HALLOWEEN HISTORY
The
haunting, the horror, the tricks and the treats. Where
did it all begin?
Our
modern Halloween has roots dating back over 2,000 years. The
Celts who inhabited today's Ireland observed the changing
of the new year on November 1. On this day, summer ended and
winter began. Summer and its harvest symbolized life and health
for the Celts. Winter and its cold, dark nights symbolized
death for the Celts.
On
October 31, the night before the year changed, the Celts celebrated
Samhain. The boundaries between the worlds of the living and
the worlds of the dead became blurred on this night. The spirits
of the dead could roam the earth and create chaos. Some people
believed that the spirits searched for bodies to possess on
this night.
The
one positive aspect of the night, however, was that the Druids,
or priests of the Celts, could receive prophesies on this
night from the spirits roaming the earth. The Celts relied
on these prophecies to tell them how to survive the dark nights
of winter. The Celtic people built bonfires for sacred ceremonies
to celebrate Samhain. The burned sacrifices to their gods
and listened to the prophecies given to the Druids.
Interestingly, Halloween's tradition of donning masks and
costumes comes from this original October 31st celebration.
The Celts clothed themselves in costumes made from animals.
Dressed in their costumes made from animal heads and skins,
they danced around the bonfire, told fortunes, and waited
for the dark night to bring in the new year.
Some
legends say the people wore the costumes on October 31st to
scare off spirits wanting to possess them for the winter.
The noisy dance around the bonfire kept spirits of the dead
far away from the living. With the Roman invasion of the land,
cultural celebrations became blended together.
The
Romans combined Samhain with their celebrating Feralia in
late October. This late October celebration marked the day
the dead passed into the world of the afterlife.
Romans
also celebrated Pomona in October. This feast honored the
goddess of trees and fruit.
As
Halloween grew through the centuries, it gained more and more
popularity.
The
name Halloween came from a Christian celebration. Lutherans,
Episcopalians and Roman Catholics honored all saints in heaven
with a day called All Saints Day or All Hallows on November
1st. The night before came to be known as All Hallows Eve.
Soon October 31st took on the abbreviated name of Halloween.
HALLOWEEN
TRADITIONS
As
the years went by, the traditions of the Celts, the Romans,
and the Christians blended together to create the traditions
of October 31st. So why do we do what we do on Halloween?
"Why
do we bob for apples?"
This
Halloween tradition probably came from the Roman Pomona feast.
An apple symbolized this celebration honoring the goddess
of trees and fruit. So we seek after the apples as the Romans
sought after blessings from a goddess.
"Where did the Jack-o-lantern come from?
Probably
from the legend of a drunk Irishman named Jack who tried to
trick the devil. The story says that Jack treed the devil
so he could make a deal with the demon never to be tempted
or have his soul sought after again. But his deal with the
devil cost him life in Heaven and in Hell. So Jack was doomed
to wander the world with one ember for his lantern which was
the traditional hollowed out turnip in Ireland. Americans
turned the turnip into a hollowed out pumpkin.
"Why
do we trick-or treat?"
In
Europe, during the All Saints Day festivities, less fortunate
people begged from the wealthy in hopes of getting a meal
for the day. The beggars were offered pastries if they promised
to pray for the dead relatives of those who gave the treats.
Others
believe the tradition started from the ancient settlers leaving
gifts of food and drink for the spirits roaming the world
on October 31st. The spirits went door to door looking for
people to possess but left occupants unharmed if treats were
left for their taking.
Starting
in the 1950's, children started the tradition of trick-or-treating
for UNICEF. Since Halloween is an international event, children
began to find ways to bring a positive twist to the spirit
of the evening. Parents had gotten leery over the horrors
of the night and found UNICEF an uplifting option.
"So
what costume will I wear this year?"
Kids
look forward to picking out their Halloween costumes yearly.
This tradition first started with the Celts as they dressed
in animal heads and skins as they danced around their bonfires
waiting for their year to change. Other Europeans continued
the tradition. They believed if they wore masks out, ghosts
who came to earth on October 31st would not recognize the
humans as earthly being and would pass them by.
British
citizens in the 16th century used Halloween as a Shaming Night
to shames local and national politicians. The citizens dressed
up to mimic the politicians they wanted to disgrace. Now selling
costumes in America has turned into a profitable industry.
HALLOWEEN
SUPERSTITIONS
Can
it be true?
