It’s not all candy and costumes…
It’s that time of year again… Where 3 foot tall witches, goblins, vampires and Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles will be prowling our darkened by-ways looking for sweet treats and other kinds of loot. I for one am not taking any chances with Trick Or Treat, it’s some serious business out there!
But have you ever wondered where Halloween or Samhain originated? Believed to have come from the Ancient Celts. Samhain, the traditional Celtic holiday, literally means “summer’s end”. The Celts divided the year into two seasons, representing light and dark. The first day of each season held a celebration, with Beltane on May 1, also known as May Day, and Samhain on November 1st.
Samhain was an important festival, as it welcomed new beginnings and a new year. It also symbolized a union or communality between people. Bonfires were lit by people within a village. While the bonfire blazed, villages extinguished all other fires. Each family would then light it’s hearth from the common flame of the bonfire, bonding the families of a village together.
Samhain Eve was a time of reflection, and a time for honoring the dead. This particular time of year signified the final harvest, a time of gathering and preparing for winter. Often winter was a time of famine and some would not survive the long months. Samhain was a way of honoring those who had died, a celebration of the spirit remembered.
It was common belief that the “veil” between the world of the living and the dead was thinnest on the eve of Samhain. In Modern times, many have twisted this thought to evil intent, though it’s origin is much more honorable. The dead could return on this one night to the places where they had lived, and food and entertainment were provided in their honor.
This also led to the tradition of lighting a single candle in a window, to light the way for ancestors to find their way home. Food offerings were also left on doorsteps for the spirits (which led to our modern “trick or treating”)
It was the Romans who added their “Feast of the Dead” to the celebration of Samhain. Christians introduced “All Saint’s Day” on November 1st , and re-naming October 31st to All Hallow’s Eve, which later became Hallowe’en. For Christians, All Saints Day celebrates the spirits in Heaven and Purgatory. It became customary to bang pots and pans together on the eve of All Saint’s Day, to let the souls in Hell know they weren’t forgotten.
Samhain is also a major celebration of Wiccans and Pagans, one of the eight holy Sabbats. For Wiccans, it is also a time of celebrating the past and the future to come. Many Pagans celebrate the New Year at this time.
Though the holiday has changed over the years, it’s intent remains clear- it is a celebration of respect for the dead and a celebration of the new beginning that is to come. It is a holiday that commemorates the togetherness of a community.
So… To avoid the toilet paper, soap and flaming bags of poo… I suggest you make your way to the nearest grocery store and stock up on some really good treats, no apples, tooth brushes or stale bubble gum will do on this Spooky Night!!