Azernews.Az

By Laman Sadigova

Halloween is a mysterious affair that is shrouded in scary stories and legends that people tell each other on October 31.

Despite Halloween not being an Azerbaijani holiday and not even having any common roots with the country’s culture, it is now widely celebrated in sunny Azerbaijan, especially in the capital, Baku.

This year, the holiday will be celebrated in various popular locations in Baku such as Electra Events Hall, Soho Lounge & Bar, Pasifico, Gate 25 and many others. Parties will be feature Halloween-themed décor and music.

The youth is actively preparing to celebrate this most joyful and fearful holiday of the year. Despite all the frightening attributes, Halloween is a life-affirming and positive holiday. It allows you to laugh at your fears and embrace the fall, the most depressing season of the year. On the night of October 31, many masquerades are held throughout the world and both children and adults celebrate this holiday.

In Azerbaijan, Halloween is usually celebrated on the last days of October and sometimes it even lasts until November.

One can see on streets pretty witches and scary vampires, laughing loudly at each other’s costumes. In some families, even children are taking part in the celebration and are dressed as a little pumpkin or even a princess.

The variety of costumes during these parties usually strikes the imagination –it can be a dead bride, a troll, a headless horseman, bloodthirsty zombies, and many other characters.

Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition.

In actuality, Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer. The Celts, who lived in the area of modern Ireland, United Kingdom and the northern France celebrated their New Year on November 1, roughly 2,000 years ago.

Celts believed that on the eve of the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

Another feature of this holiday is the tradition of "trick-or-treating." In fact, the American Halloween tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England when poor citizens begged for food and other families gave them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

Nowadays, "trick-or-treating" is a customary practice for children on Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes run from house to house and ask for candy, "Trick or treat?" they ask.

Indeed, trick or treat?

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Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93

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