Halloween is a European tradition. celebrated for thousands of years, it is the pagan New years eve. to the Celts it is called Samhain (pronounced Savane). The harvests have been gathered, the nights are longer and its getting colder. This is the time when our ancestors gave thanks to the earth and their deities for the year that has past and all the things that have been given. It is also a time when the veil between the living and the spirit realms have grown thin. This makes it a good time to remember and call on passed loved ones for any reason. It is NOT (contrary to modern belief) about devil worship, spooky, scary horrors or anything like that. This Religious propaganda was pushed to deter early peoples from the older pagan practices and ostracize them. So what do we do on Samhain and what were they for? lets have a look: Apple bobbing - This was originally part of a fertility rite. With their hands tied, people would duck into the water to grab an apple with their mouths. Once retrieved, the apple was peeled and the skin dropped into the water. The skin would then create the shape of the first letter of that persons future spouse. Trick or treating. - This was done within communities originally as a way for neighbours to go to each others houses to exchange resources when families were short of things like coal, grain etc. They also did this dressed in animal skins and costumes so that as they moved through the dark, evil spirits would confuse them for animals. - hence the tradition of dressing up. Bon Fires - Today this is more often associated with Guy Faulks night in Britain. but originally, bon fires were a major part of Halloween celebrations. Giving light and heat to the people during typically outdoor celebrations, They had two main purposes. Firstly the light keeper ominous spirits and the like away from the community. Secondly. The bon fire was the center of another rite. Those who had wishes for the year to come would approach the fire with a personal possession, make their wish and throw the item into the fire. Jack O Lanterns - Today these are usually made with pumpkins. but before their discovery, the vegetable used was a Turnip. You can see why pumpkins gained favour though, since theyre a lot easier to cut! They were named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called will-o-the-wisp or jack-o-lantern. The purpose of them again was to deter evil spirits. Samhain was a major event and perhaps the most important of the year. communities and families would make preparations for it all year and also prepare offerings to all magical beings and deities so that they would look upon them favourably and bring the people another good year to come.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 07:54:19 +0000
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