The Halloween is celebrated on October 31stan anniversary that precedes the Christian holidays of All Saints’ Day and of Day of the Dead. Although today it is known as a “horror” festival of American origin, its roots are much older and lie in the Celtic culture. The origin of Halloween, in fact, dates back to Samhainthe Celtic New Year, which marked the end of summer, the last harvest of the year and thebeginning of winter.
For the Celts, Samhain represented a moment of passage between the world of the living and that of the dead: it was believed that, on this night, the border between the two kingdoms vanished, allowing the deceased to return to Earth to visit their loved ones. Over time, i Romans they associated Samhain with their Feast of the Dead, while Christian tradition set the All Souls’ Day on November 2ndimmediately after All Saints’ Day.
In Irelandthis celebration has maintained great popularity and, thanks to the migrations of the 19th century, it also arrived in the United States, where it transformed into the modern celebration we know today. Right from the USA, Halloween then spread to many other countries, including Italy, taking on a more playful and consumerist character with respect to its spiritual origins.