What does hallowe'en mean?

Definitions for hallowe'en
hal·lowe'en

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word hallowe'en.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Halloween, Hallowe'en, Allhallows Evenoun

    the evening before All Saints' Day; often devoted to pranks played by young people

Wikipedia

  1. hallowe'en

    Halloween (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.One theory holds that many Halloween traditions were influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, which are believed to have pagan roots. Some go further and suggest that Samhain may have been Christianized as All Hallow's Day, along with its eve, by the early Church. Other academics believe Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallow's Day. Celebrated in Ireland and Scotland for centuries, Irish and Scottish immigrants took many Halloween customs to North America in the 19th century, and then through American influence Halloween had spread to other countries by the late 20th and early 21st century.Popular Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related guising and souling), attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror or Halloween-themed films. Some people practice the Christian religious observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, although it is a secular celebration for others. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows' Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

ChatGPT

  1. hallowe'en

    Hallowe'en, also known as Halloween, is a celebration observed in many countries on the 31st of October each year. The word "Hallowe'en" means "Saints' evening" and it originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The holiday has evolved and is now typically characterized by activities like trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, among others. It's the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day, also known as All Saints' Day.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. Hallowe'en

    the eve of All Saints' Day, 31st October, which it was customary, in Scotland particularly, to observe with ceremonies of a superstitious character, presumed to have the power of eliciting certain interesting secrets of fate from wizard spirits of the earth and air, allowed, as believed, in that brief space, to rove about and be accessible to the influence of the charms employed.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of hallowe'en in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of hallowe'en in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

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"hallowe'en." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/hallowe%27en>.

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