Trick or treat?

It is now late October and the weather is getting colder with only a few days left in this year. I have started to write this, but when I think about it, it is only cold in the northern hemisphere. I don't know how many of you are reading this, but it is intended to be read by people all over the world. on the heads of those who live in the southern hemisphere. Well, please understand that it is slightly chilly in late October in Japan.

 

Now, let me get down to business and talk about the situation of Halloween in Japan.

First of all, before I talk about the Halloween situation in Japan, I would like to say a few words about "Shaka ni Seppou" (a Japanese proverb that compares the foolishness of telling someone who already knows everything about Halloween). But I have researched what Halloween is, and I would like to write about it here.

 

Halloween is said to have its origins in the autumn harvest festival and exorcism rituals of the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland.

The ancient Celts celebrated the New Year on November 1, and believed that the souls of the dead would visit their families on October 31, the end of the year, and evil spirits would come with them. Since evil spirits would kidnap children and harm crops, people wore masks and built bonfires to drive them away. Later, Christian Catholics came to Ireland and Scotland, but this custom did not disappear and was incorporated into Christianity. As many of you know, November 1 is All Saints' Day in Christianity, a day to commemorate all the saints and martyrs. October 31, the eve of All Hallows' Eve, is called "All Hallow's Even" in Scottish, which was abbreviated to "Halloween" or "Hallowe'en," hence the origin of the word "Halloween.

 

Halloween is strongly associated with pumpkins, probably because the "jack-o'-lantern" is something of an icon of Halloween. By the way, the "jack-o'-lantern" originally originated with the Celts, who used turnips as lanterns to ward off evil. When they came to America, turnips were not so familiar there, so they substituted pumpkins, which could be harvested in large quantities, and this is how the jack-o'-lantern took root.

 

Maybe something like this.

I looked up when Halloween first became a topic of conversation in Japan. It seems that Halloween spread gradually due to several factors rather than a specific trigger. The first Halloween event in Japan was the "Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade" held in Omotesando, Harajuku in 1983 as part of the sales promotion activities of Halloween-related products that began to be sold in Harajuku, Tokyo in the 1970s. The first event was still poorly recognized by the Japanese people for Halloween, and most of the participants were from overseas. It seems that Halloween became widely recognized when Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan started holding Halloween events. It seems that Halloween spread quickly after the two major theme parks in Japan held events. Another reason for the spread of Halloween seems to be that candy makers began to sell limited edition Halloween products. In Japan, pumpkin dishes were originally the standard during this time of the year, as in "Imo (potato), kuri (chestnut), kabocha (pumpkin)," which may have been a good match with sweets.

 

Candy counter at Halloween in a Japanese supermarket.

I had said that I would write about the Halloween situation in Japan, but I feel that I have almost ended up explaining Halloween, but it has only been about 20 years since Japan started to celebrate Halloween in 2000. I think it is a good thing that Japan is able to take what comes in and localize it, but it would be nice if we could follow the original purpose of Halloween a little and enjoy it while thinking of the souls of the dead.

 

Well, that's all for this issue. I haven't decided what I am going to write about in my next blog, but please wait for the next one. Oh, and I would love to hear how you spent Halloween sometime.