Halloween is a traditional festival in Western countries. Festival night is the most "haunted" night of the year, so it is also called "Ghost Festival". At that time, people believed that the souls of their deceased friends would return to their former homes on this day to look for souls in the living, so that they could be reborn. This was the only hope for rebirth after death.

The cultural connotation of Halloween

In the West, Halloween is also called "Ghost Festival". Legend has it that the souls of people who died in those years will visit the world on Halloween. At this time, people should let the visiting ghosts see the perfect harvest and show generous hospitality to the ghosts. All bonfires and lights are not only to scare away ghosts, but also to light the way for ghosts to guide their return.

In fact, there are similar festivals in China, such as the Ghost Festival. But Hu Yeqiu said that although the two are both called "Ghost Festivals", the methods of sacrifice and the concept of celebrating the festival are quite different. "The Ghost Festival is basically about sacrifices and is relatively quiet; Halloween has gradually evolved into games, A carnival-style activity where entertainment is the main function.” The main activity of Halloween

The main activity of Halloween is "Trick or Treating". Children dress up in various scary costumes, ring the neighbor's doorbell from door to door, and shout: "Trick or Treat!" (meaning to cause trouble without inviting guests), and the host (who may also be wearing a scary costume) will bring out some Candies, chocolates or small gifts. Some families even use sound effects and smoke machines to create a scary atmosphere. The candy a child gets in one night is often measured in bags, and the whole bag is carried home.

In Scotland, when children ask for candy, they say: "The sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween." ), and then perform performances such as singing and dancing to win candies.

Traditional Halloween costumes include zombies, ghosts, witches, demons, etc. The typical costume is covered with a piece of cloth with two eye holes cut out to pretend to be a ghost. In Scotland and Ireland in the 19th century, people at that time believed that ghosts would come to the world on Halloween, so they would dress up like ghosts to make the ghosts think of themselves as the same kind.

In recent years, Halloween costumes are no longer limited to scary ones, but can be dressed up as anything, such as TV or movie stars, as well as public figures, such as politicians. In 2004, which coincided with the US presidential election, George Bush and John Kerry became popular Halloween costumes in the United States. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, firefighters and police officers became the targets of children's role-playing. It is estimated that in 2004, approximately 2.15 million American children dressed up as Spider-Man, making it the most popular costume that year.