Was the Bitcoin White Paper Released on Halloween?

Rage Comment : Although Halloween is a Western holiday, it has gradually attracted the world's carnival. Because on this day people remember the past and look forward to the future. The popular Bitcoin is also related to Halloween; because every important day, such as the release date of the white paper, is Halloween. Because the founder of Bitcoin believes in the importance of this system and hopes that people will pay attention to the new opportunities it brings.

Translation: Annie_Xu

A rarely discovered feature of Bitcoin’s history is that each white paper release happens to be Halloween; just like on October 31, 2008, someone anonymously released the now popular Bitcoin.

"I have been developing a completely new electronic currency system that is completely peer-to-peer and has no trusted third party."

People have been working on solving the double-spending problem for decades, so there is no doubt that Nakamoto understood the importance of his innovation. Some would say that the date of the white paper release was deliberately chosen, as can be seen from another important date, which is January 3, 2009, when the Bitcoin Genesis Block was born.

Familiar gods, different stories

Halloween is an ancient tradition. The origin and meaning of this festival are widely spread in the Western world. It’s just that the specific festival time and celebration methods are different. For example, the Burning Man Festival attracts many Silicon Valley technology elites; many European traditions also have this kind of bonfire celebration; this is similar to the theme of Halloween about life and rebirth, which runs through the entire history of the festival.

The ancient British belief celebration was on November 1st, not January 1st, so October 31st was New Year's Eve, and on this day, people remembered the passing of time and the dead. The Burning Man Festival uses bonfires to celebrate the changes of the sun throughout the year; it is also another way to express respect for the passing and the longing for rebirth.

The Greek god of wine, Dionysus, has a more explicit symbolic meaning.

Dionysus was the son of Zeus and a mortal, so Zeus's wife, out of jealousy, sent a giant to abduct and kill him with a toy; but Zeus turned the giant into dust with thunder. Athena saved his heart, and Zeus used this heart to resurrect Dionysus and give him a second life.

Birth Story

All the stories revolve around life and rebirth; for the Greeks, it also means a second life. Therefore, death here becomes a necessary process for rebirth, making the tone of the story inspiring and yearning for freedom. The most famous Greek god Dionysus himself is the embodiment of freedom, and his second life symbolizes that dictators cannot erase people's free will; even if dictators may achieve short-term success, they cannot destroy the foundation of free will - the heart.

Likewise, the fact that Halloween traditions continue to this day and are still popular is sufficient to prove the wisdom of the ancients; even after thousands of years, their free will did not turn into a worship of death.

Therefore, Satoshi Nakamoto chose October 31 and the Lunar New Year's Day, January 3, to show the birth of a new system and model; to show that Bitcoin has the ability and freedom to turn exchanges into a direct point-to-point value transfer system; the Bitcoin field also has gods and souls, and there are inspiring stories. Just like the magic of Bitlicense has attracted the attention of many companies.

Ancient prophecies say that layers of bureaucracy are the demise of business, especially on Halloween when the spirits return. So give them what they want, and keep them away, so that we can welcome the sunrise of the ancient New Year, new opportunities and rebirth.