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| == History == | == History == | ||
| Its earliest roots are found in the ] holiday of death which took place each year on October 31 and was held in honour of ], Lord of the Dead. After the crops were harvested, Druids in ] and ] would light fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the fires, the ] passed and the ] would begin. When the morning of ] arrived, the Druids would give an ember from their fires to each family who would then take them home to start new cooking fires. These fires were believed to keep the homes warm and free from evil ]s, as it was considered a time of year when the veils were thin between worlds. A three-day festival called ] (pronounced "sow-inn") followed. In Ireland it was believed to be the night on which the invisible "gates" between this world and the Other World were opened and free movement between both worlds was possible. In the Other World lived the immortal "]", the female members of whom were called Banshees. | |||
| ]s played a large part in the festivities. Villagers cast the bones of the slaughtered cattle upon the flames. (the word bonfire is thought to derive from these "bone fires.") With the bonfire ablaze, the villagers extinguished all other fires. Each family then solemnly lit their hearth from the common flame, thus bonding the families of the village together. | |||
| Like most Celtic festivals, it was celebrated on a number of levels. Materially speaking it was the time of gathering in of food for the long winter months ahead, bringing people and their livestock in to their winter quarters. To be alone and missing at this dangerous time was to expose yourself and your spirit to the perils of imminent ]. In present times the importance of this part of the festival has diminished for most people. From the point of view of a tribal people for whom a bad season meant facing a long winter of ] in which many would not survive to the ], it was paramount. | |||
| This was the most evil time of the year. It was a Druidical belief that on the eve of this festival Samhain, lord of death, called together the wicked spirits that within the past 12 months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals. During the night the great shield of ] was lowered, allowing the barriers between the worlds to fade and the forces of evil to invade the realms of order, the material world conjoining with the world of the dead. At this time ghosts, witches, ]s, black ]s, ] and ]s of all kinds roamed amongst the living. The dead could return to the places where they had lived and food and entertainment were provided to exorcize them. If food and shelter were not provided, these spirits would cast ]s and cause havoc towards those failing to fulfill their requests. | |||
| It was the time to placate the ] powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for ]s concerning ], ], ] and ]. It was the only day on which the help of the ] was invoked for such purposes. The pagan observances influenced the ] festival of ]. | |||
| On the level of cosmic event, the rising of ], the winter ]s, heralds the supremacy of night over day, the dark half ruled by the realms of the ]. | |||
| In the three days preceding the Samhain month the Sun God, ], maimed at ], dies by the hand of his Tanist (his other self), the ]. Lugh traverses the boundaries of the worlds on the first day of Samhain. His Tanist is a miser and though he shines brightly in the winter skies he gives no warmth and does not temper the breath of the Crone, ], the north ]. In this may be discerned the ageless battle between the light and dark and the cyclic nature of life and the seasons. | |||
| In parts of western ] Samhain is still heralded by the baking of '']''. Kornigou are cakes baked in the shape of antlers to commemorate the god of winter shedding his "cuckold" horns as he returns to his kingdom in the ]. | |||
| After the ]s colonised much of Britain, elements of the Roman festival known as ] were also introduced. Pomona Day was held on November 1, and is named for ], a Roman Goddess of fruits and gardens. | |||
| When Christianity eventually reached Ireland in ] and Britain, conversion began among the local people, including Christianization of the old traditions. In the ], ] introduced ]' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on ]. Later, ] changed the date to ]. October 31 became known as '''All Hallows Even''', eventually '''All Hallows Eve, Hallowe'en''' (still used as the standard spelling in Ireland), and then Halloween in the US. Obsevance of Halloween faded in Britain from the 17th cetury onwards, being replaced by the commemoration of the ] on ]. It is only in the last decade that it has become popular in Britain again, although in an entirely Americanised version. It did, however, survive unscathed in Ireland. Nowadays in Ireland, the last Monday of October is a public holiday. All schools close for the following week for mid-term, commonly called the Hallowe'en Break. As a result Ireland is the only country where children never have school on Halloween and are therefore free to celebrate it in the ancient and time-honoured fashion. | |||
| The custom of ] is thought to have evolved from the ] European custom called souling. On ], All Souls Day, Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes" - square pieces of bread with currants. Beggars would promise to say prayers on behalf of dead relatives helping the soul's passage to heaven. | |||
| Irish emigrants from the ] of ]-] brought with them the holiday of Halloween to the ]. | |||
| == Religious Viewpoints == | == Religious Viewpoints == | ||
Revision as of 10:23, 17 October 2003
This article is about the holiday. For the Halloween movies, see Halloween (movie).
History
Religious Viewpoints
Some fundamentalist Christian groups consider Halloween a Pagan holiday because of these early Pagan origins, and refer to it as "The most evil day of the year", refusing to allow their children to participate. Among these groups it is believed to still have Satanic influences, as are many other Pagan practices. Other Christians continue to connect this holiday with All Saints Day.
Neopagans also do not practice Halloween, but for different reasons. Instead of rejecting it because of its Pagan origins, they rather embrace the earlier Pagan practice and celebrate a version of the older Celtic festival of Samhain.
See also Day of the Dead