[Current World] Hello, Halloween!
	[영어뉴스] 최종수정일 / 2009년 10월 08일

On October 31,  small ghosts disguised open up the door and come in the house and shout 'Trick or treat'.  The small ghost receives sweets, candy, fruit in the bag he puts out.  The day when one can meet playful children wandering from door to door is Halloween day.

Halloween is a holy day in America and Europe that is celebrated by both  Christians and pagans.  The tradition was carried by the Irish to North America from Europe and spread around the world.  About two thousands five hundreds ago, 'Celts' thought that October 31 was the last day of the year and November 5, the start of the new year.  On October 31, they disguised themselves in scary costumes in order to frighten an evil spirit away from harassing people and ruining crops.

Halloween is not only a religious celebration.  It has a fun tradition for a few thousand years.  Fun things to do on Halloween are 'Trick-or-treat' (children dress up as a monster or scary creature, going from house to house collecting candy), making a bonfire, enjoying a costume party disguised as vampires, ghosts and witches and others.  Especially this day, we can see the common sight of jack-o'-lanterns, which is used as a lamp.

The story of jack-o'-lanterns is interesting.  When a spirit of the dead appears to request his soul, he ingeniously deceived the spirit of the dead and lived for several years after.  When he was really dead, he didn't go to any heaven or hell.  He became a spirit wandering in the dark and cold of Ireland.  He hollowed out a radish and made a fire to light a dark road and keep warm.  It's the story of jack-o'-lantern, which represents Halloween.

One prepares for a Halloween party, which is a costume ball, by getting into character with costumes resembling famous characters such as Dracula, an angel, a demon, a witch, a skeleton, a bat, a Superman, Harry Potter and others.  Making up face painting suitable for a costume is itself an end!  How about gathering with family and friends, how about reading scary stories and watching horror movies   Also Lotte World, which is an amusement park in Seoul, is planning to hold a Halloween Festival until November 1.  It looks like fun.

There is a goblin's day in Korea like Halloween of the West.  The next day of the year's first full moon, goblins go around town and make people merry,who spend the day, making lucky food enabling them to escape from misfortune and sharing with neighbors.  On Halloween, people dress up as scary monsters to drive away evil spirits harassing them.  On goblin's day people share food to avoid misfortune.  The West and the East have kept universal themes, developing similar cultures.

By reporter Park Yi-seul
hakbopys@donga.ac.kr
동아대학보 제1073호 (2009. 10. 5)