Halloween is the time to hollow out a pumpkin, stock up on candy, create costumes and add skeletons, black cats and all sorts of spooky decorations to the house. But why is Halloween actually celebrated? People still argue about the origins of Halloween today.
History of Halloween
The name is short for All Hallows’ Even, the night before All Saints’ Day, when the Halloween festival is traditionally celebrated. According to legend, Celtic druids celebrated a festival on the night of October 31 to November 1 to bid farewell to summer and welcome winter, the time of Samhein, the god of the dead. On this night, it was believed, one could contact the deceased, and vice versa, the dead returned as spirits. Therefore, people dressed up with ugly grimaces to scare off the haunting spirits. Today, it is not uncommon for a Halloween costume to represent a ghost itself. The traditional Halloween pumpkin, which today no Halloween party should be without, was originally a turnip. However, when Irish immigrants brought the Halloween custom to America, people proceeded to hollow out a pumpkin instead of a turnip.
Halloween costumes for scary
Not only children in America like to put on costumes on Halloween: Even among adults, vampires, bats, skeletons or the like are the most popular Halloween costumes, not only at a Halloween party. And in Germany, too, more and more children go from house to house on Halloween night to ask for trick-or-treaters. Halloween costumes can be ordered or you can make your own. A witch, for example, only needs a black cape, a broom and a pointed hat. In addition, prime the face white and paint lips and eyes in a bold black. Unlike Fassnacht, Halloween costumes always have something eerie about them. So the right ambience must not be missing. If you’re hosting a Halloween party, you can’t do without giant spider webs, bats, ghosts and, of course, the pumpkin. Again, if you don’t want to shop in one of the many Halloween stores or department stores, you can also make your own Halloween decorations for the party at home. At a craft afternoon, the whole family has fun and everyone can contribute to the design of the Halloween party.
No Halloween party without Halloween pumpkin
From Ireland comes the legend that the villain Jack O. tricked the devil. However, the latter took pity on him when he went neither to heaven nor to hell after his death, and gave him a turnip with a glowing piece of coal as a lamp, with which he henceforth walked through the intermediate world. Today, the Halloween pumpkin, also called Jack O’ Lantern, is said to scare off evil spirits and has become the symbol of Halloween par excellence. A lid is cut into the Halloween pumpkin with a kitchen knife, which is later put back on. With a spoon, the pumpkin is now hollowed out, the healthy and delicious flesh can be processed with the help of one of the numerous Halloween recipes. Now you can carve a face on the pumpkin with the kitchen knife according to your mood. Finally, place a tea light inside and put the lid back on. The Halloween pumpkin is ready! Halloween pumpkin carving contests are also an especially fun game for young and old at the Halloween party, as is the free skate for the scariest Halloween costume.
Healthy Halloween recipes
If you’ve processed pumpkins of all shapes and sizes for your Halloween party, you can make all sorts of delicious dishes with the pulp. For example, how about a healthy pumpkin salad with apples and carrots? The following feast is suitable not only as a Halloween recipe. Take:
- 2 apples
- 200g carrots
- 200g pulp of pumpkin
- Some sugar
- 1 lemon
- 100ml natural yogurt
- Some parsley
- 50 g chopped hazelnuts
Recipe: preparation pumpkin salad
Wash and peel the apples and carrots and grate them together with the pumpkin flesh. Now squeeze the lemon and mix the juice with the yogurt and sugar to make a paste. Then chop the parsley and stir it in. In a bowl, mix the cream with the fruit, finally sprinkle the hazelnuts – the salad is ready to serve.Many parents criticize the mass of sweets that are distributed on Halloween. However, there are also healthy Halloween recipes that can not only be served to children, but also become a real eye-catcher at the Halloween party for adults. A special gag are the “sweet eyes”: In the recesses of lychees (can come out of the can) cherries or berries are stuck with. Dip a toothpick in red food coloring and paint on little veins. Offer the eyes on a tray – and the party on Halloween will be a hit!