Where does Halloween come from? Every year, around this time, I start seeing articles about the origins of halloween. Many of these make the point that halloween is a pagan celebration. Some say this means that real christians dont celebrate halloween, others say this pagan influence disproves christianity, saying that its just repackaged paganism. So how did halloween start? Halloween traces its origins to an ancient celtic celebration, sometimes called samhain. It took place about halfway between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. The ancient celts believed that on this night the spirits of the dead would come back to torment the living. In order to ward off these spirits each town would gather around a bonfire and the people would wear scary masks to scare away the spirits. When christian missionaries made their way into the British Isles during the 3rd or 4th centuries, they knew that the couldnt simply abolish this practice, so they made some changes to it. Eventually it became the two days that we now know as All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Instead of fearing the spirits of our ancestors, we now celebrate our holy forebears in the faith on All Saints Day and pray for the souls of our dearly departed on All Souls Day. As for the name halloween? It comes from All Hallows Eve, hallows being another word for saints (as in hallowed ground or holy ground), thus referring to the evening before All Saints Day. The costumes are just a modern reminder of how our ancient ancestors celebrated this day. I dont know why we give out candy on this day, but I, for one, dont see the point in arguing with people who want to give me free candy. So, to rap up, dont feel bad about letting your children go trick or treating on halloween, but on all saints day take some time out to learn about a saint, and on all souls day say a prayer for your dearly departed, or visit their graves at the cemetery.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:31:43 +0000
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