Earliest Trace Peter Tokofsky, an assistant professor in the department of folklore and mythology in UCLA states, The earliest trace (of Halloween) is the Celtic festival, Samhain, which was the Celtic New Year. It was the day of the dead, and they believed the souls of the deceased would be available (Navarro). Samhain Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) means summers end by the Celts. In old Germanic and Celtic societies, what we call equinoxes and solstices marked the middles of the season, not the beginnings. (Chamberlain) Therefore if there exist an autumnal equinox, winter solstice, spring equinox and a summer solstice, there are also the beginning of autumn, winter, spring and summer. All of these eight dates were important. Summers end which meant the beginning of winter was an important time for people who survived on plants grown in the field and animals that were kept in pastures. (Chamberlain) 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 (The History Channel Exhibits- History of Halloween) It is most likely this reason that the Druids (Celtic pagans) believed that the spirits of those who died the preceding year roamed the earth the night of Samhain (MSN Learning & Research- Halloween) Descriptions The Druids celebrated this holiday with a great fire festival to encourage the dimming Sun not to vanish and people danced round bonfires to keep evil sprits away, but left their doors open in hopes that the kind spirits of loved ones might join them around their hearths. On this night, divination was thought to be more effective than any other time, so methods were derived to ascertain who might marry, what great person might be born, who might rise to prominence, or who might die (Chamberlain). Also during the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each others fortunes. Crops were burned and animals were sacrificed (The History Channel Exhibits- The History of Halloween). The spirits were believed to be either entertained by the living, or to find a body to possess for the incoming year. This all gives reasons as to why dressing up like witches, ghosts and goblins, villagers could avoid being possessed. (Navarro )
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 16:07:08 +0000
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