Halloween in Oltrepò Pavese

The Halloween party has Celtic origins. Initially called Samhain, that is summer's end, it was celebrated on the night between October 31 and November 1 in Ireland and celebrated the transition from summer to winter, seen as the period of dark, of cold and darkness.
During this night rituals were held: the Celts disguised themselves with the skins of sacrificed animals, wearing scary masks to ward off the traps that were brought by the souls of the dead, who began to wander into the world of the living.
Later the tradition was introduced of lighting lights and leaving food outside the door of the house, so that the spirits did not play tricks.
From Ireland this holiday, after being Christianized, spread to the United States in the nineteenth century, where it became a national holiday and was renamed Halloween, from "All Hallow Eve" which means all Saints' eve. In America, in this period, was born the custom of asking "trick or treat?" to 13 different houses to be able to escape bad luck.

Halloween, although it is not a purely Italian holiday, is celebrated by many, especially by children and teenagers. It is a night dedicated to fear, costumes, "trick or treating", but also fun. Some, to prepare for this occasion, decide to dedicate themselves to decorating the house, carving pumpkins to create scary faces, which will then be illuminated by an internal candle, others, however, more attentive to their appearance, prefer to think about costume and makeup. The little ones are those who, in the company of adults, have fun dressing up as vampires, witches, skulls, but also princesses, superheroes, stocking up on sweets and trying to scare the neighbors. For those who want to spend this night in an original way, themed events are organized in Oltrepò Pavese, which between culture, history, but above all food and wine, make the atmosphere even more ghostly and gloomy and involve those present with activities dedicated to all age groups.