Halloween's Origins
Halloween represents a blend of cultures, past and present and provides
us a wonderful window into the beliefs and practices of our ancestors. By
understanding the origins of this magical holiday and using the direct
link it provides us to our past, we can easily place our modern practices
in historical context and potentially gain a better understanding of
ourselves. Some believe that the observation of Halloween is evil, or
promotes devil worship, but the holiday did not grow out of evil
practices. It grew from a combination of observances between the ancient
Celts, Greeks, Roman Catholics and the prayer rituals of Medieval Europe.
Halloween has been celebrated for over 2000 years and was an important
annual festival to the ancient Celts. The Druids regarded November 1 as
New Year’s Day. It was known as Samhain, (pronounced sow’-en, literally
meaning the end of summer) and was a time for celebrating the year’s
harvest and for honoring the dead. The Celts believed that all laws of
time and space were suspended during this time, allowing spirits to roam
the earth and intermingle with the living, so they built raging fires and
made offerings to appease these restless spirits.
Portions of the Celtic holiday eventually morphed into Christian
culture after the Romans conquered the Celts. Conscious efforts were made
to bring the Celts into the practice of Catholicism. In the 8th century,
the church moved All Saints Day, the holiday designated to honor Christian
martyrs, from May to November 1 with the hope of converting the Druids,
who would associate this observance with their own ancient rituals
honoring the dead. The word itself is a corruption of All Hallows Eve, the
day preceding All Hallows Day. Halloween came to American with the early
Irish and Scottish immigrants. It is from their folklore that we get many
of our modern practices.
Continue to Part III - Witches
Witchcraft
Articles Free Spells
About The Author
Wendy Brinker is an artist and writer in Columbia, SC. Read more of her
essays at
www.meridiangraphics.net or view her commercial work at
www.drpmedia.co.
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