ACE FOLKLIFE – Alien Civilizations Exist as we preserve Art, Culture, Education in our own folklife, folklore, and traditions that we learned in our own families and communities. Here is a brief history of HALLOWEEN -We are all here as body-mind-spirits celebrating the birth-life-death experience before our spirits return back to our souls.
Ace Folklife is about the “Common Folk” and what makes this planet and the humanoid sentient intelligent beings on this planet great and should become awakened and aware of all that we are seeking in our past-present-future memories.
Memories are wonderful things and the only energy of our existence that we take with us in our spiritual souls essence when we die! Therefore, it is only appropriate that we pay homage to all those souls who have passed on from this earth to the other dimensions in time and space.
We all can share in the celebration of life and death on a day we call Halloween.
This seems an odd thing to say about festive occasions that is why we should all begin to appreciate the changes that have occurred over time on earth.
I was always one to celebrate Halloween since I can remember being a Fairy Princess and stepping in a mud puddle one night I was trick or treating about five years old. Many of us may remember the times we shares and these memories can assist us in knowing who we are and where we were in time in our lives when the celebration of Halloween was part of our childhood or young adult lives. I ask you now to go back in time and remember those times and write them down in your journal as your own personal celebration of yourself each Halloween that you can recall. I enjoy celebrations and most of all learning about the history of our cultural traditions. This is a passion I have always had and what also influenced me to become a writer. I knew in the third grade I would become a writer someday. It was being a small child that I can now see influenced my future adult choices. I plan on sharing ACE FOLKLIFE with others and I do hope that all of you will continue to keep our history in our celebrations alive on earth. We are all here as body-mind-spirits celebrating the birth-life-death experience before our spirits return back to our souls.
We preserve our ancient traditions while creating some of our own in modern culture. Today, we shall begin creating our history of the time prior to 12-21-12 which was pre-ascension age or the golden age of cosmology…
Halloween has become one of the holidays that children and adults like to celebrate a festive occasion in costume. We also have a history to go with all this frolic and celebration. While many of us are of Baby Boomer Age born 1946-1966, and those to follow as the X, Y, Z generations we also share our Indigo, and Crystal Children in twenty year increments of years on earth. We each will have memories and times that relate to the October 31st day also known as Halloween.
Halloween is considered by most in the United States as a fun holiday, mostly for children, but it has roots in ancient religions and folklore, including paganism, ancient Roman religions, early Catholic Christianity, Irish folklore, and even British politics! Pope Gregory the First of the sixth century AD was particularly adept at this.
Still, the Christian clergy regarded the old pagan belief systems as “evil” and “demonic.”
With its focus on ghosts, witches, warlocks, goblins, skulls, horror, death, and the supernatural etc., Halloween would appear to be almost completely incompatible with the tenets of Christianity.
Children and adults alike enjoy this holiday today, with funny costumes, candy, and parties, while some countries observe this time as a remembrance of departed loved ones and religious saints. Many of the pagan holy days were arbitrarily (and conveniently) reconstituted as “Christian” holidays – with a fairly seamless transformation.
Halloween Traditions
Many traditions are observed for Halloween.
Costumes: Dressing in costumes has its roots in the Pagan Celtic roots of Samhain. One theory is they dressed as ghouls to fool evil spirits let loose on October 31, so they would not be possessed by these spirits.
Another theory is they dressed in costume just for fun, and to make mischief.
Yet another theory is that faeries would dress as beggars asking for food, which would also be the origins of the “trick or treat” practice.
After the Catholic Church replaced Samhain with All Saints Day, people would dress as dead Saints and devils for their festivities.
Trick or Treat: This practice might have had it’s start in the legend from Celtic days that faeries would dress as beggars going from door to door asking for food, and those that did not show hospitality would be harshly dealt with by these magical faeries.
On All Souls Day, the poor would beg for “Soul Cakes” (sweet pastries) in exchange for prayers for their departed loved ones, expediting their passage to heaven. Sometimes costumed groups would sing and perform in exchange for food, ale, or money. In the United Kingdom, Guy Fawkes effigies to be burned were prepared by children, going door to door, asking for a penny for Guy, on Guy Fawkes Day.
Bonfires: These have two origins.
The first is the sacred ritual of extinguishing home fires, and one sacred bonfire is lit in each town for the end of the New Year. Some say the reason home fires were extinguished is to scare away evil spirits from homes, while others say that home fires were supposed to be lit from embers from the sacred bonfire to start the New Year.
The second origin was from Guy Fawkes Day in the United Kingdom to burn effigies of the Catholic pope, and later of Guy Fawkes himself.
Apples: A seasonal fruit, and also the symbol of the Roman goddess Pomona, commonly thought at the time to possess qualities of knowledge, resurrection, and immortality. Bobbing for apples, peeling a long apple peel, and other manipulations of the fruit were thought to foretell the future, on this night of Samhain.
Jack o’lanterns: From the Irish folk tale of Jack, who tricked the devil, but was not allowed in heaven or in hell. The devil, taking pity of Jack, gave him an ember to light his way on his eternal walks on Earth, carried in a hollowed out turnip. Because of their size and availability, pumpkins were substituted for turnips in the United States. The Celtics did use a hollowed out rutabaga to carry an ember from the sacred Samhain bonfire home to light their home fires, but the significance and relation to the Irish tale of Jack is unknown.
Ghost Stories: Ghost stories probably have their roots in the original Celtic belief that the spirits of the dead (both good and bad) wandered the Earth on October 31 (Samhain).
Later, when the church replaced Samhain with All Saints Day and All Souls Day, the dead were remembered, and spoken about.
In the United States today, they are used to amuse and scare children (and some adults) to get them in the “spirit” of Halloween.
Celts History
Halloween is a holiday with ancient roots that had a much greater meaning than the boisterous, costume-filled holiday that we know today.
Around 2,000 years ago, the Celts, who lived in what is now the United Kingdom, Ireland, and northern France, had a festival commemorating the end of the year.
Celts New Year was November 1, and this festival was called Samhain, pronounced sow-en.
The end of their year signaled the end of summer, the end of the harvest season, and the beginning of a long, hard winter that often caused many deaths of animals and people. Weaker livestock were often killed and eaten during this holiday, since most likely, they would not survive the winter anyway. Because of this, and the cruel winter to come, this time of year signified death to the Pagan Celtics.
They believed the night before the New Year, that the wall between the living and the dead was open, allowing spirits of the dead, both good and bad, to mingle among the living. Some of these spirits were thought to possess living people, cause trouble, ruin crops, or to search for passage to the afterlife.
Samhain was considered a magical holiday, and there are many stories about what the Celtics practiced and believed during this festival. Some say the spirits that were unleashed were those that had died in that year, and offerings of food and drink were left to aid the spirits, or to ward them away. Other versions say the Celts dressed up in outlandish costumes and roamed the neighborhoods making noise to scare the spirits away. Many thought they could predict the future and communicate with spirits as well during this time.
Some think the heavily structured life of the Pagan Celtics was abandoned during Samhain, and people did unusual things, such as moving horses to different fields, moving gates and fences, women dressing as men, and vice versa, and other trickeries now associated with Halloween. Another belief is that the Celtics honored, celebrated, and feasted the dead during Samhain.
A sacred, central bonfire was always lit to honor the Pagan gods, and some accounts say that individual home fires were extinguished during Samhain, either to make their homes unattractive to roving spirits, or for their home fires to be lit following the festival from the sacred bonfire.
Fortunes were told, and marked stones thrown into the fire. If a person’s stone was not found after the bonfire went out, it was believed that person would die during the next year. Some Celts wore costumes of animal skulls and skins during Samhain.
Faeries were believed to roam the land during Samhain, dressed as beggars asking for food door to door. Those that gave food to the faeries were rewarded, while those that did not were punished by the faeries. This is reported to be the first origin of the modern “trick or treat” practice.
In the First century A.D., the Roman Empire had taken over most of the Celtic lands. The Romans had two festivals also celebrated at the same time of year as Samhain. One was Feralia, also in late October, was the Roman day honoring the dead. The second festival was for Pomona, the Roman goddess of trees and fruit. Pomona’s symbol was the apple. These two festivals were combined with Samhain in the Celtic lands during the four hundred years the Roman Empire ruled over the Celts. The goddess Pomona’s apple might be the root of the Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples.
Over the next several hundred years, Christianity had spread to include the lands inhabited by the Celtics and the Romans, but the festival of Samhain was still celebrated by the people. The Christian church reportedly did not like a festival with Pagan roots practiced by Christians, so a replacement was needed. Pope Boniface IV designated May 13 as All Saints Day to honor dead church saints and martyrs. Samhain continued to be celebrated, so in 835 A.D., Pope Gregory IV moved the holiday to November 1, probably to take attention away from the Pagan Samhain festival and replace it. Since All Saints Day was sanctioned by the church, and related to the dead, the church was happy, but many Pagan traditions of Samhain continued to be practiced, including bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costume. All Saints Day was also known as All Hallows, or All Hallowmas
(Hallowmas is Old English for All Saints Day).
Since Samhain was celebrated the night before November 1, the celebration was known as All Hallows Eve, and later called Halloween. In the year 1000 A.D., the church designated November 2 as All Souls Day, to honor the dead who were not saints, and they eventually became combined and celebrated as Hallowmas.
On All Souls Day in England, the poor would “go a-souling”. They would go door to door asking for food, and in return, would pray for the souls of their dead relatives. It was widely believed at the time that the souls of the dead would await passage into heaven until enough people prayed for their souls. The Christian church encouraged this practice to replace the old Pagan tradition of leaving cakes and wine out for the spirits of the dead. The poor would be given “soul cakes”, which were pastries made for those who promised to pray for their dead relatives. In some cultures, soul cakes would be given in exchange for a performance or song as well. Children eventually adopted this practice, and were given food, ale, or money.
Jack O’ Lanterns are a Halloween staple today, with at least two historical roots.
The early Pagan Celtic peoples used hollowed out turnips, gourds, or rutabagas to hold an ember from the sacred bonfire, so they could light their home fires from the sacred bonfire. Another tale from folklore gives jack o’lanterns their name.
Irish myth
In Irish myth, a man known as “Stingy Jack”, who was a swindler and a drunk, who asked the devil to have drink with him. Jack convinced the devil to change himself into a coin so he could pay for the drink, but Jack put the coin in his pocket next to a silver cross, which trapped the devil, preventing him from changing himself back. Jack agreed to free the devil on the condition that the devil would not bother Jack for a year. Next year, Jack tricks the devil into climbing a tree to fetch a piece of fruit. While the devil is up the tree, Jack carves a cross into the trunk, preventing him from climbing back down the tree. In order to get out of the tree, the devil promised Jack not to seek his soul any more. When Jack died, he was not allowed into heaven, because of his drunken and swindling ways, but he was not allowed into hell either, because the devil kept his word. Taking pity on Jack, the devil gave him an ember to light his way in the dark, putting it into a hollowed out turnip for Jack to carry on his lonely, everlasting roamings around the Earth. People from Ireland and Scotland would make “Jack O’lanterns” during this season to scare away Stingy Jack and other evil spirits wandering about.
Over the next several centuries, superstitions about witches and black cats were added to the folklore and legends of Halloween. Cats were thought of as evil, especially black cats, and were killed by the thousands in Medieval times, possibly contributing to the Black Plague, due to the shortage of the rat’s natural enemy, the cat. During this time, the church created the belief that evil witches existed.
In the 1500’s, Martin Luther created the Protestant Church, which had no saints, so no All Hallows Day was allowed.
On November 5, 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed for attempting to blow up England’s Parliament. Fawkes, along with an extremist Catholic organization he belonged to, wanted to remove the Protestant King James from his throne. The English wasted no time to have a celebration to replace All Hallows Day, so Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated from then on. Many traditions of All Hallows Day were practiced, such as bonfires, and children asking for money, but the reasons why were different. Bonfires were known as “bone fires” originally, because they were lit in order to burn an effigy of the Catholic pope, burning his “bones”. Two hundred years later, the effigy of the pope was replaced by an effigy of Guy Fawkes, prompting children to go door to door, asking for a “penny for Guy”, so they could make their effigy to burn. In the New World, the colonists celebrated Guy Fawkes Day for a while, but as the colonies became the United States of America, Guy Fawkes Day fell by the wayside.
In the United States
Halloween was not a popular observance in early United States history, as most of the early settlers were Protestant. At the time, Halloween was considered mostly a Catholic, Episcopalian, and Pagan holiday, and therefore largely ignored.
In the southern colonies, such as Virginia and Maryland, there were some Halloween customs observed.
The first common events were called “play parties”.
These parties got neighborhoods together to celebrate the harvest, dance, sing, tell stories of the dead, tell fortunes, and have pageants for children in costume. By the mid 1800’s, immigration increased, and many Irish immigrants, mostly Catholics fleeing the potato famine, brought many Halloween traditions with them. Jack o’lanterns found a new face, the pumpkin, which was very plentiful in the New World.
Catholics and Episcopalians sought to preserve their traditions, so started an effort in the late 1800’s to popularize and make their holidays known to the general population.
By campaigning to put these holidays (Halloween and All Saints Day) on public calendars, magazines and newspapers started to publicize these holidays, and soon became popular in the United States more as a community and family holiday, rather than one of great religious and supernatural importance.
By the mid twentieth century, Halloween turned into a secular holiday, community centered with parties city-wide, parades, and great costumes. Halloween is mostly aimed to children, but young and old enjoy this holiday, with events and parties for both children and adults.
Charity – Non-profits
Starting in 1950, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) started a campaign for children to collect money at Halloween for underprivileged children around the world. Halloween is the United States’ second largest commercial holiday, spending approximately $6.9 billion a year.
In Other Countries
Mexico, Latin America, and Spain observe All Saints Day and All Souls Day with a three day celebration starting on the evening of October 31, through November 2. In most areas of Mexico, November 1 is set aside to honor dead children, and November 2 to honor those who died as adults. Starting in mid October, shops are filled with decorations, flowers, toys made like skeletons and other macabre shapes, sweets, pastries, and candies shaped like bones, coffins, and dead bodies in preparation for the festivities.
Day of the Dead
Called “Day of the Dead”, the spirits of relatives are supposed to visit their families homes. An area of the home is cleared away, and an altar is erected decorated with flowers, photographs of the deceased, candies and pastries shaped like skulls inscribed with their name, candles, and a selection of the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks. Even after dinner cigarettes and liquors are provided for the dear departed after dinner enjoyment. Incense is burning to help the spirits find their way home.
In preparation for November 2, the graves of the deceased are cleaned, painted, and decorated for the occasion. Families gather November 2 for a festive family reunion. Food, drinks, and tequila are brought along, along with sometimes even a mariachi band. In some areas, fireworks announce an open-air mass, the most solemn time of the Day of the Dead. Many customs vary depending on the particular city, town, or culture, but all over Mexico, Latin American, and Spain, the Day of the Dead is considered a celebration of their departed family.
Eastern Europe’s celebration of All Saints Day are usually spent by praying most of the day, praying to the Saints and thanking God. Often, they visit their departed family members at the cemeteries. Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Poland observe All Saints Day as a public holiday, but unlike Mexico and the United States, this day is a somber day of remembrance and reflection. France, Italy, and Germany are celebrating Halloween, American style, as does Canada. Ireland celebrates American style, but a common town bonfire, a remnant of Celtic days is still lit. England still celebrates Guy Fawkes Day on November 5 with bonfires, burning effigies of Guy Fawkes, and fireworks.
Halloween Traditions
Halloween or Samhain had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months.
Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.
Halloween or Samhain had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.
Samhain
The festival observed at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demons–all part of the dark and dread.
How Samhain Became Halloween
Samhain became the Halloween we are familiar with when Christian missionaries attempted to change the religious practices of the Celtic people. In the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., before missionaries such as St. Patrick and St. Columcille converted them to Christianity, the Celts practiced an elaborate religion through their priestly caste, the Druids, who were priests, poets, scientists and scholars all at once. As religious leaders, ritual specialists, and bearers of learning, the Druids were not unlike the very missionaries and monks who were to Christianize their people and brand them evil devil worshippers.
Pope Gregory the First
As a result of their efforts to wipe out “pagan” holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it. In 601 A.D. Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than try to obliterate native peoples’ customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them: if a group of people worshipped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship.
In terms of spreading Christianity, this was a brilliant concept and it became a basic approach used in Catholic missionary work. Church holy days were purposely set to coincide with native holy days. Christmas, for instance, was assigned the arbitrary date of December 25th because it corresponded with the mid-winter celebration of many peoples. Likewise, St. John’s Day was set on the summer solstice.
Good Vs Evil – Druids, Christians, and Samhain
Samhain, with its emphasis on the supernatural, was decidedly pagan. While missionaries identified their holy days with those observed by the Celts, they branded the earlier religion’s supernatural deities as evil, and associated them with the devil. As representatives of the rival religion, Druids were considered evil worshippers of devilish or demonic gods and spirits. The Celtic underworld inevitably became identified with the Christian Hell.
The effects of this policy were to diminish but not totally eradicate the beliefs in the traditional gods. Celtic belief in supernatural creatures persisted, while the church made deliberate attempts to define them as being not merely dangerous, but malicious. Followers of the old religion went into hiding and were branded as witches.
Feast of All Saints
The Christian feast of All Saints was assigned to November 1st. The day honored every Christian saint, especially those that did not otherwise have a special day devoted to them. This feast day was meant to substitute for Samhain, to draw the devotion of the Celtic peoples, and, finally, to replace it forever. That did not happen, but the traditional Celtic deities diminished in status, becoming fairies or leprechauns of more recent traditions.
Samhain
The festival observed at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demons–all part of the dark and dread.
How Samhain Became Halloween
Samhain became the Halloween we are familiar with when Christian missionaries attempted to change the religious practices of the Celtic people. In the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., before missionaries such as St. Patrick and St. Columcille converted them to Christianity, the Celts practiced an elaborate religion through their priestly caste, the Druids, who were priests, poets, scientists and scholars all at once. As religious leaders, ritual specialists, and bearers of learning, the Druids were not unlike the very missionaries and monks who were to Christianize their people and brand them evil devil worshippers.
Pope Gregory the First
As a result of their efforts to wipe out “pagan” holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it. In 601 A.D. Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than try to obliterate native peoples’ customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them: if a group of people worshipped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship.
In terms of spreading Christianity, this was a brilliant concept and it became a basic approach used in Catholic missionary work. Church holy days were purposely set to coincide with native holy days. Christmas, for instance, was assigned the arbitrary date of December 25th because it corresponded with the mid-winter celebration of many peoples. Likewise, St. John’s Day was set on the summer solstice.
Good Vs Evil – Druids, Christians, and Samhain
Samhain, with its emphasis on the supernatural, was decidedly pagan. While missionaries identified their holy days with those observed by the Celts, they branded the earlier religion’s supernatural deities as evil, and associated them with the devil. As representatives of the rival religion, Druids were considered evil worshippers of devilish or demonic gods and spirits. The Celtic underworld inevitably became identified with the Christian Hell.
The effects of this policy were to diminish but not totally eradicate the beliefs in the traditional gods. Celtic belief in supernatural creatures persisted, while the church made deliberate attempts to define them as being not merely dangerous, but malicious. Followers of the old religion went into hiding and were branded as witches.
Feast of All Saints
The Christian feast of All Saints was assigned to November 1st. The day honored every Christian saint, especially those that did not otherwise have a special day devoted to them. This feast day was meant to substitute for Samhain, to draw the devotion of the Celtic peoples, and, finally, to replace it forever. That did not happen, but the traditional Celtic deities diminished in status, becoming fairies or leprechauns of more recent traditions.
The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely.
The powerful symbolism of the traveling dead was too strong, and perhaps too basic to the human psyche, to be satisfied with the new, more abstract Catholic feast honoring saints. Recognizing that something that would subsume the original energy of Samhain was necessary, the church tried again to supplant it with a Christian feast day in the 9th century.
This time it established November 2nd as All Souls Day -a day when the living prayed for the souls of all the dead. But, once again, the practice of retaining traditional customs while attempting to redefine them had a sustaining effect: the traditional beliefs and customs lived on, in new guises.
All Saints Day – All Hallows
All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows (hallowed means sanctified or holy), continued the ancient Celtic traditions. The evening prior to the day was the time of the most intense activity, both human and supernatural. People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be evil. The folk continued to propitiate those spirits (and their masked impersonators) by setting out gifts of food and drink. Subsequently, All Hallows Eve became Hallow Evening, which became Hallowe’en–an ancient Celtic, pre-Christian New Year’s Day in contemporary dress.
Many supernatural creatures became associated with All Hallows.
In Ireland fairies were numbered among the legendary creatures who roamed on Halloween. An old folk ballad called “Allison Gross” tells the story of how the fairy queen saved a man from a witch’s spell on Halloween.
Allison Gross
O Allison Gross, that lives in yon tower
the ugliest witch in the North Country…
She’s turned me into an ugly worm
and gard me toddle around a tree…
But as it fell out last Hallow even
When the seely [fairy] court was riding by,
the Queen lighted down on a gowany bank
Not far from the tree where I wont to lie…
She’s change me again to my own proper shape
And I no more toddle about the tree.
In old England cakes were made for the wandering souls, and people went “a’ soulin'” for these “soul cakes.” Halloween, a time of magic, also became a day of divination, with a host of magical beliefs: for instance, if persons hold a mirror on Halloween and walk backwards down the stairs to the basement, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover.
Halloween – Celtic Day of the Dead
Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to the ancient Celtic day of the dead. Halloween is a holiday of many mysterious customs, but each one has a history, or at least a story behind it. The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches, and demons. Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice is called mumming, from which the practice of trick-or-treating evolved. To this day, witches, ghosts, and skeleton figures of the dead are among the favorite disguises. Halloween also retains some features that harken back to the original harvest holiday of Samhain, such as the customs of bobbing for apples and carving vegetables, as well as the fruits, nuts, and spices cider associated with the day.
Modern Halloween
Today Halloween is becoming once again and adult holiday or masquerade, like Mardi Gras. Men and women in every disguise imaginable are taking to the streets of big American cities and parading past grinningly carved, candlelit jack o’lanterns, re-enacting customs with a lengthy pedigree. Their masked antics challenge, mock, tease, and appease the dread forces of the night, of the soul, and of the otherworld that becomes our world on this night of reversible possibilities, inverted roles, and transcendency. In so doing, they are reaffirming death and its place as a part of life in an exhilarating celebration of a holy and magic evening.
Reference -Resources: Links
Samhain – The History of Halloween or Samhain
inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Samhain.htmHalloween or Samhain had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic … The festival observed at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). …
Samhain – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SamhainThe date of Samhain was associated with the Catholic All Saints’ Day (and …. In modern Ireland and Scotland, the name by which Halloween is known in the …
Etymology – History – Related festivals – Neopaganism
Halloween – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HalloweenAccording to the Oxford Dictionary of English folk lore: “Certainly Samhain …
Show more results from wikipedia.org
Halloween or Samhain as Witches call it.
http://www.witchway.net/halloween.htmlSamhain(pronounced Sow-in, Sah-vin, or Sahm-hayn), known most popularly as Halloween, marks the end of the third and final harvest, is a day to commune …
Samhain
http://www.chalicecentre.net/samhain.htmSamhain (Scots Gaelic: Samhuinn) literally means “summer’s end.” In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween is known as O che Shamhna, while in Wales it is Nos …
The Grizzly: THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
Isles out of the Pagan Celtic celebration of Samhain. Origins of Halloween? – The New
:my.hsj.org – But the most plausible theory is that Halloween originated in the British Isles out of the Pagan Celtic celebration of Samhain. Origins of Halloween? – The New Age Online
Why Do Christians Celebrate Halloween?? -International Business Times
Samhain – Witchvox Article
http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/samhain.htmlINDEX: Samhain (Halloween) Author: Witchvox Central Posted: January 27th …
Samhain – Asiya’s Shadows
http://www.asiya.org/sabbats/samhain.html… of the Underworld. Samhain is also known as Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, Hallowmas, Day of the Dead, Third Harvest, Hallowstide, and Celtic New Year. …
Samhain (Halloween) Index (The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum)
http://www.ecauldron.net › HolidaysSamhain, mundanely known as Halloween, is the Celtic New Year. It’s one of the great Wiccan sabbats, opposite Beltane in the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. …
Halloween/Samhain Special 10/28 by thevioletsanctuaryspa | Blog …
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/…/2011/10/28/halloweensamhain-specialJoin me your spiritual consultant to discuss the very celebrated day of October 31st better known as Halloween or Samhain pronounced Sow-in or Sau-in.
Samhain – Super-wiki
http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/index.php?title=SamhainOct 8, 2011 – Samhain, also known as the origin of Halloween, is a special type of demon. When he reigned on Earth on Halloween night, people kept their …
Samhain (Halloween) Celebration as presented by Church of the … events.nbc4i.com › Columbus Events › Columbus Religion EventsSat, Oct 29, 2011 – Griggs Reservoir, Columbus, OH, 43220
Following Celtic and Pagan traditions of honoring the dead and ancestors, we celebrateSamhain, known today as Halloween. Weather permitting, there will be …
Astrology on the Web: Halloween
http://www.astrologycom.com/halloween.htmlSamhain (pronounced: “so-wuhn”), now known as Halloween, began on the night of October 31, All Hallows’ Eve, because ancient days were reckoned from …
The Seasonal Hearth – Samhain
brigidshearth.org/seasonal_hearth.html – Halloween-batsml3.gif (2063 bytes) Samhain, also known as Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, and Hallowmas, is celebrated on October 31 – November 1, and is the …
Samhain, Lord of Darkness – Holiday Insights
http://www.holidayinsights.com/halloween/samhain.htmSamhain was known in Ireland as the “Lord of Darkness”. … Certainly, Halloween took aspects of darkness , black color, evil spirits, and people rising from the …
Halloween on the Net – The History of Samhain
http://www.holidays.net/halloween/samhain.htmMost people know of October 31st as Halloween. But long before kids were dressing up as pirates and princesses, Halloween was called Samhain. Celebrated …
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Samhain/Halloween | Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150402554487975…1Also known as: Halloween, Ancestor Night, Feast of the Dead, All Hallows Eve, …Samhain (SOW-in or SAV-ayn) marked the beginning of the old Celtic new …
Samhain | Halloween
http://www.avalonvisions.com/samhain.htmlSamhain (pronounced sow-en) is the Celtic word for the time of year known as Halloween, Hallowmas, The Day of the Dead or All Souls Night, and is …
Samhain (Samain) – The Celtic roots of Halloween http://www.newgrange.com/samhain.htmThe Hindu Diwali (Divali, Deepavali) Festival known as the Festival of Lights occurs about the same time as Samhain. Diwali marks the Hindu New Year just as …
From Samhain to Halloween – Faerie Faith
http://www.faeriefaith.net/Samhain.htmlThe Halloween fires, called Samhnagan by the Scots, were still lit at dusk, although they were not for Samhain, the Celtic god, but for Halloween gaiety and a …
Hallowe’en (Halloween), Samhain, Events, Parties, Rituals and …
http://www.witchology.com/contents/october/halloween/events.phpKnown as Hallowe’en (UK spelling), Halloween (US spelling), or Samhain, the 31st of October is a traditional Pagan holy day and Witches’ Sabbath. Explore the …
Bettina Arnold — Halloween Lecture https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/barnold/www/lectures/holloween.htmlUWM Center for Celtic Studies Halloween Inaugural Celebration … So Samhain was known in some, but not all, Celtic regions as the feast of peace and …
Halloween – History – Information – Projects
halloween.whipnet.net/Halloween’s origins date back some 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival ofSamhain. Samhain, or Halloween, is also known as All Hallow’s Eve, Hallowmas, …
Samhain, Pagan Hallowe’en (Halloween) Festival
http://www.witchology.com/contents/october/halloween/samhain.phpKnown as Hallowe’en (UK spelling), Halloween (US spelling), or Samhain, the 31st of October is a traditional Pagan holy day and Witches’ Sabbath. Explore the …
Halloween: The Pagan Festival of Samhaintaramiller.tripod.com/halloween.html Contains information of the origins of Samhain, and how today’s Pagans celebrate this Sabbat.
Celebrating Samhain
princessa.hubpages.com › … › Paganism and WitchcraftSamhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year. … so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. …
Samhain – Paranormal Encyclopedia
http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com › Religion & SpiritualityThey consider that the new day starts from the night. Samhain is today better known as Halloween, although some consider Halloween to be a different culture. …
What’s Samhain? | Halloween History, Celtic Traditions & Folklore …
http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/whats-samhain-101030-1132/Oct 30, 2010 – Halloween was originally called Samhain and marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Learn more about Samhain at Life’s Little …
Goddess Persephone(Greek Mythology)…What is Samhain..also known …http://www.cafemom.com/…/Goddess_Persephone_Greek_Mythology_Wh…Oct 7, 2007 – Cafemom Journal – Greek Mythology of Goddess Persephone…What is Samhain.. also known as Halloween? Goddess Persephone …
Halloween History — Infoplease.com
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/halloween1.htmlHalloween is known and loved today as a time to wear costumes, go door to door …Along the way, it has also picked up traditions from Samhain, a Celtic festival …
The History of Halloween
http://www.halloween-history.org/Since Samhain was celebrated the night before November 1, the celebration wasknown as All Hallows Eve, and later called Halloween. In the year 1000 A.D., …
Blessed Samhain – Medea’s Lair ( http://www.medeaslair.net/samhain.html The Samhain holiday is more commonly known to us as Halloween. It originated in the Celtic lands of Northern Europe many centuries before the birth of Christ. …
The Origins of Halloween Part 1: Samhain and the Celtic Time of …
ancientweb.org/…/the_origins_of_halloween_part_1_samhain_and_t… Oct 31, 2010 – The term “Samhain” is still used as the name of November in Irish …The night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve. …
Whatis Halloween & Samhain? http://www.positivearticles.com/Article/What…Halloween…Samhain/31495… is Halloween & Samhain? By: Donna Oxley. If you were to ask someone just what it is we celebrate on Halloween, very few will know the exact answer and …
Samhain (Halloween) – A Celebration – Witchvox Article http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/samhain/1031_quikhistory.html The Halloween Witch: Sense of Humor or Sense of Ire … The Celtic peoples called the time between Samhain (pronounced “SOW-in” in Ireland, SOW-een in …
Samhain and Halloween
http://www.starbreezes.com/11/samhain.html The tradition of celebrating Halloween stems from an ancient pagan holiday called Samhain. Samhain is one of the 8 sabbats in paganism. It is a cross quarter …
SAMHAIN/HALLOWMAS/HALLOWEEN – Angelfire
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/serpentis666/Samhain.html The holiday known as “Halloween” was originally called “Samhain” a Celtic word meaning “Summer’s End.” In ancient times, religions were based upon nature, …
Halloween — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when … The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. …
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