Halloween

Hallowe'en is one of the oldest festivals of Britain. The name "Hallowe'en" comes from the full name of the festival: All Hallows Eve (the night before All Hallows or All Saints' Day which is on the first. of November). The Celtic festival of Samhain (Gaelic for "the summer's end”, the death of the summer) was celebrated at the end of the Celtic year, on the 31st. of October. Festival was celebrated with the lighting of bonfires, dancing and feasting.

Hallowe'en was believed to be the night when communication between the world of the living and the dead would be possible. The souls of the departed would be able to travel, hobgoblins and spirits would be able to roam freely, and witches and even the devil would be at the heightest of their power. In order to confuse these wandering spirits, children would dress up in each others' clothes-costumes (like Frankenstein or Addams Family), and legendary Irishman "jack-o-lanterns" would be placed by the doors to frighten them away. Many of the practices carried out by today's children are not traditional but merely copied off American customs seen on TV.

In Poland we have All Saints’ Day. On this day we go to the churchyard with light candles and bring flowers. We put them on the graves of the people close to us. Like in Britain it is a day when we are thinking about death. It is a sad day…

In Britain on this day fruit and nuts are used to predict the future (tell who is your „true love”, game: Apple-bobbing, or brush one\'s hair in front of a mirror at midnight). In our country we don’t do that. We spend time with family and thank for our life.