The following bilingual text is meant to help you build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.
One of the most interesting things about learning more about other cultures is the opportunity to learn more about your own.
Every culture is different, and what is acceptable or even fun in one culture can seem and in another. The ideas behind these cultural differences are often very difficult to translate, and instead of explaining something using one word, you must often explain the history or theory behind a concept to make it more understandable. For example, is a widely popular holiday in the United States, and is becoming more well-known around the world. In Russia, however, it is still looked on with some , if not , as it is seen as a and thus possibly even . When explaining Americaโs observance of Halloween to Russians, itโs often helpful to or with similar holidays in other countries. This may make the holiday seem less strange and offensive, or at least more understandable.
Halloween in the United States is also known as , and โHalloweenโ is actually a of that name. It occurs the night before , also called โAll Hallows Day.โ The Catholic holiday of All Hallows Day is a time for , , and those who had recently been received in . All Hallowโs Eve, however, became a time for remembering all those who had died, whether or not they had attained entrance to heaven; it was thought that prayers and remembrance could . In some areas, it was believed that the and needed similar help in their .
Halloween is a . The threshold is a concept in many cultures and , including Russian and represents a time or place where there are between two things that are thought to be separate, thus allowing a way to pass between them. Russian folklore, for instance, contains many stories and beliefs about bridges, โ carrying a bride across a bridge is still a rite of passage for newlywed Russian men, although the tradition has deep roots. The hour of midnight and the break of dawn are , and , including Russian. Halloween was seen as a threshold in which the barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds , when actions on earth could affect events in and assist loved ones who were suffering.
Thus, the day was spent praying by and at special church services. At night, prayers would be held at the local charnel house โ a special place for keeping the of those not yet buried or too poor to be buried. However, thresholds, while offering significant power that can be used for good, can also be very dangerous โ for if earthly actions can events in purgatory, then purgatory can also affect events on earth. Thus, it was generally considered dangerous to go out late at night on this day.
Elements of entered Halloween likely in the sixteenth century in Scotland and Ireland after Queen Elizabeth, then Head of the Church of England, All Hallows Eve in her kingdom. Carnival is also a concept held in many cultures โ a time of , often with , and a time when , both and . Sociologists theorize that such times allow โventingโ in society and thus actually contribute to overall stability. Scotland and Ireland were particularly attached to Halloween traditions, which had been merged with those of ancient Celtic holiday called โSamhain.โ Samhain involved cleansing rituals and acts of thanksgiving for the recent harvest and for the food that had been consumed that year and took place on the same day as Halloween. After Elizabethโs ban, the peoples of Scotland and Ireland responded by making their celebrations even larger, and sometimes using it as time to as or in the context of merriment.
Many of the traditions of Halloween also have . Trick-or-treating, for instance, comes from the tradition that on feast days, which All Hallows Eve and All Hallows Day are in Anglican and Catholic traditions, the needy could pass asking to taste the that lay on the tables inside. As another example, the jack-o-lantern, although today traditionally carved from a pumpkin and left on the doorstep or in a window, was originally carved from an easier-to-carry and was used by those who had to go outdoors on All Hallows Eve to light their way and protect them from any spirits that may be in the area. In both cases, the process involved of the vegetable, into the outside, and placing a candle inside so that the light glows out through the carved face. for a similar purpose: so that spirits might think the person to be a spirit and allow the person to pass . Of course, costumes also came to be used so that humans might think that a mischief maker was, in fact, a spirit.
Samhain and Halloween both occur as winter is setting in and after . Both are . Both are also generally understood by those who currently celebrate them to be of the powerful and natural force of death as a part of the .
While Halloween, as it is now celebrated in America, is connected with traditions that began in Great Britain, similar holidays are celebrated in other cultures. is very similar in some aspects to Halloween and is very popular in countries like Mexico, Spain, and Brazil (where Catholicism is the dominant religion). ะะตะฝั ะผะตััะฒัั is celebrated on November 1 and 2, and is a , so all banks and government offices are closed.
Like Halloween, ะะตะฝั ะผะตััะฒัั is associated with All Saintsโ Day, and serves to honor and remember the dead. Families to . Sometimes they leave small gifts, or even the departedโs favorite food on a small alter or at the to honor the deceased relative. Some cities have large and celebrations during the day, which, like Halloween, often involve disguises and decorations representing , , and .
Those who celebrate Halloween in Great Britain and America usually associated it more with than anything else. However, traditions of acknowledging and, in some ways, remain. In the US, many celebrate Halloween by gathering friends to watch . Visiting haunted houses, where actors will portray scenes or personages of horror, is also popular, as are . These are carved from parts of and challenge the visitor to , often with actors roaming within them to add to the Halloween atmosphere by scaring (or helping) the participants along. Many other traditions, like hay rides, where participants ride on beds of , often pulled by a tractor, also .
While it is becoming rarer today as communities in the US become less permanent and neighbors often donโt know each other well, children also sometimes still go saying โtrick or treat!โ to receive candy. It is more common now for to be held, in which children receive candy and prizes, often by participating in various games. For example, bobbing for apples is an ancient game that likely originated with Celts, who made apples part of their Samhain celebrations. In this game, apples are placed in a and the participant must . To protect costumes, a version of this game is often played where apples are hung from strings and must be bitten using only the teeth with no assistance from the hands.
Costumes today include not only scary costumes such as , , , , , or , but also fun or cute costumes, such as , , , or , such as Barack Obama or Justin Bieber.
Modern Halloween has . Many Halloween traditions can be traced back to Americaโs roots in ancient England and a culture that can , , and as a normal or at least part of the . However, Halloween, in touching on the subjects of death and evil, can itself seem scary and dangerous, especially to those who were not raised in its traditions. While Halloween is gaining a wider following in Russia, particularly among young adults, many Russians are deeply offended by Halloweenโs imagery and traditions. Thus, cultural sensitivity should be used when discussing the holiday abroad.
