Halloween History & Origin
Halloween is the
one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. It's one of the most popular
holidays, second only to Christmas. While millions of people celebrate
Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the history and facts of
Halloween make the holiday more fascinating.
Some people view
Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes, trick-or-treating, and having
theme parties. Others view it as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and
evil spirits that should be avoided at all costs.
As the Christian
debate goes on, celebrating Halloween is a preference that is not always viewed
as participating in an evil holiday. Halloween is often celebrated with no
reference to pagan rituals or the occult.
Halloween History
Halloween is on
October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan
holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and
dates back to over 2000 years ago.
All Hallows Eve is
the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert
pagans, and is celebrated on November 1st. The Catholic church honored saints
on this designated day.
Origin of Halloween
While there are
many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain
consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Halloween somewhat
differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same.
Halloween culture
can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and
Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on
October 31st to honor the dead.
Samhain signifies
"summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge
sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one.
Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition.
The Celts believed
the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all
spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify
the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into
trick-or-treating.
HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN - VIDEO PRESENTATION
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