CATEGORY: Halloween
POSTED ON OCTOBER 3, 2019
Origin & History of Halloween
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Origin & History of Halloween
(excerpted from an article in JellyTellyParents)
Halloween’s origin can be found in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced saw-en, meaning ‘end of summer’). For the Celts who celebrated their new year on November 1st, the day marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, the end of light and the beginning of darkness, the end of life and the beginning of death. The Celtic priests, called Druids, made large bonfires on hilltops around which the people gathered and offered sacrifices of crops and animals to the Celtic gods, as a thanksgiving offering for that years’ crops and as an appeal for favor in the new coming year. Some have speculated that there were also human sacrifices at these bonfires, but modern scholars believe this not to be the case. This was viewed as a very spiritual time and divination was practiced especially in the form of fortune telling. It was widely believed that on this night young women especially can find whether they might marry in the coming year and even the identity of their future spouse.
It is also believed that on the eve of Samhain the line between the living and the dead became thin and the spirits of the Otherworld were allowed to roam the earth during this day, both spirits of departed loved ones during the previous year as well as evil spirits of ghouls and fairies looking to cause mischief and damage. The Celts, hoping for a visit from their departed loved ones, would set a place at the table for them and prepare a feast for them. They also set treats outside their house for the wandering spirits. To ward off evil spirits from their households, the Celts were known to set carved pumpkins (or turnips) in front of their doors. If they went out at night they wore costumes so that if they encountered an evil spirit they would be mistaken for an evil spirit themselves and thus be protected from evil and trouble.
By A.D. 43 the Romans had successfully conquered most of the Celtic lands. During the next 400 years Samhain was merged with two Roman holidays: Feralia, a day when Romans commemorated their dead, typically at the end of October, and secondly Pomona, a day of honoring the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. In 609 A.D. Pope Bonafice IV established the Catholic feast of All Martyrs’ Day in honor of the early Roman martyrs, and this feast was later expanded by Pope Gregory III to include all saints and is still practiced today on November 1st as All Saints’ Day (known also as Hallowtide or All Hallows). November 2nd is also celebrated as All Souls’ Day mainly to honor the saints and pray for the lives of the recently departed who have not reached heaven yet. Some of the Halloween traditions can be seen in the festival surrounding All Saints’ Day. There were traditions of ringing bells for the souls in purgatory; poor people, mostly children, would go from house to house “souling” – they would get ‘soul cakes’ in exchange for prayers for departed loved ones; people even wore costumes in order to protect themselves from wandering souls of the dead.
With the Protestant Reformation in the 16th and 17th century, Protestant Christians reacted to Catholic Holy Days like All Saints’ Day, primarily over Catholic beliefs considered errors, such as Purgatory. Purgatory derives its name from the idea that there still remains some sin, or impurity, that needs to be purged and cleansed before one is allowed into Heaven. It is therefore considered a holding place for souls not quite fit for heaven, but not so bad that they go to Hell. Protestant Christians held that after death, no amount of prayers or indulgences – payments made on behalf of departed loved one’s to speed up their time in Purgatory – can help a loved one in this Purgative state. Instead, many Protestant Christians began to celebrate Reformation Day by providing different options for people who didn’t want to celebrate the Catholic holiday. Some dressed up in Bible characters or reformers themselves and used the day as an opportunity to gather together and pray and fast. Today, many Lutheran churches celebrate Reformation Day with the traditional color of red which symbolizes the Holy Spirit and the Martyrs of the Saints. Martin Luther’s Hymn, ‘A Mighty Fortress is our God’ is traditionally sung and many schoolchildren put on plays reenacting some of the events during the life of Martin Luther.
Halloween’s origin can be found in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced saw-en, meaning ‘end of summer’). For the Celts who celebrated their new year on November 1st, the day marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, the end of light and the beginning of darkness, the end of life and the beginning of death. The Celtic priests, called Druids, made large bonfires on hilltops around which the people gathered and offered sacrifices of crops and animals to the Celtic gods, as a thanksgiving offering for that years’ crops and as an appeal for favor in the new coming year. Some have speculated that there were also human sacrifices at these bonfires, but modern scholars believe this not to be the case. This was viewed as a very spiritual time and divination was practiced especially in the form of fortune telling. It was widely believed that on this night young women especially can find whether they might marry in the coming year and even the identity of their future spouse.
It is also believed that on the eve of Samhain the line between the living and the dead became thin and the spirits of the Otherworld were allowed to roam the earth during this day, both spirits of departed loved ones during the previous year as well as evil spirits of ghouls and fairies looking to cause mischief and damage. The Celts, hoping for a visit from their departed loved ones, would set a place at the table for them and prepare a feast for them. They also set treats outside their house for the wandering spirits. To ward off evil spirits from their households, the Celts were known to set carved pumpkins (or turnips) in front of their doors. If they went out at night they wore costumes so that if they encountered an evil spirit they would be mistaken for an evil spirit themselves and thus be protected from evil and trouble.
By A.D. 43 the Romans had successfully conquered most of the Celtic lands. During the next 400 years Samhain was merged with two Roman holidays: Feralia, a day when Romans commemorated their dead, typically at the end of October, and secondly Pomona, a day of honoring the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. In 609 A.D. Pope Bonafice IV established the Catholic feast of All Martyrs’ Day in honor of the early Roman martyrs, and this feast was later expanded by Pope Gregory III to include all saints and is still practiced today on November 1st as All Saints’ Day (known also as Hallowtide or All Hallows). November 2nd is also celebrated as All Souls’ Day mainly to honor the saints and pray for the lives of the recently departed who have not reached heaven yet. Some of the Halloween traditions can be seen in the festival surrounding All Saints’ Day. There were traditions of ringing bells for the souls in purgatory; poor people, mostly children, would go from house to house “souling” – they would get ‘soul cakes’ in exchange for prayers for departed loved ones; people even wore costumes in order to protect themselves from wandering souls of the dead.
With the Protestant Reformation in the 16th and 17th century, Protestant Christians reacted to Catholic Holy Days like All Saints’ Day, primarily over Catholic beliefs considered errors, such as Purgatory. Purgatory derives its name from the idea that there still remains some sin, or impurity, that needs to be purged and cleansed before one is allowed into Heaven. It is therefore considered a holding place for souls not quite fit for heaven, but not so bad that they go to Hell. Protestant Christians held that after death, no amount of prayers or indulgences – payments made on behalf of departed loved one’s to speed up their time in Purgatory – can help a loved one in this Purgative state. Instead, many Protestant Christians began to celebrate Reformation Day by providing different options for people who didn’t want to celebrate the Catholic holiday. Some dressed up in Bible characters or reformers themselves and used the day as an opportunity to gather together and pray and fast. Today, many Lutheran churches celebrate Reformation Day with the traditional color of red which symbolizes the Holy Spirit and the Martyrs of the Saints. Martin Luther’s Hymn, ‘A Mighty Fortress is our God’ is traditionally sung and many schoolchildren put on plays reenacting some of the events during the life of Martin Luther.
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