“Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in)-” History.com
“Halloween and Samhain are not the same, but two separate holidays that differ considerably in focus and practice.” – “Although observances may include merry-making, the honoring of the Dead that is central to Samhain is a serious religious practice rather than a light-hearted make-believe re-enactment. Today’s Pagan Samhain rites, while somber, are benevolent, and, although centered on death, do not involve human or animal sacrifices. Most Samhain rituals are held in private rather than in public.” – Circle Sanctuary
“Originally, Christians observed All Saints’ Day on May 13. But in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III moved it to November 1. Officially, the Church chose this new date to mark the papal dedication of a church honoring the saints. But many historians believe the Church really moved the observance to correspond with Samhain and other pagan fall festivals.” – How Stuff Works
“It is widely accepted that the early church missionaries chose to hold a festival at this time of year in order to absorb existing native Pagan practices into Christianity, thereby smoothing the conversion process.”- ” Either way, what we can be sure of is that the modern celebration of Hallowe’en is a complicated mix of evolved (and evolving) traditions and influences.” – BBC
But why 10/31?
“Halloween falls on October 31 because the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, considered the earliest known root of Halloween, occurred on this day. It marked a pivotal time of year when seasons changed, but (more importantly) observers also believed the boundary between this world and the next became especially thin at this time, enabling them to connect with the dead. This belief is shared by some other cultures; a similar idea is mentioned around the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which also typically occurs in October and involves saying prayers for the dead. This is also where Halloween gains its ‘haunted” connotations.’ ” – Country Living
Traditions
All of the ways we celebrate Halloween are derivative.
“During Samhain, the Celts ‘offered food’ as a way to ward off evil spirits. In the Middle Ages on the eve of All Saints’ Day, the poor would go ‘souling’, visiting houses and offering prayers for the family’s dead in exchange for food, called ‘soul cakes.’ ” –
-“To protect themselves from the potentially evil spirits that may appear during Samhain, the Celts wore animal skin costumes to hide in plain sight. If they looked like a fellow spirit, they believed, it would be safe to go outside. Later, a variant of souling called ‘guising’ emerged in Scotland, in which children dressed up and asked neighbors for food or money in exchange for a song or poem.”-
-“According to the original Irish legend, ‘Stingy Jack’ tried to cheat the devil out of his soul. But when Jack died, heaven didn’t want him either, so the devil cursed him to roam the earth using a carved-out turnip as a lantern. A tradition began of carving scary faces into turnips, beets, or potatoes and putting them in the window to scare away “Jack of the Lantern” and other spirits.”-
-“As part of the ancient festival, a large bonfire would be lit to ward off spirits and lead them to the afterlife. The Celts would then light their hearth fires for the winter from the sacred bonfire. “- Reader’s Digest
The bonfires and hearth-lighting traditions evolved into candle-lighting in the home.
Dolla Dolla Bils Ya’all
Not Just For Youngins
“More than 30 million people will spend an estimated $480 million treating their pets to costumes this Halloween, more than double the $220 million spend on pet Halloween costumes in 2010 when the National Retail Federation began tracking pet costumes. ” – Market Watch (2018)
Happy Halloween!
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