The festival of horror has its origins in Ireland: In pre-Christian times, the Celts celebrated Samhain on October 31, one of their most important festivals. They celebrated their harvest, the beginning of the cold season and the start of a new calendar year. The Celts also believed that there could be contacts with the realm of the dead on this day.
According to mythology, on Samhain the dead went in search of the living who would die in the next year. To deter the evil spirits, people dressed up in fearsome costumes and haunted the streets even at night. Great fires should keep evil spirits away. In front of the houses were small gifts that were supposed to soothe the spirits and prevent them from doing wrong.
The word Halloween came about with Christianization. The Church referred to the pagan festival in the 9th century as “All Hallows Eve,” the evening before All Saints’ Day on November 1st. On October 31, Protestant Christians will remember with Reformation Day that the monk and theologian Martin Luther published his 95 theses on reforming the church in Wittenberg in 1517.
Halloween only developed into a party event when Irish immigrants brought the custom to America in the 19th century. There the festival began to become a highlight of the calendar and has a similar status as the carnival in this country.
In the meantime, retailers have also recognized the commercial value of Halloween. And for him there is nothing sour. The tills rarely sound sweeter. After all, every Viennese spends an average of 30 euros on the festival.
