The True Origin of Halloween
Falon Perez
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Halloween
Halloween to many people is a night of tricks and treats, when people dress up in costumes, knock on neighbors' doors, and receive candy and snacks (Those who do not obey the rules run the risk of waking up the next morning to a house decoration with toilet paper).
Yet the holiday of Halloween is based upon the night referred to as All-Hallows-Eve, on which according to legend, the dead can once again walk among the living.
Halloween started in Ireland and Northern France with the Celts 2,000 years ago. The Celts believed in the spiritual world and Samhain, a day when the veil between the real world and the spiritual world thinned and the ghosts of their ancestors were free to wander the real world. This was the day that ended the summer and welcomed the winter. The Druids (Celtic priests) would perform rituals to open the veil and would offer sacrifices of crops, or the corpses of animals and humans. They did this to please the gods to ensure that the sun returned after the winter season.
The Celts would dress up in the original Halloween costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins and attempt to tell each other's fortunes, according to Historychannel.com.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. Roman tradition began to intertwine with the Celts' legends. One was to honor the Roman goddess Pomona, whose symbol was the apple, which likely explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples.
By 800 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dubbed Nov. 1 as All Saints' Day, to honor saints and martyrs in an attempt to phase out the Celtic traditions. In 1000 A.D, Nov. 2 was named All Souls' Day to honor the dead. With similarities to Samhain, parades were held with people dressing up as saints, angels, devils and monsters. Over the next 1,000 years, the traditions from the three holidays were merged into Halloween.
Halloween symbols started to appear in America in the late 1800s, as witches, black cats pumpkins, candles, masks, parties, and pranks turned from mythical folklore to holiday fun.
Yet the holiday of Halloween is based upon the night referred to as All-Hallows-Eve, on which according to legend, the dead can once again walk among the living.
Halloween started in Ireland and Northern France with the Celts 2,000 years ago. The Celts believed in the spiritual world and Samhain, a day when the veil between the real world and the spiritual world thinned and the ghosts of their ancestors were free to wander the real world. This was the day that ended the summer and welcomed the winter. The Druids (Celtic priests) would perform rituals to open the veil and would offer sacrifices of crops, or the corpses of animals and humans. They did this to please the gods to ensure that the sun returned after the winter season.
The Celts would dress up in the original Halloween costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins and attempt to tell each other's fortunes, according to Historychannel.com.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. Roman tradition began to intertwine with the Celts' legends. One was to honor the Roman goddess Pomona, whose symbol was the apple, which likely explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples.
By 800 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dubbed Nov. 1 as All Saints' Day, to honor saints and martyrs in an attempt to phase out the Celtic traditions. In 1000 A.D, Nov. 2 was named All Souls' Day to honor the dead. With similarities to Samhain, parades were held with people dressing up as saints, angels, devils and monsters. Over the next 1,000 years, the traditions from the three holidays were merged into Halloween.
Halloween symbols started to appear in America in the late 1800s, as witches, black cats pumpkins, candles, masks, parties, and pranks turned from mythical folklore to holiday fun.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
grills
posted 3/30/10 @ 3:03 AM EST
Hello! I am glad that I'v joined your community! See ya!
gomelmarriage
posted 4/24/10 @ 2:22 AM EST
Yes it is all a fantasy
editing
posted 5/18/10 @ 7:38 AM EST
I've read some sources, which are referred to the roots of Slavic Halloween, but, of course, it wasn't name like that in old times. =))
Thank you for your article!
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