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Halloween
is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back
thousands of years. The holiday we know as Halloween has had
many influences from many cultures over the centuries. From
the Roman's Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, to
the Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.
Hundreds
of years ago in what is now Great Britain and Northern France,
lived the Celts. The Celts worshipped nature and had many
gods, with the sun god as their favorite. It was "he" who
commanded their work and their rest times, and who made the
earth beautiful and the crops grow.
The
Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was
celebrated every year with a festival and marked the end of
the "season of the sun" and the beginning of "the season of
darkness and cold."
On
October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for
the long winter the cooking fires in the homes would be
extinguished. The Druids, the Celtic priests, would meet in
the hilltop in the dark oak forest (oak trees were considered
sacred). The Druids would light new fires and offer sacrifices
of crops and animals. As they danced around the fires, the
season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would
begin.
When
the morning arrived the Druids would give an ember from their
fires to each family who would then take them home to start
new cooking fires. These fires would keep the homes warm and
free from evil spirits.
The
November 1st festival was called Samhain (pronounced
"sow-en"). The festival would last for 3 days. Many people
would parade in costumes made from the skins and heads of
their animals. This festival would become the first Halloween.
During
the first century the Romans invaded Britain. They brought
with them many of their festivals and customs. One of these
was the festival know as Pomona Day, named for their goddess
of fruits and gardens. It was also celebrated around the 1st
of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule the customs
of the Celtic's Samhain festival and the Roman Pomona Day
mixed becoming one major fall holiday.
The
next influence came with the spread of the new Christian
religion throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the
Roman Catholic Church would make November 1st a church holiday
to honor all the saints. This day was called All Saint's Day,
or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later the Church would
make November 2nd a holy day. It was called All Souls Day and
was to honor the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires,
parades, and people dressing up as saints, angels and devils.
But
the spread of Christianity did not make people forget their
early customs. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people
continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona
Day. Over the years the customs from all these holidays mixed.
October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All
Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en, and then - Halloween.
The
Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences,
Pomona Day's apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of
Samhain's black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the
ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint's Day and All
Soul's Day.
Now you know a little more about
Halloween! |
