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History of halloween

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Roots
User ID: 577568
11/1/2009 12:46 AM
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History of halloween

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Halloween (also written Hallowe'en, literally "holy evening"), also known as All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve, is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and gets its name from being the evening (e'en) before the Western Christian holy day of All Saints (the Eastern Orthodox celebrate All Saints' Day in June). It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones.[1][2][3]

Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, [it is] more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain or Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)".[4] The name is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".[4] A similar festival was held by the ancient Britons and is known as Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf).

Snap-Apple Night by Daniel Maclise showing a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland, in 1832. The young children on the right bob for apples. A couple in the center play a variant, which involves retrieving an apple hanging from a string. The couples at left play divination games.The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes[5] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[6]

The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.[7][8] Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.[9] Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

In North America, Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints’ Day,[37][38] while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a day to remember the Protestant Reformation.[39][40]

Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, treating it as a purely secular holiday devoted to celebrating "imaginary spooks" and handing out candy. Halloween celebrations are common among Roman Catholic parochial schools throughout North America and in Ireland. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church sees Halloween as having a Christian connection.[41] Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, has said, "f English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that."[1]

Most Christians hold the view that the tradition is far from being satanic in origin or practice and that it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners' heritage.[42] Other Christians feel concerned about Halloween, and reject the holiday because they believe it trivializes (and celebrates) "the occult" and what they perceive as evil.[2] A response among some fundamentalists in recent years has been the use of 'Hell houses' or themed pamphlets (such as those of Jack T. Chick) which attempt to make use of Halloween as an opportunity for evangelism.[

Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith[44] because of its origin as a pagan "Festival of the Dead." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday.[43] Many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween because they believe anything that originated from a pagan holiday should not be celebrated by true Christians.[45]

Religions other than Christianity also have varied views on Halloween. Celtic Pagans consider the season a holy time of year.[46] Celtic Reconstructionists, and others who maintain ancestral customs, make offerings to the Gods and the ancestors.[46]

Some Wiccans feel tha t the tradition is offensive to "real witches" for promoting stereotypical caricatures of "wicked
witches

Wikapedia

Anonymous Coward
User ID: 806698
11/1/2009 12:54 AM

Re: History of halloween

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You are too late!

Halloween origins
[link to www.youtube.com]

"Satanism: The Seduction of America's Youth"
by Bob Larson of Bob Larson Ministries
[link to my.homewithgod.com]
The Christian predecessor of Halloween, The Roman Catholic Church's "All Saints Day", was originally celebrated in May, not on November 1st. In A.D. 834 the Roman Emperor appeased the populace of newly conquered territories by allowing them to combine the ancient ritual of Samhain Day with the newly-dated All Saint's Day. Rome's pantheon, a temple built to worship a multiplicity of gods, was converted into a church. While Christians celebrated the death of departed saints, pagans devoted the preceding night to their lord of the dead.

THE WITCHES SABBAT

Choosing the of the date of October 31st is no coincidence. It is one of four major witches' sabbats, the four "cross-quarter" days of the Celtic calendar ...

Groundhog Day (February 2nd) honored Brigit, the pagan goddess of healing.

Beltane (a May holiday) was witchcraft's time to plant. On this day the druids performed magical rights to encourage the growth of crops.

An August Harvest in honor of the sun god, commemorated the shining one, Lugh.

These first three cross-quarter days marked the passing of seasons, the time to plant, the time to harvest, as well as the time of the earth's death and rebirth.

Samhain marked the coming of winter. At this time, the ancient druids performed rituals in which a cauldron symbolized the abundance of the goddess. It was said to be a time of "betwixt and between," a sacred season of superstition and spirit conjurations.

To the druids, October 31st, was the night Samhain returned with the spirits of the dead. They had to be appeased or "treated" or the living would be tricked. Huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits and placate supernatural powers, that controlled the process of nature.

HALLOWEEN'S SYMBOLS OF SATAN

The traditional practices associated with Halloween are easily identified with the occult.

The Jack O'Lantern came from the tale of a notorious man named Jack, who was turned away from both Heaven and Hell. Consigned to roam the earth as a spirit, Jack put a glowing coal into a carved-out turnip to light his way through the night. This harbinger, which became a pumpkin, symbolized a damned soul.

The colors Orange and Black can also be traced to the occult. They were connected with commerative masses for the dead, which were held in November. The unbleached, beeswax candles, used in the ceremony were orange and the ceremonial caskets were covered by black cloths.

Halloween costumes are taken from Celtic druid animal head and animal skins to acquire the strength of the beast they portrayed.

Trick or Treat comes from an Irish tradition. When a man led a procession to levy contributions from farmers, they must "treat" him, lest their crops be cursed by demons.

Cats represented incarnated humans, malevolent spirits, or the "familiars" of witches.

Hazelnuts were used in romance divination. Some Halloween foods had objects placed inside as a means of fortune-telling.

Masks have traditionally been an animistic means of superstiously warding off evil spirits or changing the personality of the wearer to communicate with the spirit world.

More recently, European immigrants, particularly the Irish, have introduced Halloween to America. By the late 19th Century, it's customs had become popular. It was an occasion to overturn outhouse, inflict property damage, and indulge in deviltry that wouldn't be tolerated at other times of the year.

Today, Halloween is a banner day for merchants. It is a night when decent people become outrageous exhibitionists. Sixty percent of all Halloween costumes are sold to adults. On October 31st, one of every four people between the ages of 18 and 40 dress up as some kind of character.

For psychic readers, clairvoyants and self-proclaimed visionaries, it is the busiest time of the year. Publishers of books on subjects ranging from astrology to witchcraft indicate a dramatic increase in sales. Salem, Massachusetts, home of American witchcraft, now celebrates a "Haunted Happening" at Halloween to expand it's summer tourist season.

Sumo
User ID: 768896
11/1/2009 1:37 AM

Re: History of halloween	Quote
Trick or Treat! "All I know is that I don't know."

XHIBIT
User ID: 806674
11/1/2009 1:42 AM

Re: History of halloween	Quote
SMELL MY FEET

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