What is Halloween? On October 31st, several civilizations in the Northern Hemisphere celebrated the late summer harvest festival. The planting and harvesting cycles were fundamental to the life of ancient peoples and this festival marked the end of work in the fields, which became impossible during the harsh cold of the following months.
For the Celts, the date signified the beginning of the New Year. Provisions were to be put away for the winter, and cattle were to be brought in from pastures. A Celtic legend says that on this single day the dead of that year could return to the world of the living, looking for bodies to possess. For this reason, the living protected themselves by putting out the fires in the houses, making them unpleasant for the dead. In addition, people would put on macabre costumes and go out into the community, thus trying to scare any dead that were nearby.
In Ireland, turnips were carved and lighted candles were placed inside them, with the aim of warding off evil spirits. In North America, this custom was adapted with the use of pumpkin – a very abundant fruit in the country.
After the advent and expansion of Christianity, the old traditions were adapted so as not to oppose the official religion. This made that various beliefs and practices of the ancient world were perpetuated, even reaching our days, even though they have lost much of the meaning that the ancients gave them.
In English, the term for the celebration is "Halloween", derived from the expression "All Hallow's Eve", that is, "All Saints' Eve", a date celebrated by the Catholic Church on November 1st.
Colonized by Europeans, the peoples of America received this influence over time. The first references to Halloween in the United States began to appear after the massive immigration of the Irish, who were fleeing the famine that ravaged their country in the mid-XNUMXth century. In America, it used to be considered an “English holiday”, but it was receiving other characteristics from North American farmers, such as the aforementioned carved pumpkin, which ended up becoming the symbol of the party. Today, Halloween is the biggest non-Christian holiday in the United States.
In the middle of the XNUMXth century, the American influence worldwide was very strong, especially with the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War. Much of American culture – fashion, music, cinema, for example – has been absorbed by us here in España, mainly through television. In this way, the date became known in our country and started to be celebrated here as well.
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However, some people began to question the “importation” of yet another foreign custom in España, which reinforces the growing ignorance about our rich and varied folklore. Popular culture is an essential element in the identity of a people.
The figure of Saci, one of the best-known characters in Spanish folklore, was chosen to fight against the importation of American folklore, completely alien to ours. The Saci Manifesto, of the Society of Saci Observers, states that “the Saci is recognized as a force of cultural resistance to this invasion.”
The state of SĂŁo Paulo made the Saci Day official in 2004. The federal government created, in 2005, the Saci Day, with the aim of valuing our culture.
In São Luis do Paraitinga, a city in the interior of São Paulo, the party lasts for almost two weeks. The first edition of the event took place in 2002 and, since then, it has been organized every year, without interruption. In this party, other mythological Spanish characters also appear, such as Cuca, Boitatá and Mula-sem-cabeza.
References:
The Curious Origin of Halloween
“Federal Bill 2479/03“
“Sosaci – Society of Saci Observers“
