Samhain (Halloween)
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins
in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of
All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All
Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints.
But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially
ended on 31st October. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en),
the Celtic New year.
According to Celtic belief, the disembodied spirits of all those
who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search
of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to
be their only hope for the afterlife. Samhain was a time when their
spirits could slip back to visit this world. This thin veil between
realms also allows the fair folk to come into your world and make
mischief. Samhain represents the powers of death and darkness, but
the Celts were not afraid of these forces and regarded them as important
and as meaningful as the forces of light.
In the country year, Samhain marked the first day of winter, when
the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer hillside
pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that would feed
them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched ricks,
tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table
were slaughtered, after being ritually devoted to the gods in pagan
times. All the harvest must be gathered in -- barley, oats, wheat,
turnips, and apples -- for come November, the faeries would blast
every growing plant with their breath, blighting any nuts and berries
remaining on the hedgerows. Peat and wood for winter fires were
stacked high by the hearth. It was a joyous time of family reunion,
when all members of the household worked together baking, salting
meat, and making preserves for the winter feasts to come. The endless
horizons of summer gave way to a warm, dim and often smoky room;
the symphony of summer sounds was replaced by a counterpoint of
voices, young and old, human and animal
Halloween Customs
Jack-o'-lantern
The Jack-o'-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore.
As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard
and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved
an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the
tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt
him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.
According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance
to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access
to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave
him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness.
The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing
longer.
The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally.
But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins
were far more plentiful than turnips. So the jack-o'-lantern in
America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat: The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to
have originated with a 9th century European
custom called "souling." On November 2nd, All Souls' Day,
early Christians would walk from village to village begging for
"soul cakes," made of square pieces of bread with currants.
The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers
they would promise to say on behalf of the donors' relatives who
had passed away.
Today costumed children go from house to house to receive fruit
or other treats from their neighbors. According to this custom,
children greet each homeowner with the cry "Trick or Treat,"
suggesting that some sort of prank will be played unless treats
are provided. In return for a treat the children would sing, recite
a poem or tell a joke.
Bobbing for Apples
Bobbing for Apples: When the Celts were absorbed by the Roman
Empire, many rituals of Roman origin began. Among them was the worship
of Pomona, the goddess of the harvest. Pomona was often portrayed
sitting on a basket of fruits and flowers. Apples were the sacred
fruit of the goddess, and many games of divination involving them
entered Samhain customs.
Using apples has always been popular for divination. Ducking for
apples was a marriage divination practice, the belief being that
the first to bite into an apple would be the first to get married
that year. Apple peeling was used to divine the first letter of
the name of a future spouse. It was also used to predict how long
one would live, the longer the unbroken peel, the longer the life
of the person doing the peeling.
Beliefs
Many Halloween games are based on divination (fortune-telling)
practices done by our ancestors. The ancients would cast "lots"
with stones, bones, shells or wood in an attempt to divine the future.
To see the face of your future spouse, stand in front of a mirror
at midnight and look over your left shoulder, or look in a mirror
as you hold up a candle.
It is rumored that ghosts will write the name of the future intended
in cornmeal placed by the side of children's beds.
Superstition holds that if you look into the well at 11:00 am on
Halloween Day, your future will be disclosed to you.
If a young woman places an egg in front of the fire and it sweats
blood, she will succeed in getting the man she loves.
Witches
The witches would gather on Halloween, arriving on broomsticks,
to celebrate a party hosted by the devil. Superstitions told of
witches casting spells on unsuspecting people, transform themselves
into different forms and causing other magical mischief. It is believed
that witches wore black to be like the night. The cone shape of
the witch's hat was believed to direct energy from higher dimensions
to her mind and down through her body.
Cats
Cats became infamous with Halloween because of their ability to
sense the presence of the deceased, making them associated with
the season of spirits. Black cats receive special attention this
time of year because the color black is the symbol of the Crone,
the goddess honored by ancient and modern pagans during this time
of year. It is also believed that witches could assume the shape
of a cat, but could only do this nine times in their lifetime.
Bonfires
To commemorate Samhain, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where
the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the
Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes,
typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to
tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they
re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that
evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the
coming winter.
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