Have you ever thought about or done any research as to what Halloween actually started out as? Where in the world the current customs of carving pumpkins into Jack-'o-Lanterns and Trick-or-Treating and wearing costumes that can be either funny or scary or just plain cute came from? These are things that many of us have not really thought about or even know anything about. The true history of the holiday that we know as Halloween is a bit cloudy and unknown to most people. Yet there are many people around the world that are very aware of the traditions and history involved here.
One of the first things that needs to be said here is that the current way of spelling and writing Halloween is actually an updated version of what the holiday originally started out as; which is in reality Hallowe'en. The reason for this is that Halloween when written in the original way - Hallowe'en - actually referred to and meant Hallows Eve or All Hallows Eve. This traditionally takes place on October 31st every year. On today's calendars it immediately precedes All Soul's Day which is November 1st.
To get to the truth about where and when the custom and traditions and practices of what we now know as Halloween REALLY came from we need to go back thousands of years and to another continent and countries altogether. In reality when we now know as Halloween - or All Hallows Eve - in truth began as a PAGAN Sabbat, or Holy Celebration, known as Samhain. This is pronounced as SOW-EEN. Samhain originated as a Celtic, and Druid as well it is believed, Celebration that Honors the ancestors and deceased of those that were and are alive to celebrate. Part of this yearly celebration also marks the coming of the Darker Half of the year, meaning Autumn and Winter.
On the Pagan Wheel of the Year there are 8 Sabbats or Celebrations that are marked by certain things. Samhain is set as the 7th of the 8 celebrations. The Pagans of old and today are always observing what is happening all around them and celebrate the changing of the Seasons of the year and the phases of the Moon. Samhain, and Halloween, fall on the thirty-first day of October because this is the day that the Celtic people, and most Pagans for that matter, felt the presence of the spirits of the Departed more than any other day and night. It has always been said and believed that on Samhain/Halloween the Veil between the Worlds of the Living and the Dead - or the Physical/Seen and Spiritual/Unseen Realms - is the thinnest it will ever be. It is this fact that allows the spirits of the dead to roam the Earth/Physical Realm freely.
It is this fact, as well as people's fears regarding the appearance of those that had died that led to the custom of wearing Costumes in the first place. For the most part what is now an accepted and enjoyable part of Halloween originally began as a way to keep the wandering Ghosts and Spirits away for those Living that they happened to come across. What is now something of an obsession with and for many people around the world was originally something as simple as throwing a blanket or sheet or and animal skin over/around oneself so that the Ghosts/Spirits could not see you and therefore would not bother you. Nowadays we look all over in the stores and online or decide to make costumes by hand.
The money that is spent on the things that are so easily associated with Halloween: Costumes, Trick-or-Treat Candy and Bags, Pumpkins and traditional foods is simply STAGGERING!!! Foods such as Apples and Pumpkins, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Apple Cider, Indian Corn, Assorted Gourds and Assorted Candy/Candy Corn have long since been staples of our yearly Halloween celebrations.
Another major part of the original Pagan celebration of Samhain involves lighting HUGE Bonfires outdoors. The reason behind this and why people often did this was also to scare the Ghosts/Spirits away from themselves, their homes and their lands. The outdoor Bonfires and donning of Cloaks/Animal Skins have slowly given way to today's customs of donning Halloween Costumes and carving Jack 'o Lanterns which often have a large lit candle placed in them.
The last part of the history of Halloween involves how it actually became what we now know as Halloween. Well, that part of the story came about after the Catholic Church was formed. This is NOT an attack on the Catholic Church now mind you, but simply a historical fact that cannot be disputed. The leaders of the Catholic Church slowly "took over" and Re-Named all Pagan Sabbats. They adopted most of the Pagan religious customs and adapted or eradicated those they did not like; thus Samhain became Hallowe'en/All Hallows Eve. Make no mistake about the fact that Samhain was and still is a religious celebration among the Celtic and Pagan people, one that still endures to this day!
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