements related to |
| animal heads and skin as disguises to scare the | | | | fear and magic as well as places our imagination |
| spirits that were looking for human bodies. | | | | takes us like cemeteries, haunted houses and |
| To get ride of the spirits, the druids had to offer | | | | other dark places. |
| them food or other gifts. If the spirits were | | | | The icon symbol is the sculpted pumpkin, lit by a |
| happy with what they got, they would leave the | | | | candle on the inside and put on our door steps. |
| population alone, but if they were not, they would | | | | Legend has it that an Irish folk man, named Jack, |
| play a trick or cast a spell, destroying the people | | | | was forced to walk alone and never to let the |
| who lived there. | | | | candle blow out so that his path always had light. |
| As Samham was a pagan celebration, it was not | | | | In order to do so he sculpted a turnip and put the |
| allowed in the rest of Europe during the Middle | | | | candle in. And because there are no turnips in the |
| Ages; those who insisted on celebrating were | | | | Unites States, people started using pumpkins |
| tracked down and condemned to the fire by the | | | | instead, hence the world's famous symbol! |
| Inquisition. | | | | They are the so called Jack-O Lantern. |
| The trick or treating began in Ireland just a few | | | | |