Today is Halloween and we all know what that means! Or not? Hmm, just in case some of you have no idea about Halloween or no idea why such a celebration even exists, here’s a quick overview:
So Halloween started out in ancient Britain and Ireland and has its origins in paganism. At the end of each summer, on the 31st of October, the Celtic festival of Samhain was held with the belief that the dead would revisit their homes on that very night. This is why everything about this night spells sinister; hence the ideas of witches, vampires, ghosts and other demons taking over the streets. Not intimidating enough? Halloween was also thought of being the perfect time for the summoning of supernatural forces to seek knowledge of the future concerning anything from love and marriage, to health and death. On this day, thus, the very devil himself was invoked for such purposes.
Nowadays, Halloween could be said to have its strongest influence in American culture. This was not always so though, due to its earlier strong Christian heritage. In fact, it was mostly during the 20th century that Halloween became so popular. In Malta, this festival has never before been popular amongst the people however it seems that, as time goes by, it’s becoming more acknowledged and renowned. This is why we, from the Third Eye, decided to hit the university grounds to ask students about their thoughts regarding this particular feast.