Halloween: How did it all start?
Halloween. Right in between fall and winter, plenty and scarcity, life and death, this holiday
was thought to have originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Because it was
the beginning of winter and colder, darker days, and was also the last day of the Celtic
calendar, it was a celebration of death and the souls of the dead. The Celtic people would
light bonfires and wear costumes to ward of roaming ghosts, as well as leaving dishes of
food on their doorsteps for the “ghosts”.
When the Celts were conquered by the Roman Empire, the influence of Christianity began to
permeate the Celtic rituals and beliefs. Christian missionaries and higher Roman Catholic
officials declared the festival of Samhain to be evil, and sought ways to change the festival
to become more Christian-oriented. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV proclaimed
November 1st as “All Hallowmas.” Now known as “All Saints Day”, it is a day to honor all
saints and martyrs. The day before was known as “All Hallows Eve” and from this came the
name “Halloween”. Later November 2nd was also added as “All Souls Day”.
The now popular custom of “Trick-or-Treating” most likely
dates back to early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During
the festivities, the poor citizens would beg for food. Families
would give them pastries called ‘Soul Cakes’. In turn, the
recipients promised to pray for the family’s deceased
relatives. This practice, referred to as “going-a-souling” was
eventually also taken up by children, who would visit the
houses in their neighborhood and be given treats of food
and money. This giving of soul cakes was encouraged by the
church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving
food and wine offerings for roaming spirits.
Another very interesting tradition is that of the Mexican piñata,
which is used to celebrate many occasions, including Halloween.
The traditional piñata has seven points to represent the seven
deadly sins: Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Anger and Pride.
There is also a ten-pointed piñata that represents the sins that
come from breaking the 10 commandments. The stick, which
is used to break the piñata, symbolizes love. It represents the
destruction of sins by hitting and breaking the piñata into pieces.
The candies and treats that come pouring out from the broken
piñata symbolize the forgiveness of sins and a new beginning.
Before attempting to hit the piñata, the person must cover
his or her eyes, symbolically to protect himself from being enticed by the sins the piñata
represents. After hitting the piñata, the person makes a resolution to be kinder, do good
deeds, or perform another beneficial work.
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Children of the Rosary