Halloween Ghouls and Ghosts of Ireland - The Puca

The Pooka is the Anglicisation of the Old Gaelic word Puca, it refers to the most feared and respected fairy in Celtic folklore. According to legend, the Puca can metamorphose into a wide variety of shapes, it may appear as a horse, rabbit, goat, dog or goblin. However, it most commonly assumes the shape of a dark horse with yellow eyes, it roams the countryside at night smashing down fences and gates, terrifying and scattering livestock.

Certain agricultural traditions surround the Puca, at the end of harvesting, a small deformed goblin shows up in search of a small share of the crops, if he is not placated he will wreak havoc, so the croppers leave behind a small amount of the crop which has become known as the Puca's share to satisfy the ravenous goblin. Only one man ever managed to tame a puca - Brian Boru, when high King of Ireland, managed to ride a puca until it surrendered to his will. He forced the puca to make two promises - firstly that he would no longer torment Christians and secondly that he would no longer attack Irishmen except those who were drunk are were roaming with evil intent.

The puca agreed but has the centuries rolled by it forgot it's bargain and returned to it's old ways. However, in some areas the Puca is spoke about with quite an amount of deference and is treated with more respect than fear. It is stated that if the Puca is treated with respect they can actually turn out to be beneficial rather than malevolent.

Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: Russell Shortt, http://www.exploringireland.net

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The Dark Side of Halloween - The Shape-Shifters, Puca and Banshee of Ireland

The dark side of Halloween originates in the Celtic festival of Samhain which was celebrated on the evening before the first day of November. On this night, which we now call Halloween, the boundaries between the mortal world of the Celts and the 'Otherworld' home of the spirits were thought to be flimsy and easy to cross.

Not all the spirits from the Otherworld were unpleasant. Some fairies were known to be benevolent but it is true that, in Irish lore, friendly and even-tempered fairies are in a minority. Most are, at best, mischievous. Some are downright malevolent and only too quick to show their character's dark side. And Halloween seemed to bring out more of the 'baddies' than the 'goodies'.

One of the most feared was the Puca, or Pooka. This black goblin-like character was a menace at Halloween, especially to unsuspecting travellers or lone walkers who might encounter him, disguised and lurking at crossroads or bridges after nightfall. You had to be careful what you ate, too, because the Puca spent much of the night spitting on any unharvested apples and blackberries they found still hanging on trees and bushes.

But spitting was just one of his nasty habits. Far worse was his ability to disguise himself as an animal - usually a horse - and carry off riders for terrifying midnight rides through black forests. This was one of his favourite pranks from a long repetoire of often quite malicious tricks. No wonder Halloween is also known as Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland.

This Puca chappie is a reflection of the Celts fascination with shape-shifting transformations. It can also be seen in Celtic craftsmanship, especially in their metalwork and manuscript illustration; their designs might look at first glance to be totally abstract but with closer scrutiny an animal's head or body might appear.

Shape-shifting was originally one of the magical abilities of the gods in Celtic myth. Another was the power of prophecy. This is where the Banshee of Ireland takes her part on the folklore stage for she foretells death.

The name Banshee comes from the Irish 'bean sidhe'. Bean (pronounced Ban) means woman. Sidhe (pronounced Shee) is a distinctive circular mound of a type still found in many parts of Ireland that was once believed to mark entrances to the Otherworld. Over time, the word Sidhe came to mean fairy hill. The Banshee of Ireland translates, then, as the woman from the fairy hill.

In earliest mythology, the Banshee sang to the dying, her voice helping to carry their soul to the other side or the Otherworld. Her song was known as her Keen, a word meaning lament, and in time it became recognised as a warning of imminent death among the family to which she was attached. Originally, only five or six families with proven Irish lineage had a Banshee. Today the superstitious believe that any families with a long Irish heritage should listen hard!

The Banshee of Ireland is not particularly connected to Samhain or the dark side of Halloween, except in her being a fairy. However, on the rare occasion she is seen, rather than just heard, she does seem dressed for Halloween. Her appearance is typically described as that of an old hag, dressed in a dark grey cloak with her long silver grey hair tumbling untidily from the hood, and her eyes red from centuries of crying.

Some say that at Halloween she is accompanied by a headless horseman, or a coach pulled by a headless horse and dragging a coffin across the lonely hills.

While you might not want to encounter a Banshee anymore than a Puca, the wailing woman is not malevolent. She does not cause death. She merely warns of it. She is solitary and sad, for she loves her family and weeps for the hurt that will soon befall it. She is to be pitied, unlike the obnoxious Puca who is definitely to be avoided.

Find out more about the dark side of Halloween at http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/origin-of-Halloween.html

Claire Santry is a journalist who specialises in Irish heritage and is editor of http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com, a free online guide to tracing your Irish ancestors.

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Halloween Started Out As a Pagan Celebration

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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Samhain - The Witch's Halloween

What is Samhain?

Samhain is the Wiccan and Pagan festival that is known to most as Halloween - the night forever more associated with witches! While Halloween is largely celebrated by most as a bit of light hearted fun there is actually a more serious and in fact historical side to this important festival. Samhain is the old Irish word for summer's end and to the Celts this marked the start of a new year. It was on this night that the veil between the worlds of the living and the departed were said to be at their thinnest so it was regarded as the festival of the dead. To our modern sensibilities this may seem a little morbid but in fact this was a evening of celebration; a time to be reunited with lost loved ones.

However, this was not only a festival for the spirit world, it was also to mark the change of the season and the symbolism of death was called upon heavily. The onset of winter means that life withdraws back into the ground and the people prepare themselves for the harsh and baron months of winter.

What is Samhain to Wiccans/Pagans?

Samhain is one of the 8 witch's Sabbats, or more specifically a cross quarter festival. For many, particularly those of Celtic traditions, it is the biggest celebration of the year. It is both a time to honour the universe and for merry making. To Wiccans, Samhain is also very important for its part in the Wheel of Life. This is the legend of the God and Goddess who are in an endless cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth as exemplifies the changes of the seasons. At Samhain, the God dies and his life is celebrated.

How to Celebrate Samhain

For Wiccans and witches it is common to change the layout, tools or colours of your altar from the beginning of October to welcome in the new season. But for Samhain itself you can arrange your altar with a display of photos, heirlooms or tokens of affection for lost loved ones in order to honour and remember them.

If you are not a Wiccan or are looking for a more general way of celebrating, you can use the mood and character of this time of year to inspire some thoughtful contemplation. As the earth seems to go into hibernation to conserve its energy until spring, so you can decide to spend an evening taking stock of what has happened over the previous 6 months. As the sun leaves our lives, so too is it useful to look at the shadows of your mind and heart, to reflect on what needs to be done to turn things around.

To brighten up your home or altar, you cannot beat the warm glow of gold and orange candles to signify the colours of autumn. It represents the colours of the leaves as they fall from the trees and candles also bring light to the evenings that are quickly drawing in.

This is also a perfect time for scrying. If you are not familiar with this method of divination, using a mirror or reflective surface, it may not be the time to start it as it does take a little practise. But it can connect you with the spirit world and this of course is in keeping with the spirit of the evening!

If you will be performing spells for Samhain you should be focusing on banishing spells. The stillness of the earth during winter is also a time of recuperation and so getting rid of negativity in your life should be where you concentrate your energies.

For Wiccan info, free spells - including Samhain and other festival spells - please come to my blog http://frans-free-spells.blogspot.com/

Blessings to you!

Francesca

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Halloween - What Does it Mean to a Real Witch?

Samhain, on 31st October, is more commonly known as Halloween, and is when the Witch's year commences. Halloween is rather like New Year's Eve to a Witch, as she watches one year end and a new one begin.

Halloween is the most important festival of the Witch's year and is when a Witch looks back on the past, honours it, and then looks forward to the future. Because of this, Halloween is believed to be very significant for divination (foretelling the future), as it belongs neither to the old year nor yet to the new one. It is a time to remember past loved ones, and also a time to look to the future.

It is a time for both beginnings and endings. This very special day is considered one of the optimum times to perform Spells, especially those for ridding negativity, protection and attracting positive energies. It is considered a time of great magical power.

If you know a real Witch, Halloween is the ideal time to ask her to perform a Psychic Reading for you or even ask her to cast a Spell for you! Of course, she may be very busy, as around the time of Halloween everyone's thoughts turn to ghosts, witches and candy!

Everyone is in celebration holiday mood with dressing up, carving pumpkins, and trick-or-treating, and a real Witch often enjoys the light-sided nature of Halloween too. But first and foremost, a Witch treats this special time of year very seriously, and will be happy to use her knowledge, experience and abilities to help out others.

You may not know of any real Witches who have green skin, warts on their nose and cackle loudly, but there are many real Witches around, who practice healing, Magic Spells with harm to none, and Psychic Readings.

Halloween is a time for dressing up and having some fun, but unless you are a Witch, most people don't realise that it's also the best time to find out what the future holds for you.

Alison Yates wrote this article. To learn more about Spells visit http://www.alizons-psychic-secrets.com/spells.html - For Psychic Readings click on http://www.alizons-psychic-secrets.com/tarot-readings.html

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Samhain - Halloween, Hallow'en And All Hallows Eve

When the night of October 31st comes around most of the Western world will witness a surge of spooky activity. So many people these days join in the fun of Halloween!

But what is the origin of these spooky festivities? Why do we dress up as ghouls, skeletons, tortured victims, headless lords, witches and warlocks?

Why do we carve out pumpkins and Turnips, bob for apples and trick or treat?

Through the passage of time cultures, traditions and belief systems have influenced the way we celebrate today.

Both Samhain and Halloween are celebrated on October 31st - Northern Hemisphere, but what's the difference between the Festival of Samhain and that of Halloween?

One notable difference is that most people are not even aware of Samhain and only know the night to be called 'Halloween'.

So how do we know for sure what we are celebrating? Firstly, it's necessary to look back in time to see which came first!

Samhain pronounced 'sow en' reaches thousands of years back into early European Celtic roots. The Celtic culture, religion and beliefs were strongly tuned into the earth and sky around them, including the cycles of nature, the arrival of the different seasons & stages of the sun, moon and stars.

The important dates on their calendars were marked by these seasonal changes. They gave great respect to nature and knew that winter would be a harsh time for them and they must prepare well and work with the season in order to survive. They believed that they were part of this continuous regeneration of the earth - the sacred circle of life!

Samhain became the mark of the first day of winter and the start of the Celtic New Year. The ancient astrologers had calculated that November 1st was the exact half way point between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice (winter solstice was midwinter - the return of the sun).

There is some debate over whether the Celtic New Year started at Samhain or at winter solstice but, as their days always began at sunset, when darkness came, it seems significant that the New Year should start at Samhain, when the winter darkness begins

The astrologers also believed that this time was a kind of no-mans land and signified a thinning of the 'veil' between those who lived on the earthly plane and those on the spiritual and in other realms! Therefore, the doorways to and from these other worlds opened up for a time!

When Samhain was approaching, the earth was beginning to draw it's energy within, preparing for sleep and regeneration, the vegetation was dying and the cold, dark winter months and baron lands lay ahead. And so communities would work together harvesting and storing crops, berries and herbs, bringing cattle out of the open fields and into the sheltered barns & homes. They would sacrifice animals to their Gods, in order to give thanks for the food & to gain protection, then prepare and preserve the meats to sustain them through the long winter months.

The climax of the harvesting would be to hold a feast at the sunset of October the 31st, the first day of November - Samhain and the start of the New Year!

The feast was known as 'The Feast of the Dead' ('Fleadh nan Mairbh') and, in tune with the sleeping earth, it was a time for reflection of the year just passed, introspection & to commemorate those loved ones that had passed over and to welcome them back in through the 'open door' to share the feast.

A verse may have been chanted at the beginning of the feast and would have been similar to this known one:

"And so it is, we gather again, The feast of our dead to begin. Our Ancients, our Ancestors we invite, Come! And follow the setting of the sun. Whom do we call? We call them by name (Name your ancestors that you wish to welcome.) The Ancients have come! Here with us stand Where ever the country, where ever the land They leave us not, to travel alone; Flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone! Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Great be their Power! Past ones and present-at this very hour! Welcome within are the dead who are kin, Feast here with us and rest here within Our hearth is your hearth and welcome to thee; Old tales to tell and new visions to see!"

Not only this, but as the door was open to 'other realms', this would include the Lands of the Sidhe - pronounced 'shee' - or the Faery Realm! The sharing of food and the laying out of offerings was an intention to gain favor with such powerful beings and avoid any ill fortune or mischief in the dark winter months ahead (Trick or Treat!!)

Samhain was said to be a very potent time for magic and divination. Druids would perform rituals for communicating with the dead and of divining the future.

Cakes were baked with hidden tokens of luck, promising fortune to those who found them.

It was custom to light a candle to signify the 'New Year' and a great bonfire was set by the chief Druid. On this, members of the communities would sacrifice animals and crops to the Celtic deities and the fire would become sacred.

Hearth fires would be extinguished only to be re-lit by family members lighting a torch from this great, sacred fire and carrying it all the way back to rekindle their own hearth fires. It was vital to them to keep the Hearth fires burning until the beginning of summertime - Bealtaine. It was extremely bad luck if the fire was left to go out before this!

The tradition of carving out turnips, beets and potatoes and lighting a candle inside was said to ward off evil spirits. This practice obviously led to the 'Jack-O-Lantern' fable about a damned soul, popular with the later Catholic religion, particularly in America where the turnip was replaced by the Pumpkin.

Winter apples were one of the main harvest fruits and therefore used prominently for the festivities. It is not true that the Roman influence of Pomona, the Goddess of the fruit tree, symbolized by the apple had anything to do with Samhain. They were celebrated on completely different dates and not merged as some may think

Christianity & Halloween

Several hundred years after the death of Christ, the Christian church had gathered enough influence within Celtic lands to establish a day of honoring the deaths of their Martyrs, it was on 609AD that Pope Boniface IV designated May 13th to remember all martyrs.

However this date was changed in 837AD, Pope Gregory IV extended the festival to include all of the saints and changed the date to November 1st, the day was called 'All Hallows Day'.

Moving the date was an attempt to Christianize the pagan festival of the dead. The evening of October 31st was changed to 'All Hallows Eve' - the evening before 'All Saints Day'. Or, as we call it today, Halloween - Hallow'en!

In A.D.1000 the church further made November 2nd 'All Souls Day' to include all those who had died in the name of Christianity, not just the Saints and Martyrs. It was celebrated similar to that of Samhain with big bonfires, parades and dressing up with Christian symbolism of devils, the bloodied & tortured Saints and biblical angels!

The combination of the three days was then called Hallowmass.

How Should We Celebrate Halloween Today!

The Christian festival of Halloween is ONLY about commemorating those who have died in the name of Christianity and perhaps a reminder about our own fragile mortality.

If you see those dressed as evil witches remember, it is Christianity and it's infamous witch hunts that originally portrayed witchcraft as evil. The Christian philosophy has always been to convert others to Christianity and it's damnation of paganism was (and still is) a mightily effective one!

The Celtic or Wiccan 'Witch' in fact, treasured the earth and it's sacred cycles. Rather than 'evildoers', they were the highly respected and important healers of the society. They had knowledge of herbal remedies and medicine and worked in tune with the forces of nature to help others. They did and still do believe in balance and harmony of the earth and all of the creatures upon it!

The modern Witch of our day will more likely spend the evening of Samhain meditating in quiet reflection. Remembering those that have passed over, the year just gone and all they have learned. Perhaps they will partake of 'the feast of the dead' and offer a plate for those missing at their table.

Perhaps, and let us hope so, they will perform their dignified ceremonies of thanks, forgiveness and hope for the future of ALL mankind!

Learn how to meditate with sound and deeply relax at Relax mp3.co.uk

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Halloween Among the Stars: The Seven Sisters - Pleiades

Have you ever heard of The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades? It is a small constellation made up of seven stars that is shaped like a cluster of grapes. While this constellation is small, many people believe that the Pleiades has witnessed and foretells of many big things. Some people believe that a cataclysmic event, one that may have killed thousands maybe millions of people, happened while The Seven Sisters were in the sky. A few even believe that the world will end while The Seven Sisters shine overhead.

So what does this all have to do with Halloween? Well, if for some reason you found yourself on a deserted island without a calendar, you could still celebrate Halloween because the Pleiades is always right overhead during Halloween.

But what truly makes The Seven Sisters a sinister set of stars is the fact that not only is Halloween celebrated at this time, but so was an ancient Aztec ceremony involving a human sacrifice and the end of the world, a Celtic ceremony called Samhain when evil spirits would invade the earth and a Mexican holiday called Days of the Dead (día de los muertos). Ancient temples in Greece were built to be lined up with Pleiades. And so was a major Aztec temple. The Pleiades is even mentioned in the bible, in the book of Job and has a place in Brahman faith as the sparks from a god of fire. The set of stars is so widely mentioned and so often associated with death and destruction, that there are some who suspect that the Pleiades were overhead when a terrible event happened on Earth.

No one is quite sure what this event was, though some suspect that it may have been the great flood that is talked about in the Bible or perhaps the cataclysmic event that lead to the sinking of Atlantis. The Aztecs believed that the world had not been destroyed just once when the Pleiades were overhead, but rather four times. And that if a human sacrifice was not made once every 52 years (when their two calendars coincided), that the world would be once again destroyed while those seven stars looked down.

So this Halloween, when you are taking your kids out trick-or-treating or on your way to a costume party, make sure you stop for a moment and look up at the stars. See if you can locate the Seven Sisters overhead in the night sky. You might also want to stop and wonder what horrors that little cluster of stars has witnessed, and if they might witness a few more sometime in the future.

This article was written by Heather A Rhoades and was sponsored by DareToScare.com and the DareToScare Costume Search Engine [http://www.daretoscare.com]. The article is available for reprint as long as a link is provided back to [http://www.daretoscare.com]

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