The origins of the
holiday we know as Halloween are somewhat uncertain. The most widely held
opinion seems to be that it originated in the early middle ages with the
Catholic church. The day after Halloween, November 1st, is the day known in the
Catholic church as All Saints Day - a day set aside to celebrate all of the
'Saints', both known and unknown. It was apparently held by some that on the
day prior to this (October 31), all of the souls that were currently residing
in Purgatory (a holding place, so to speak, somewhere between Heaven and Hell,
where souls unworthy of Heaven were thought to be held for the day of
Judgement), were released to walk the earth for 24 hours. It became tradition
for some to go from door to door on this day, asking for prayers for the souls
of their deceased loved ones, as they believed that a soul held in Purgatory
could be released to Heaven if enough supplication was made on their behalf by
those still living.
Still others trace the
origins of Halloween back to the feast of Samhain, which was a Celtic festival
celebrating the end of the harvest season, dating back to the time of Christ of
before. Fairies and spirits were thought to be particularly active during this
time, and feasts were held, during which places were set at the table for those
that had passed, and their spirits were beckoned back to earth. The spirits of
the dead were thought to wander the streets, looking for bodies to inhabit, so
many of the living (who did not want their bodies to be overtaken by a spirit)
would dress in costumes and parade about making loud noises, so as to frighten
the spirits away.
"The Jack-O-Lantern apparently
comes from Irish folklore about a man named Jack who tricked the devil into
climbing a tree. Once the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the
trunk, preventing the devil from coming down. The devil then made a deal with
Jack not to allow Jack into hell after Jack died if only Jack would remove the
cross from the tree. After Jack died, he couldn't go to hell, and he couldn't
go to heaven. He was forced to wander around the earth with a single candle to
light his way. The candle was placed in a turnip to keep it burning longer.
When the Irish came to America in the 1800's, they adopted the pumpkin instead
of the turnip. Along with these traditions, they brought the idea that the
black cat was considered by some to be reincarnated spirits who had prophetic
abilities." source
Since the early 20th
century, pagans and Wiccans have adopted Samhain as somewhat of a religious
celebration.
So, it seems that the
holiday we now know as Halloween is linked to pagan rituals, Catholic
traditions, witchcraft and ancient superstition.
Sounds great. Let's have
a party! (not.)
...To be continued. Come back tomorrow for the next installment!
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