You know it, American films and series where Halloween is celebrated. Through Social Media, you see more and more stories and videos about this celebration on October 31st. Halloween has become increasingly popular in the Netherlands in recent years. While previously you could only find pumpkins and spiders to display at large garden centers... nowadays you can buy Halloween (autumn) decorations in many more places, and parties with a Halloween theme are also being celebrated. Do you know what exactly we celebrate with Halloween?
1. How did Halloween originate?
To trace the origin of Halloween, you have to go back about two thousand years. The Celts in Ireland celebrated on October 31st to mark the beginning of the dark half of the year. This celebration was called Samhain. These festivities were known for plenty of beer, large fires, and priestly druid rituals. And perhaps most importantly, a dinner with the dead. The Celts believed that during the Samhain festival, the boundary between the world of the living and the dead was minimal, and the spirits of their ancestors were invited to a meal.
Pope Boniface IV ruined the celebration in the seventh century. He turned it into a Christian holiday and changed the Celtic festival into All Saints' Day. On October 31st, no longer was beer drunk, but fasting and prayer observed.
2. How did the name originate?
Halloween can be traced back to the name All Hallow's Eve, which essentially means the evening before All Saints' Day. This day is a national holiday for many European countries and is celebrated on November 1st. Catholics commemorate all saints and martyrs on this day.
3. Trick or treat
The old traditions of the Celts had not completely disappeared. The fires were still lit, but this time to honor the Catholic saints. New traditions were added, including so-called 'souling'. The poor went door-to-door to sing and make music in exchange for a cookie. This happened on November 2nd, All Souls' Day. Historians say that souling is the precursor to the current trick or treat, where children go door-to-door to collect candy.
4. Who started Halloween
Over the centuries, the celebrations around October 31st became a mix of Catholic and pagan traditions, supplemented by local customs. The Catholic Irish celebrate a combination of Samhain, All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, and local folklore. This is also where the hollowed-out pumpkin made its debut. When the potato harvest failed in Ireland between 1845 and 1854, a great famine broke out, and many Irish emigrated to the United States. They brought their Halloween customs with them and are thus at the origin of the current Halloween celebration. In America, Halloween is one of the biggest celebrations of the year.
5. What do we celebrate in the Netherlands now with Halloween
Halloween is a mix of an old Celtic festival and some Catholic customs. What started as an opportunity to connect with deceased loved ones has evolved into a spooky costume party with candy and horror. In the Netherlands, Halloween has also been celebrated since the 1980s. More and more houses are being decorated with Halloween-related accessories such as pumpkins, spiderwebs, skeletons, spiders, etc. Ollebol & Muis also has some Halloween decorations in its assortment, but these are far from scary, yet much more unique. Although we in the Netherlands do not have a religious origin and tradition for the Halloween celebration, it is becoming increasingly popular.
6. Is Halloween the same as Sint Maarten?
Because on both holidays, children go door-to-door with a lantern to collect candy and treats, and the deceased are remembered, it is often thought that Halloween and Sint Maarten are the same holidays. This is not the case. Sint Maarten is celebrated on November 11th and is the name day of Martin of Tours. He became known for giving half of his cloak to a poor beggar as a soldier and, after a dream, chose to live as a Christian. Sint Maarten appears annually in many countries as a bishop on horseback and therefore resembles Sinterklaas, but he is certainly not.
Halloween decorations from Ollebol & Muis, not run-of-the-mill
How can you decorate your home with Halloween decorations without it being scary and without the run-of-the-mill products from the store? Ollebol & Muis offers some very beautiful handmade Halloween decorations. Hang a bunting made from the beautiful Belle & Boo fabric in your room in the decorated Halloween corner. Or what about the beautiful trick or treat bags with a Halloween print? Everything is handmade from beautiful fabric with lovely illustrated Halloween Prints. Very sustainable because you can use these products every year! The Halloween cards from Belle & Boo are like small paintings. Place them on the Halloween table as a small decorative item to complete your Halloween decoration.
