Although certain folklorists have found the beginnings of Halloween in the Roman banquet of Pomona, the goddess of fruit and seeds, or else within t...
Although certain folklorists have found the beginnings of Halloween in the Roman banquet of Pomona, the goddess of fruit and seeds, or else within the festival of the dead referred to as Parentalia, it is more typically related to the Celtic festival of Samhain (original transliteration was Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in). The actual name Halloween is extracted from Old Irish and signifies “summer’s end”. A very similar celebration was held by the ancient Britons and is identified as Calan Gaeaf. (Best have a shot at saying it just after a couple beers!).
The festival of Samhain celebrates the ending of the “lighter half” of the year and also the commencement of the “darker half”, and is oftentimes viewed as the “Celtic New Year”.
The ancient Celts considered that the boundary between this world and the Otherworld turned thinner on Samhain, allowing for spirits (both benign and harmful) to go as a result. The family’s ancestors were honoured and invited home while destructive spirits used to be warded off. It truly is understood that the desire to ward away nasty spirits led to the donning of fancy dress outfits not to mention masks.
Their purpose was to help disguise one self as a bad spirit and for that reason stay clear of harm.
In Scotland the spirits used to be impersonated by vibrant males outfitted in white garments with masked, veiled or possibly blackened faces. Samhain was also an era to take account of food provisions as well as slaughter of livestock intended for wintertime reserves.
Bonfires played out a substantial element through the festive times. All other fires used to be doused and every dwelling lit their own hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered animals were tossed directly into its flames. Sometimes a couple of bonfires may be built up beside each other, and men or women and their animals normally would go in between these as a purifying ritual.
Another typical procedure was divination, which often-times involved the use of food and drink.
The label ‘Halloween’ and a number of its present-day practices come via the Old English period.
Celtic Pagans think of the season as being a holy season. Celtic Reconstructionists, and many others that sustain ancestral customs, come up with offerings to the gods in addition to the ancestors. Quite a few Wiccans feel that the custom is actually offensive to Wiccan practitioners in that it is endorsing clichd caricatures connected with “evil witches.
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The day of Halloween is a holiday celebrate by millions of children. While not every country keeps the Halloween tradition, millions of children and teens can be found trick-or-treating both in the United States and many other nations. While some love Halloween, there are some who are just as passionately opposed to it. Interesting to note are the pagan origins of this day which stretch back thousands of years to the ancient pagans who existed even before Jesus’ day.
Here are some historical facts about the origin of Halloween:
Halloween’s The origins of Halloween date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. It is said to have started with the Celts. The Celts lives around 2,000 years ago in what is now the United Kingdom, Ireland and northern France. The celebration at that time was on November 1 or October 31.
The idea was associated with the the beginning of the cold winter, dark and associated with fear of death. Celts had superstitious ideas and truly believed that on the night before, the boundaries between the world of the living and dead became blurred. They believed that the ghosts of lives of the dead returned to the earth or revisited their homes. In addition to the malevolence associated with these bad spirits, Celts felt that the presence of these spirits made it easier for the priests to predict the future. These prophecies were help much importance for largely illiterate, such as the Celts. They celebration took on sinister significance, with hobgoblins which were believed to be roaming about on that spooky evening.
Bonfires were burned on the tops of hills to scare off evil spirits, and people sacrificed both crops and animals to pagan Celtic gods. Costumes were worn during these ceremonies, and they usually consisted of animal heads and skins.
The name Halloween itself has its origins with the Roman Catholic Church. By the 9th Century, the festival had been influenced a mixture of pagan teachings and Christianity that had become an integral part of the Catholic religion. Immigrants then brought the practice to the U.S., in particular the Irish. These then became popular around the late 19th century. Halloween has always been a holiday and fright. Because of the forgoing reasons and because of the pagan practices of Halloween, many Christians of various genres, do not participate in the the holiday or its customs.
This article was written by John Scott, a writer who has a BA in Social Science from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, NJ.
Halloween – the festival that all children love! A time when kids have the chance to get free candies that are offered by their neighbors, namely “Trick or Treat”. It’s a well-known custom that is favored by every single child.
Halloween may be children’s favorite festival of the year, but don’t forget that adults were also once children themselves. The old-fashioned treats may revive their nicest memories of that special night. Hundred of years have passed by since people first invented the concept of this festival. Back then, rituals of the pagans were still privately practiced and have not yet been tied to the Church.
Who knows when and where Halloween began exactly? Many different versions of its origin had been created over time, including one that is, surprisingly, to celebrate good harvest in an old Celtic festival. People believed that Halloween was a time when the dead would rise, instilling fear and spreading diseases to not only the living, but also to crops. One could say that this is where all those atypical Halloween scares came from!
Apart from this tale, people also believed that the custom of Halloween, trick or treating, came from the Middle Ages. At that time, poor people would visit houses to find donors and pray for their deceased families and friends in return for food.
If you think about it, we may possibly be able to see a shadow of those food in the sweet range of candies now given out to costumed children nowadays!
Occasionally, there are people who suggest new perspectives to the mystic festival that takes place during nighttime. Many believe that it came from England or Ireland. Somehow, to many Halloween-lovers, the history of the tradition isn’t what is most important.
What stays true is the fact that Halloween is loved by both adults and children. The dressing-up is definitely the most fascinating aspect. Frankenstein, vampires, Casper, zombies, you name it. They may just be the next one standing at your front door.
However, you should always remember that beneath those horrible costumes are just lovely kids who want to enjoy their childhoods. It is delightful to recall your good times on your old Halloween nights.
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