Halloween is on October 31 7 facts about the scariest night of the year
"Trick or treat, or you'll get trick or treat!" - For a number of years now, ghoulishly dressed-up children have been going from house to house in Switzerland on the evening of October 31. Very few people know why they do this.
We love the carnival, passionately carve our "Räben" and parade through the wintry streets with our pretty lanterns. But when it comes to "Halloween" , opinions differ.
An artificial celebration, superficial nonsense from America, or so the wording goes. But are the celebrations really so different?
Where does the term Halloween come from?
Many countries in Europe and especially the USA celebrate All Hallows Eve on the eve of the Roman Catholic feast of All Saints, from which the English-American term Halloween was derived.
Tradition or modernity?
Most over-20s in Switzerland can't get anything out of Halloween. For them, the spooky festival is an invention of the marketing machine that fills the gap between the summer sales and the Christmas sales.
However, although Halloween has only been celebrated in many places in Europe since the late 1990s, the festival is derived from a Celtic tradition and has its roots in the 8th century.
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Halloween was celebrated at the end of summer when the cattle moved into the stables. It was believed that the souls of the dead also returned to their homes at this time. Huge bonfires and gloomy disguises were used to drive away the evil spirits of the damned.
Who is Jack O'Lantern?
The more or less creepily carved pumpkin lanterns are considered the Halloween symbol par excellence. According to legend, the pumpkin lantern owes its name to the miserly drunkard Jack, who got into a fight with the devil during his lifetime and found himself neither in heaven nor in hell after his death.
The devil gave him a piece of coal from hell, which he placed in a turnip and from then on, with his meagre light, he crept through the dark season as a damned soul.
Is Halloween just kitsch from overseas?
The assumption that Halloween is an invention from the US kitsch factory is wrong. This is because the roots of All Hallows Eve in the USA go back to the 19th century, when Irish immigrants pitched their tents on the American east coast. From there, the attractive custom spread rapidly and is now a real folk festival in the USA and Canada.
Folk festival or vandalism?
Does the scary mask lower inhibitions? In police circles, Halloween tends to "piss people off". Because on the night of October 31, more and more mischief is being committed.
House graffiti, egg throwing and even arson give the festival a bad taste and cause a lot of property damage. Perhaps this is one reason why the tradition has few followers in this country, especially among adults.
Pumpkin boom thanks to Halloween?
Whether the advent of Halloween is responsible for the pumpkin boom or whether it's the other way around - who knows. The fact is that pumpkins in all shapes and colors are becoming increasingly popular.
Old recipes are being dug up, ornamental pumpkins are being planted and people are busy carving on adventure farms, choosing the biggest pumpkin and tasting the homemade soup.
How do you celebrate?
If you want to join in the celebrations, buy a big pot of sweets and decorate your front door with Jack-o's big and small, rickety skeletons or sticky cobwebs. When the doorbell rings, have some chocolate ready and sweeten the evening for a lively crowd of children.
Horror movies for Halloween
Still no idea what to watch on Halloween? You're sure to find what you're looking for in our horror dossier on blue TV.
