Where Did Halloween Originate From?
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Halloween's origins trace back to the ancient Celtic festival of “Samhain” (pronounced "sow-in"), which was celebrated over 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France. The Celts, who lived during this time, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time often associated with human death.
The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. These spirits were thought to cause trouble and damage crops, but they also made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires where 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, to ward off roaming ghosts. They also believed that the presence of these otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids to communicate with the dead and predict the future.
Over time, as the Roman Empire conquered Celtic territories, two Roman festivals were combined with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was “Feralia”, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor “Pomona”, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is still practiced today on Halloween.
By the 9th century, the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands. In 1000 AD, the church made November 2, “All Souls' Day”, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned, holiday. All Souls' Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. The All Saints' Day celebration was also called, “All-hallows” or, “All-hallowmas” (from Middle English Alholowmesse, meaning All Saints' Day), and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called “All-Hallows Eve” and, eventually, “Halloween”.
Thus, Halloween as we know it today is a result of the blending of these various traditions over centuries, combining elements of ancient pagan rituals, Christian practices, and folk customs. The Apple I guess, doesn’t fall far from the tree?!
The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. These spirits were thought to cause trouble and damage crops, but they also made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires where 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, to ward off roaming ghosts. They also believed that the presence of these otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids to communicate with the dead and predict the future.
Over time, as the Roman Empire conquered Celtic territories, two Roman festivals were combined with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was “Feralia”, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor “Pomona”, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is still practiced today on Halloween.
By the 9th century, the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands. In 1000 AD, the church made November 2, “All Souls' Day”, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned, holiday. All Souls' Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. The All Saints' Day celebration was also called, “All-hallows” or, “All-hallowmas” (from Middle English Alholowmesse, meaning All Saints' Day), and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called “All-Hallows Eve” and, eventually, “Halloween”.
Thus, Halloween as we know it today is a result of the blending of these various traditions over centuries, combining elements of ancient pagan rituals, Christian practices, and folk customs. The Apple I guess, doesn’t fall far from the tree?!