When is Halloween? Ghosts and accessories made of different materials

"All Saints' Day" or Halloween 2017 - the date falls at the end of October. Find out what date is Halloween 2017 in Russia and how to celebrate Halloween. Get ready for the most mystical event this fall!

There are several special days a year when our world is in very close contact with the otherworldly dimension, and evil spirits are allowed to roam freely on the earth. A striking example of such a special date is or . However, the Celts believed that the maximum rampant of evil spirits occurred on Halloween.

What is so special about this holiday, why is Halloween so strongly associated with dark mysticism? According to the beliefs of the Celtic Druids, on this day the sun god Mac Olla loses his power and is captured by the demon Samhain (Samhain, Saman). Accordingly, ghosts, witches with black cats and other representatives of evil spirits gain power over all living things.

Halloween 2017 - holiday date

If you don't know what date Halloween 2017 in Russia, then know that this date celebrated on October 31. By the way, the date was not chosen by chance. In October, daylight hours noticeably shorten, leaves fall from the trees, and the weather becomes gloomier and colder. The Druids believed that such a phenomenon testified to the “death” of nature.

By the way, initially it was not pumpkin-shaped lanterns that were used to scare away evil spirits. For these purposes, the warlike Celts planted eerie war trophies on stakes - the skulls of killed enemies. Just imagine how gloomy it looks! Of course, such savagery was possible only in the Middle Ages. Over time, instead of skulls, the Celts began to use artificial “heads” made from pumpkins and other vegetables.

Many Irish (descendants of the ancient Celts) immigrated to the United States, where they “brought” the traditions of their ancestors. Thanks to Hollywood, the whole world became acquainted with the ancient pagan holiday, albeit in a modern “wrapper”. This is why today many people are wondering what date is Halloween in 2017.

Signs for Halloween

In England and Ireland, on Halloween night it is customary to hang a basket or bag of sweets at the front door. It is believed that in this way one can “pay off” the evil spirits walking around the earth. Although, most likely, the demons do not have time to enjoy the sweets - local children are always ahead of them.

It's great luck to meet a black cat on Halloween! This means that evil spirits will patronize the lucky one throughout the year. Such “patronage” ensures good luck and financial success. However, there is no point in deliberately wandering through the city dumps in search of suitable pussy. The sign will “work” only if you meet a black cat completely by accident.

On Halloween, you should not throw spiders out of your house, much less kill them. Since ancient times, the spider has been considered one of the living creatures associated with the other world (along with black cats, frogs and bats). For anyone who offends a spider on Halloween, evil spirits will try to take revenge.

Fortune telling for Halloween

To get a prediction for the coming year, you will need a Jack-o'-lantern. If you don't have one, you can buy pumpkin and... You will also need to prepare 13 notes with the following content:

1. Material abundance - there will be no shortage of money.

2. There will be separation from your loved one.

3. You will have troubles associated with adding to your family.

4. Someone in the household will get sick.

5. There will be court cases, possibly division of property.

6. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated.

7. What you have been dreaming about for several years will come true.

8. An interesting person will appear in your life.

9. Expect troubles that an elderly relative will cause.

10. Unexpected luck will radically change your destiny.

11. Your financial affairs will gradually improve.

12. The year will pass smoothly, without any special events or shocks.

13. Enemies will try to plot, but everything will end well.

Place the notes in the pumpkin and wait until the date of Halloween 2017 arrives (that is, October 31). Then, at the stroke of midnight, turn off the electricity, light the candles and say “Jack-O-Lantern, tell me what the coming year has in store!” Take out one of the notes at random with your left hand and read the prediction.

p.s. One person can only get one note. What is written must be fulfilled within a year - that is, until the next October 31st.

Halloween 2017 - holiday date

Halloween is a celebration of a variety of creepy creatures. If you don't know when Halloween is in 2017, the celebration takes place on the night of October 31 to November 1. The tradition originated in the British Isles, and at the end of the last century it spread throughout the world. Young people, anticipating joy, transform into fairy-tale characters and organize a cheerful “sabbath” on the occasion of the holiday. To turn the party into a real gathering of dark forces, you need to choose the most mysterious and very creepy ideas.

History of Halloween

The origin of the holiday is associated with the history of the Celts. These tribes inhabited the British Isles thousands of years ago. From them we are left with hundreds of rituals and mystical beliefs. According to the Celtic calendar, the year is divided into light and dark parts. The first part of the year ended with the last day of October. This day the harvest was still being completed. On the last night of October, the boundaries between this world and the other world dissolved. This night was festive and was called Samhain.

A couple of centuries later, the Roman people settled on the Celtic islands. They had their own religion and their own holidays. In order for people to accept their religion, the Romans decided to intertwine their rituals with Celtic ones. On the night of November 1, they held a celebration in honor of Pomona (goddess of the harvest) and remembered their fallen ancestors. Apples were an attribute of Pomona, and the tradition of treating acquaintances and friends with them on Halloween has survived to this day.

Almost all the rituals and traditions of past times have survived to this day. Among them, one of the most popular is making a Jack-o'-lantern. Children and adults carefully cut out the core of the round pumpkin and make slits for the creepy eyes, nose and mouth. You can put a candle or lantern in the middle. Children and youth scare their friends with these Jack-O-Lanterns. There is no need to throw away the pumpkin pulp - it will make an excellent pie for guests. Until recently, turnips, potatoes and beets were used to make lanterns. But since pumpkin is considered a true autumn vegetable, they began to use it. And it looks much more creative than small vegetables.

Why is a glowing pumpkin called a Jack-O-Lantern?

This also has its own story. In ancient times, in one of the villages there lived a stingy man named Jack who loved to drink. One evening the Devil came to the man to take his soul. But Jack turned out to be cunning, and for a long time he led the Devil by the nose and joked with him. But this could not last long, because the man’s body was wearing out and could not go to either hell or heaven. Already exhausted, Jack asked the Devil for coal to light his path in this world. So he walks, illuminating his path with embers that glow from a homemade lantern.

Favorite holiday for children and adults nowadays

Many children look forward to mid-autumn for fun games. They dress up as various evil creatures and go from house to house looking for candy. Their bags are always open for treats, and their rhymes carry humorous threats. Adults do not lag behind the younger generation and also organize a real Sabbath. The home is decorated in the most unimaginable way, everything is used: gauze, paints, glass bottles, black and white paper and much more. With the help of these simple things, an apartment or house turns into a real den of witches.

At the end of October, it is customary to celebrate a terrible holiday with fun and sweets. Let's figure out when Halloween 2018 will happen and how to celebrate it correctly. Despite the fact that this holiday is not originally Russian, Halloween has recently become a popular holiday for many Russians.

Celebrating Halloween - these traditions came to Russia relatively recently. But in a short time this holiday quickly gained popularity. And yet most people have no idea about the essence of the holiday, its history and traditions. We will tell you about when Halloween is in 2018, what date it should be celebrated, what to do and how to decorate the house in this article.

The word “Halloween” was first mentioned back in the 16th century as a derivative of the English phrase All-Hallows-Even (literally - All Saints’ Evening), the same phrase in Scottish is read as “Halloween”, as a result of which Scotland is considered to be the birthplace of the holiday.

In fact, the roots of modern Halloween go back even further, to the traditions of the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland. The Celts celebrated the night from November 31 to October 1 as the beginning of the new year, and believed that at this time the gates to the other world open, through which all kinds of evil spirits penetrate the earth.

Since then, the essence, traditions and the very name of the holiday have changed, but the date of celebration has remained the same - Halloween is celebrated on October 31, on the eve of All Saints' Day.

And I must say, they celebrate on a grand scale, especially in English-speaking countries, and since the end of the 20th century, the fashion for Halloween paraphernalia has spread to all European countries, including Russia.

What to do for Halloween?

Halloween is rightfully considered one of the most terrifying and interesting holidays in the whole world. Evil spirits arrived in Russia not so long ago, but I dare say that the ghouls liked it in our cold homeland.

Obviously, the harsh climate is good for the dead, and maybe there are other reasons for this, but be that as it may, over the course of several years, Halloween has become an integral part of the Russian autumn.

If we talk about the history of the holiday, it should be said that October 31 was considered by the ancient Celts to be the boundary between summer and winter.

At such moments, the line between the worlds of the living and the dead opened, and then it was considered necessary to set out treats for otherworldly guests, delight them with dances and chants, dress up in strange outfits and sacrifice livestock.

Centuries have passed, but the basic rituals remain essentially the same. On the night of November 1, you need to dress up in a strange carnival outfit in a somewhat, so to speak, Gothic style, walk, drink, dance all night and not forget about the treats.

You can do without casualties. Although it wouldn’t hurt to try some excellent lamb with blood this evening. What is the essence of the holiday, and how can you celebrate this wonderful night? Let's think about this topic while there is still time until October 31st.

As mentioned above, the prototype of Halloween was the Celtic pagan holiday Samay, which was a harvest festival and marked the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one.

During the celebration of Samhain, the Druids lit bonfires, burned animal bones in them and predicted the future from the pattern left by the fire.

Young people jumped over the fire, older people walked between two fires, this ritual was considered cleansing.

Later (in the 10th-11th centuries), Christian monks describe this day as a holiday of the dead, and after Ireland adopted Christianity, it was renamed All Saints' Day (Halloween).

Starting from the 16th century, the modern image of Halloween began to take shape, the tradition of gazing appeared - adults and children wore masks made of fabric and went from house to house, demanding treats from the owners (most often sweets).

Later, such attributes as “Jack-O-Lantern” and role-playing costumes appeared.

Traditions and symbols of the holiday

The night before the holiday, All Saints' Day is celebrated according to changed times, but still retaining the main features of Celtic beliefs. On Halloween, celebrants dress in carnival costumes and hold parties and festivities. The main symbols of this day are considered to be a lantern carved from a large pumpkin.

The Celts made such lamps on the occasion of the harvest, and also so that lost dead souls could quickly find their way to the other world with the help of a lantern.

The turnip was previously a traditional vegetable, but with the arrival of the holiday in the United States, pumpkin became more popular as a vegetable, more common and cheaper in the autumn season.

Among the costumes made for Halloween, the most popular are traditionally frightening characters: vampires, werewolves, monsters, witches, ghosts and other mystical heroes.

Celebrants decorate their homes for an autumn theme, placing jack-o'-lanterns on porches and windowsills.

In addition to vegetable lanterns, garden scarecrows, paper and plastic skeletons, spider webs, candles, and dried plant and leaf arrangements are popular decoration items.

According to tradition, the main colors of the holiday are all shades of orange and black.

Jack lamp

A large ripe Halloween pumpkin, with a very frightening face carved on it, which is illuminated by a candle lit from the inside, has become the main symbol of Halloween. This homemade lantern was given the name Jack's Lantern or Jack Lantern.

An ancient Irish legend is connected with the history of the emergence of this most striking symbol of the holiday.

It is believed that Jack was a blacksmith, very greedy and hungry for money and booze. The residents of his village were so tired of their annoying drinking companion that there were simply no people left willing to share a glass with him.

Then Jack offered to drink a bottle at a local eatery for Lucifer himself.

The devil agreed to keep him company. And when the time came to pay for the drink, Jack invited the naive Satan to turn himself into a coin, to which he also agreed.

The cunning blacksmith, without thinking twice, immediately hid the coin in his pocket, where a pre-prepared cross was already waiting.

Lucifer fell into a trap and could not get out of the trap where the image of the Savior was. Jack gave in to Satan's persuasion to release him in exchange for his promise to help the blacksmith in every possible way in his business.

The devil fell into Jack's trap a second time when the cunning blacksmith begged him to get apples from the very top of the tree. Lucifer, who had climbed to the top, simply could not get down from it, since Jack drew a cross on the crown of the apple tree.

This time Satan managed to escape by promising Jack not to take his soul after death. The drunken blacksmith let Lucifer go and lived a carefree life, and when the hour of death came, they refused to accept his soul in both Heaven and Hell. Unneeded by either the Devil or God, the blacksmith began to wander in search of Purgatory.

He illuminated his path with a lantern carved from a hollow turnip, in which the remains of coals smoldered.

The British left vegetable lamps, traditionally made from turnips, on the porches of their houses on All Hallows' Day in order to ward off unfriendly spirits from their homes.

In North America, this tradition became widespread only in the nineteenth century, when European emigrants settled the country.

At the same time, the Jack-O-Lantern became a direct symbol of Halloween only at the very end of the 19th century.

Halloween Costumes

Wearing carnival costumes on this holiday has its origins in the tradition of the Celtic peoples wearing animal skins on Samhain to protect themselves from evil spirits and ghosts.

In modern history, dressing up in a scary way for Halloween only became common at the end of the nineteenth century. For the first time such a case was described in Great Britain, 1895.

Local children, dressed in masks and costumes of fairy-tale characters, went to their neighbors' houses to collect goodies and small coins. In the rest of Europe, as well as in North America, such a tradition did not exist until the beginning of the 20th century.

Today, carnival costumes for Halloween celebrations begin to be sold in the summer. In the USA there are specialized stores and shops for these purposes. And if a hundred years ago a children’s costume included only an ugly mask with an image of an emaciated, disfigured face, now any factory-made Halloween costume looks truly festive and bright.

As a rule, adults and children dress up in the image of fantastic movie heroes, fairy-tale characters, both evil and frightening, for example, zombies, and good ones.

Begging for treats

Traditional Halloween entertainment, oddly enough, is primarily reminiscent of Christmas. Just like in Rus' on Christmastide, children dressed in costumes go from house to house and hope to receive sweets or coins from their neighbors.

But on Halloween this tradition has its own characteristics. Children dress in clothes and masks depicting monsters or other evil characters and go from house to house in the area, begging for various sweets.

At the same time, they ask the owners the question “Trick or treat?”, which translated means “Wallet or life?” This question contains a humorous threat to cause some kind of trouble to the owners if they do not give the children coins, candy or other treats.

This tradition has spread in Western Europe and America since the beginning of the twentieth century. At the same time, neighbors who want to see costumed children on the threshold of their house decorate the porch with Halloween symbols -

Jack-o-lantern, candles, artificial skeletons and other scary things. And those who do not want to participate in the general fun simply put out a basket filled to the top with sweet treats.

Despite its modern spread, the tradition of begging for food during church holidays has its roots in the Middle Ages. At that time, it was common practice for the poor to come to sing prayers and mournful songs under the windows of townspeople on this holiday, hoping to receive food or money.

This tradition was first combined with Halloween in Great Britain in 1895, when children in one of the villages dressed up in costumes and went to their neighbors' houses, begging for sweets.

The tradition of asking neighbors for sweets is most widespread in the modern world in the USA, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Latin and Central America and Western Europe. However, the details differ in different regions. For example, in the Caribbean, instead of asking “Trick or Treat?” they ask the question “Where is my little skull?”, and their neighbors give them candies made in the shape of a sugar or chocolate human head.

What to cook for Halloween?

Here are some excellent dishes especially for this celebration. First, don't forget the apples. Apples play an important role in the history of the holiday. They symbolize the beginning of autumn and love.

Girls on Halloween night put an apple under their pillow to see their betrothed in a dream, and there is also a popular English game.

The apple is hung from a candlestick on a string, and the player must eat it with his hands tied behind his back.

But on the table, treats made from this fruit will also not be superfluous. These can be baked apples with cinnamon and sugar, apple pies, apple salad. If you cut out the eyes, nose and mouth on an apple with a knife, pour chocolate on an ice cream cone and put it on the apples like a hat, you will get witch heads for table decoration.

The famous English pumpkin pie, which is so popular among wizards from Hogwarts school, would also be appropriate on the table. Its taste is specific, but for lovers it is incredibly tasty. Or, for example, meringue ghosts. It's very simple.

The recipe is the same as for regular meringue (whites and sugar), but just spread the resulting mass in the form of ghosts. When the dessert is almost ready, you can put two chocolate rounds in the place where the eyes should be.

For lovers of J. Rowling's books, we offer a recipe for a Harry Potter cocktail. One banana, three tablespoons of pumpkin puree, three tablespoons of orange concentrate or just half an orange, one scoop of vanilla ice cream and 1/3 cup of water.

Mix all this in a blender and an excellent milkshake is ready. You can decorate it with chocolate sauce on top. Draw, for example, a broom or a cobweb.

Also at the table you can have spaghetti with pumpkin, pumpkin puree soup, and also experiment with decorating desserts, as they are the main decoration of the table.

For example, you can make simple jelly from a bag with different fillings and cut it into figures symbolizing the holiday, or decorate simple ice cream with chocolate pictures in the form of a cobweb.

Decorate simple cookies (egg yolk, flour, cinnamon or cocoa) with jam or sweet sauces, and also make, for example, chocolate hedgehogs (an old communist recipe), but let them not be hedgehogs, but little monsters.

In the form of alcohol, we suggest making apple punch based on rum. Many Halloween recipes can be found very easily on the Internet.

The main thing in the festive table is the decorations and the festive atmosphere. Even boiled eggs can be passed off as torn out human eyes, and ketchup as blood. Just don’t overdo it, otherwise the aromas from your kitchen may bring evil spirits to your doorstep. And then you will have to pay off with sweets. Monsters love desserts very much, so they won’t just leave.

Christian Halloween Traditions

In the first century AD, the Romans conquered Celtic territories. During the 400 years that they spent on the lands of the Celts, not only the population mixed, but also traditions: two Roman holidays merged with Samhain.

The first is Feralia, celebrated at the end of October, a kind of All Souls' Day, and the second in honor of the goddess of fruits and trees, Pomona. Its symbol was an apple, and this is where the modern Halloween tradition of playing with apples came from.

Christianity supplanted the Druids in Great Britain and became the dominant religion, and in the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV established November 1 as All Hallows Day, on which saints and martyrs were supposed to be glorified.

And the night before All Saints' Day began to be called All Hallow's Eve. Over time, the name was reduced to Hallowe'en and eventually to Halloween. Since then, in the celebration of this day, pagan mysticism has inexplicably coexisted with Christian mysticism.

In the year 1000, the church declared November 2 All Souls Day, on which it was supposed to commemorate not the saints, but the ordinary dead. The funeral was organized in the likeness of Samhain - large bonfires, processions, dressing up in costumes of angels and devils.

Now all three dates - All Hallows' Eve (October 31), Saints' Day and All Souls' Day - are called Hallowmas (cf. Christmas). By the end of the 19th century, the mystical slant of Halloween was almost done away with, turning it into a public holiday.

Halloween in Russia and the world

Initially, Halloween was celebrated only in countries that inherited Celtic culture. Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales are the regions where this holiday was formed.

Since the end of the nineteenth century, emigrants have spread the traditions of celebrating Halloween in the United States, where it has become particularly widespread and has taken on its modern appearance.

In the twentieth century, when borders became a very elusive concept, this cheerful and vibrant holiday began to gradually spread throughout the world. Today, in addition to America and Europe, Halloween is popular in Asian countries.

The holiday came to Russia in the nineties and is still considered very exotic. For Russians, Halloween is, first of all, an opportunity to have a fun carnival party, with the opportunity to dress up in the costumes of mystical characters.

The bright and extraordinary holiday Halloween is quite young for our latitudes. Until recently, Christmas and Easter were considered the favorite holidays of many. But, almost a couple of years ago, a mystical holiday was added to this list - Halloween. Having in their arsenal, rich in traditions and customs, Russians do not disdain elements of other cultures.

Russia is moderately democratic and preferences are treated leniently here. Want to celebrate a Western holiday? Please. Dress up yourself and dress up your children. In order to better prepare and think through the outfit and other attributes of the holiday in advance, you need to know when exactly it will be Halloween in 2017.

You will learn about this from our article, and you will probably be interested in reading about the history, customs and traditions of this pagan, extraordinary holiday.

When do we celebrate Halloween?

In fact, Halloween is celebrated on the same day every year. That is, the date does not “float” from year to year, as happens, say, with Easter... In 2017, as in other years, the eve of All Saints' Day will be celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1. It is at this time, according to ancient beliefs, that the spirits of our ancestors go out “for a walk.”

For some, this night is associated with fun, while for others it instills real, soul-chilling fear. Halloween is the hour of vampires, ghouls, werewolves, witches, demons and other “evil spirits.”

history of the holiday

It is noteworthy that the history of the holiday itself is a mixture of several cultures. At first, Halloween began as a pagan ritual that was performed at the end of summer: fearing the harsh winter, the Druids tried to “please” the spirits of nature by making sacrifices to them and, thereby, gaining their favor. On November 1, the holiday of Samhain, the god of all the dead, was celebrated - it was then, according to Druid beliefs, that winter began.

On this day, winter replaced summer, day gave way to night, and life gave way to death. On the night before the Samhain holiday, all barriers between the spiritual and material are erased, the supernatural easily walks the earth, scaring people who happen to be on the street at that time.

The Celts honored this night as the time when the spirits of dead people descended to the earth, taking on various guises - from monsters to lovely fairies. To avoid becoming the prey of one of these otherworldly monsters, people took out food in the evening and placed the offering on the threshold of their home. In their homes they put out the fires and dressed themselves up as scary as possible in order to scare away uninvited guests.

Years later, the customs and traditions of All Hallows' Day of the Celts, Druids and ancient Romans who conquered the Celtic lands became closely intertwined. Since in Ancient Rome it was customary to remember the dead at this time, the meaning of this holiday has not undergone major changes, but the culture of Halloween has been enriched with new rituals, ceremonies and sacraments adopted from the ancient Romans.

It would seem that after the spread of Christianity, the “demonic” holiday should have sunk into oblivion, but it was not forgotten, despite the active attempts of Christian churches to eradicate paganism and the traditions “alien” with it. Pope Boniface IV approved the celebration of All Saints' Day on November 1 in the 7th century. The night before was called All Hallow’s Eve. Over time, the name was transformed into Hallowe’en, and then reduced to the well-known Halloween. Since then, Christianity has miraculously coexisted with the mystical traditions and beliefs of Halloween.

Scary fun Halloween holiday

Now all that remains of the ancient pagan holiday is a set of interesting and funny traditions. In our modern times, some customs for celebrating All Hallows' Eve differ in different countries of the world. The Halloween holiday is celebrated most widely in the USA and Europe. Now Russia is cheerfully joining in with the general joy.

On the night from October 31 to November 1, it is customary to decorate the yard and house in a particularly frightening way, put on scary costumes, and organize processions, masquerades and parties. Children usually do not dress up in costumes of evil spirits, choosing something neutral and even cute, for example, trying on the image of their favorite cartoon character or Disney princess.

Together with their parents, huddled in small groups, the children wander from house to house, saying: “Trick or treat!” instead of a greeting. If there is no candy in the house or the owners do not open the door at all, they risk seeing in the morning, when they go out to get a newspaper, a yard and a house covered in toilet paper, or, even worse, a garage door covered in soot or broken eggs. Therefore, it is better to stock up on a sufficient amount of sweets in advance, otherwise the “evil demons” will play a cruel joke on your short-sighted neighbors.

The older generation visits bars, pubs and parties on this night, where they participate in a competition for the coolest and most original costume. In recent years, it has become very fashionable to turn yourself into a walking dead zombie just for one night. Probably the reason for this was the acclaimed series “Walking Dead” and the spin-off “Fear the Walking Dead”, which tell about the zombie apocalypse.

Imagine noisy night streets filled with skillfully painted young people - someone can see their jaw where their cheek should be, someone has “lost” part of their face, and someone’s eye is dangling by a thread! Scary? Still would! After all, it's Halloween, the night when you can become anyone - from a witch or a werewolf to a pretty mermaid. Or maybe Elvis Presley is “to your taste”? In a word, you need to rely on your imagination and try not to overdo it with makeup and costume - a heart attack from your neighbor’s grandmother on this fun night would be completely inappropriate, right?

halloween pumpkin

Pumpkin on the eve of All Saints' Day is an integral attribute and even a symbol of this mystical holiday. The core of the bright orange vegetable is removed, the eyes, nose and mouth are cut out from the front and a candle is placed inside. This way you get a scary (or funny, it all depends on the emotions that are “written” on the face of your pumpkin) street lamp, which is used to decorate the yard in front of the house.

The pot-bellied pumpkin symbolizes the end of the autumn harvest and, at the same time, the evil spirit and the fire that scares it away. Different beliefs are concentrated in one object, which makes the Halloween pumpkin the main attribute of the holiday.

A pumpkin with a carved face and a glowing candle inside is called a "Jack-O-Lantern" or "Jack's head." On the eve of All Hallows' Day, the Jack-lantern is displayed on the thresholds of many houses, in shop windows and cafes, scaring away evil spirits. An Irish legend tells the story of the origin of this Halloween symbol.

One day on the eve of All Saints' Day, a drunken blacksmith, nicknamed Stingy Jack, was peacefully drinking in a pub and... found himself in the clutches of the devil himself! Jack agreed to give his soul to the evil spirits only in exchange for a mug of ale. The devil had to turn into hard coin to pay for the drink and the blacksmith, without hesitation, threw the money into the wallet where the silver cross lay. The devil begged the blacksmith to have mercy on him. Tortured by the holy cross, he became completely weak. Jack let the devil go, but first he bargained for himself ten years of life.

Ten years later, the lord of demons and demons returned to the drunkard, and he, in turn, asked for an apple in his dying request. The devil had to climb onto the blacksmith's shoulders to get the ruddy fruit. At this time, Jack drew a cross on the bark of the tree and... the devil just hovered in the air! In the end, Stingy Jack needed a promise that his soul would not end up in hell. When the blacksmith nevertheless died, God did not allow the heavy drunkard into heaven. Also, the devil said that he could not take his soul, because a covenant had been given. When asked where he should go now, the devil advised him to wander back to where Jack came from.

There was pitch darkness all around and the blacksmith asked for a light. The Devil took out a smoldering coal from the fire of hell and gave it to Jack. He cut out the middle of a turnip lying in his pocket and put a coal there. Since then, the Jack-O-Lantern has been wandering around the world, making his eternal journey like a damned soul.

The Scots and Irish carved scary faces from potatoes and turnips, the British from beets. Over time, the tradition migrated to America, where people found the ideal vegetable for the role of Jack's head - a pumpkin.

Halloween (also Halloween) is a modern holiday that dates back to the traditions of the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland, the history of which began in the territory of modern Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Celebrated on October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day. Halloween is traditionally celebrated in English-speaking countries, although it is not an official day off. Since the end of the 20th century, during the process of globalization, the fashion for Halloween paraphernalia has also emerged in most non-English-speaking countries of Europe and the CIS. Halloween is celebrated informally in some other countries with close cultural ties to the US or UK, such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, and several island countries in Oceania.

Halloween 2017: date, history of the holiday, how to celebrate

The main symbol of the holiday is the so-called Jack-O-Lantern. It represents a pumpkin on which a sinisterly grinning face is carved; A lit candle is placed inside the pumpkin. Jack-o'-lanterns first appeared in Great Britain, but they were originally made from rutabaga or turnips. It was believed that such a fruit, left near the house on All Saints' Day, would drive away evil spirits from it. When the tradition of celebrating Halloween spread to the United States, lamps began to be made from pumpkins, which were more accessible and cheaper.

The origins of this custom can be found in the ancient Irish and British traditions of carving faces on vegetables during various rituals. The “Jack-O-Lantern” acquired its modern appearance around 1837, at which time it received this name. By 1866, it was already strongly associated with Halloween. However, in the USA, long before the popularization of Halloween, carved pumpkins were used as one of the symbols of the harvest. By 1900, its use during this holiday gradually came into use.

Like other holidays, Halloween has its famous songs and theme music. The widely known song “Monster Mash” by pop musician Bobby Pickett has become, according to a number of music critics, a kind of Halloween anthem. Another very popular song is "This Is Halloween", written by Danny Elfman and included in the soundtrack to the animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas. It has been repeatedly covered by various not only American, but also Japanese performers. Also often associated with the holiday is the band Midnight Syndicate, whose work, according to some authors, has become synonymous with this holiday.

Halloween 2017, events in Moscow

Masquerade party “Halloween 90s” 18+. In honor of All Saints' Day, a grand costume party will be held in the Izvestia Hall concert hall. Witches, werewolves and other characters will have fun until the morning listening to the hits of the 90s. October 28 23:55–6:00. Concert hall "Izvestia Hall"

Halloween Horror Night 18+. The most mystical and wild night of the year - without complexes, restrictions and compromises! The Halloween Horror Night party will gather all the evil spirits of Moscow on one dance floor. October 28 23:30. Club "Theatre".

Halloween Party 18+. The darkness is gathering! The Volta club offers to spend the scariest night of the year in the Halloween Party format with the participation of uncompromising metalheads from
USA, Europe and Russia. October 27 19:00. Club Volta

Halloween Party: Space Travel 18+. Featuring Greg Hilight & Ludo, Skazi, Talamasca, Electric Universe. Halloween in a cosmic style will be presented to the guests of GlavClub by leading experts in atmospheric and modern electronics. October 28, 23:30. Glavclub Green Concert

Concert Powerwolf 16+. German storytellers of dark myths and legends will thunder with a large-scale solo performance off the banks of the Moscow River. October 27, 20:00. Club Glavclub Green Concert

Hashtag Halloween Party. Have you already checked out the latest Stephen King film, It? If you haven't yet, then watch it soon and get inspired to create a creepy costume
Pennywise the clown, who lures children with balloons. At the Halloween party at Jim & Jack bar, there is a dress code (in addition to a clown, you can dress up as a comedian or celebrity). October 28 at 22:00.

Halloween looks for girls 2017

The image of a vampire is one of the most common on All Saints' Day. Perhaps the secret of popularity lies in its versatility: both a man and a woman can become a “vampire”. Moreover, for women there are more than enough variations: you can be a dangerous demoness, a crazy vampire, and even a sexy witch.

Mandatory elements of the image are a whitened face, dark eyes and fangs. You can prepare such an image yourself, even with minimal imagination: a white face can be created using a light foundation or a cream corrector to highlight. Fangs can be purchased at most stores. Smokey eyes are achieved using a black pencil, eye shadow or eyeliner. The final element of the look is red lips. They can be clearly painted or have a “bloody” effect.

Halloween skeleton and corpse image

The image of a skeleton is also quite popular. But with such makeup you have to tinker a lot. It is unlikely that you will be able to do such makeup on your own. But those who decide to try should arm themselves with black and white pencil and shadows. The image of a corpse is even more complicated: special plastic is often used for high-quality makeup. It is painted with artificial blood and shadows. The number of wounds depends on your imagination.

Porcelain doll image for Halloween

It would seem that the image of the doll is very cute. But on All Saints' Day, you have to deal with a broken doll. Creating such makeup is very simple. To do this, you need to do a beautiful girly makeup: more eyelashes, winged wings, lips in a bow, a slightly whitened face. The final element of the image is a large, believable crack. And the more believable, the better. And, accordingly, more terrible. You can even “beat off” a piece of porcelain by tinting it black.

Images of animals for Halloween: kitty, tiger and snakes

The fashion trend of the time is animal images. They are not difficult to implement and can be limited to banal animal attributes bought in a store: ears, tail and cute fangs. The makeup is also very simple: we draw a nose and mustache for the cat and the tiger. If you want to be a snake on this day, draw scales.

Clowns and circus performers: popular images for Halloween

Makeup for clowns and circus performers is also in demand on this day. Despite the fact that many people associate clowns with images from horror films, you can become a completely good-natured red-haired guy or girl. To turn into a clown, you should buy (or draw) a big red nose, whiten your face and make red cheeks.