Music Selection: "Death and Transfiguration" by Richard Strauss
In 5th century BC Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The Celts believed that on this day ghosts walked and mingled with the
living. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en) which marked the third and final harvest of the year, the Celtic New Year.
The reason the Celts celebrated this day as New Year, rather than Yule like other European pagans, was probably due to the fact
the that the sun is at its lowest point on the horizon, as measured by the ancient standing stones of Britain and Ireland.
The Druids sacrificed to their deities by burning victims in wicker cages. Prior to the ceremony, all other fires extinguished
and were then re-lit from the sacrificial fire.
Today modern pagans and Wiccans celebrate Halloween or Samhain as the New Year, the day when the veil between the living and the
dead is at its thinnest. The pagan god dies at Samhain, only to be re-born again at Yule. For these pagans, Samhain is a day for remembering
and honoring the dead and celebrating the eternal cycle of reincarnation.
Pope Boniface was instrumental in superimposing a Christian festival over the pagan traditions. Originally, the holidays took place on
May 13, but a century later, Pope Gregory III changed it to the present November 1. October 31 was no longer the last day of the year and
Samhain was reassigned to the Feast of All Saints.
It is interesting to note that many of the customs surrounding the observance of the Christian All Souls Day also center around accessibility
to the dead. In fact, many customs with their origins in pagan traditions have survived to the present. In addition to the souls of the dead
alleged to be roaming about, the devil, witches and other assorted monsters and goblins are believed to be at the peak of their supernatural powers.
In Europe, Halloween eventually evolved into a celebration for children. "Ghosts" went from door to door asking for treats, or else a trick would
be played on the owners of the home. When millions of Irish immigrated to the United States in the 1840s the tradition followed them.
Special thank you to CHERI SICARD for the information on the history of Halloween.
Visit her site at http://www.fabulousfoods.com/index.html
Now that you know part of the history of Halloween, would you like to continue your journey?
All you have to do is click the next button and you will be on your way. There is a great deal
to see on the next several pages so don't stop now. The really good part is just coming up!
If the font on your page does not look like the image above. Double click on the image and it will
download to your computer. Then extract the zip file to your "Windows" font file.
For further instructions see my Halloween Font Page.
The word Halloween has its origins in the Catholic Church, coming from a contraction of Hallowed Eve. November 1, or All Saints Day,
is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints, but the history of Halloween goes much farther back than the Catholics or the name.
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GOOBER
