Well it’s October 30th here, which means trick-or-treating, because I can’t recall ever going trick-or-treating on a Sunday night. My wicked little heathens and I are impatiently waiting for the clock to strike the witching hour, signaling the time we will depart into the night to collect pounds upon pounds of candy.
Now I won’t go on into how silly I think it is that they move the date of trick-or-treating, why? Because while I think it’s silly I take advantage of it. I’m not getting out of bed at 9am to sit in a pew and listen to someone preach about the evils of well…everything. So I can *and do* stay up until 2am tweaking out on candy. I personally would like to see Halloween *the secular candy fest we celebrate today* moved to the last Saturday of October, because it would make my life easier *see above mentioned 2am pig-out*.
What does annoy me is all the evil occult stuff you hear about. “Oh we have to protect the children from the evil SATANIC witches! They want to corrupt them, and destroy their soulsssss, *cue smoke, mirrors, and overdramatic stage presences*.
Now I won’t go on into how silly I think it is that they move the date of trick-or-treating, why? Because while I think it’s silly I take advantage of it. I’m not getting out of bed at 9am to sit in a pew and listen to someone preach about the evils of well…everything. So I can *and do* stay up until 2am tweaking out on candy. I personally would like to see Halloween *the secular candy fest we celebrate today* moved to the last Saturday of October, because it would make my life easier *see above mentioned 2am pig-out*.
What does annoy me is all the evil occult stuff you hear about. “Oh we have to protect the children from the evil SATANIC witches! They want to corrupt them, and destroy their soulsssss, *cue smoke, mirrors, and overdramatic stage presences*.
Seriously, if folks want to “shield” their children from the “evils” of Halloween fine, but learn about it first. There is no excuse in this day and age to be ignorant about the origins of any holiday celebrated by the masses.
So what exactly is the history of Halloween?
Well here are some snippets of information:
You can obtain the full write ups at the History Channel website. Thank you History Channel!
So what exactly is the history of Halloween?
Well here are some snippets of information:
You can obtain the full write ups at the History Channel website. Thank you History Channel!
“The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, 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 of year that was often associated with human death. 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.
In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.”
“By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
“By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional 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 and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday.
The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.”
Emphasis mine!
Want to learn more? Well head over to the History Channel website for the rest of the story. They go into Halloween’s history in America and where exactly all the costume wearing, pumpkin craven, and candy grabbing comes from.
And remember to have a wickedly fun time!
Copyright(c)2010 Rayven Holmes
October 30, 2010 at 2:58 AM
And here I thought that November 1st was called "All Saints Day" in order to commemorate my birth!
hmmm.