The Story of Halloween
Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back
thousands of years. The holiday we know as Halloween has had many influences
from many cultures over the centuries. From the Roman's Pomona Day, to the
Celtic festival of Samhain, to the Christian holidays of All Saints and All
Souls Days.Spacial Promotion Halloween
Hundreds of years ago in what is now Great Britain and Northern
France, lived the Celtics. The Celtics worshipped nature and had many gods,
with the sun god as their favorite. It was "he" who commanded their
work and their rest times, and who made the earth beautiful and the crops grow.
The Celtics celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was
celebrated every year with a festival and marked the end of the "season of
the sun" and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold."
On the eve before their new year (October 31), it was believed that
all the dead people were called together . The dead would take different forms,
with the bad spirits taking the form of animals. The most evil taking the form
of cats.
On October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for
the long winter the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished. The
Druids, the Celtic priests, would meet in the hilltop in the dark oak forest
(oak trees were considered sacred). The Druids would light new fires and offer
sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the the fires, the
season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin.
When the morning 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 would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits.
The November 1st festival was named after Samhain and honored both
the sun god and Samhain. The festival would last for 3 days. Many people would
parade in costumes made from the skins and heads of their animals. This
festival would become the first Halloween.
During the first century the Romans invaded Britain. They brought
with them many of their festivals and customs. One of these was the festival
know as Pomona Day, named for their goddess of fruits and gardens. It was also
celebrated around the 1st of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule
the customs of the Celtic's Samhain festival and the Roman Pomona Day mixed
becoming 1 major fall holiday.
The next influence came with the spread of the new Christian
religion throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the Roman Catholic
Church would make November 1st a church holiday to honor all the saints. This
day was called All Saint's Day, or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later the
Church would make November 2nd a holy day. It was called All Souls Day and was
to honor the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people
dressing up as saints, angels and devils.
But the spread of Christianity did not make people forget their
early customs. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to
celebrate the festival of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years the customs
from all these holidays mixed. October 31st became known as All Hallow Even,
eventually All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en, and then - Halloween.
Thank you http://www.scottishradiance.com/halstory.htm
Thank you http://www.scottishradiance.com/halstory.htm
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