The History of Halloween

Halloween is a fascinating mutation of cultures most currently absorb by the Americans. Although Halloween has a history dating back 2000 years most currently Halloween has been embrace by the Americans to create a near Halloween frenzy. It is one day of the year or even a month where the entire US goes Halloween crazy. Who can blame any of us for wanting to escape the dull drums of our everyday lives for a few moments of Halloween fantasy ? October 31 st is the one day of the year when nothing is too outrageous or outlandish, when showing up to work or school in a gorilla costume or a female Halloween mask is acceptable. It is the one day of the year where everyone in the US has a license to be a little wild no wonder this American style of holiday is catching on all over the world.

Most American are from Europe and it should be of no surprise the origins of Halloween date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain).The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France, celebrated the new year on the first of November. This was the time of the harvest and the end of summer and the foreshadowing of the fall our autumn coming which was associated with death or the life waiting to be reborn in the spring. In Celtic belief, on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became one. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of our dearly departed returned to earth to destroy crops and reek have and fear upon the land. There was a belief among the Celts that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to predict about the future. For people reliant on nature for their lively hoods these superstitions took on great importance. Most cultures throughout time have embraced some sort of union with the dead or even called day of the dead as away to assure the dead have peace but are still excepted into our day to day lives.

Halloween

In the spirit of paganism the Druids would built huge sacred bonfires and the people would gathered to burn crops and perform animals as sacrifices to the then Celtic deities.

Masking has been part of the histories of almost all known Civilization and the Druids were no different wearing costumes, typical animal heads and skins In the Celtic belief it was a time to tell fortunes.. When the celebration was over, the hearth fires were relit which they had put out at the beginning of the evening. This fire was an exchange for the large fire to assure prosperity in the beginning of the New Year and see them through the long cold winter.

A.D. 43, the Romans had put down most of the Celtic enclaves. Under Roman rule for over four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, there were two Roman festivals that were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. These were; Feralia , a day in late October the Roman equivalent of the passing of the dead . The second was the honoring of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit, trees and nature. The symbol for Pomona is the apple. This is possibly the reason we currently bob for apples at Halloween .

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread to Celtic lands and in the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day , a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is believed today that this was the Pope's attempt to replace the Celtic Pagan holiday of the dead with church sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, this eventually to Halloween . Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, that included large bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints' , All Saints' , and All Souls' , were called Hallowmas .

Today much of the tradition or fear of the changing of the seasons has been lost and in its place the sense of freedom that allows people to change and be whomever they choose. One day of government sanctioned craziness for a nation and world. It should be of no surprise other nations are finding the way to Halloween . Couple this with the need of all cultures to identify themselves through masking or the changing of identity or even farther the alignment of or identification with the traditions of the culture and you will always find a place for Halloween .

 

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