Halloween Origins:
It’s that wonderful time of year again when the leaves have begun to change color and the hot summer days make way to the cooler winds of change. Just around the corner is a holiday that both adults and children alike enjoy, Halloween. You can feel the excitement in the air as people begin to talk about which character they will play for this one special night. Parties are planned around it and trick-or-treating routes begin to form. While todays Halloween is filled with symbolism and scary stories many do not read up on the history of the holiday itself. Here is some history and brief descriptions of symbols and how they became associated with Halloween.
Halloween is originally an Irish holiday with Celtic roots. The original name of Halloween is “Samhain” which is Gaelic for “Summers End”. It is a misconception that Samhain was the name for the Pagans God of Death. This misconception happened in the 18th century when a writer incorrectly identified it as so. Most Pagans will let you know that there is no God named Samhain. The celebration of
Samhain is something very important. It’s the time of year that the world of those who have passed on and the living connect. They honor ancestors who have come before them and seek them out for guidance and wisdom.
For Druids November 1st is the day their new year begins. In fact the Irish celebrate the holiday with fireworks. When the Irish immigrated due to the great Potato Famine they came to America bringing the early works of Halloween, as we know it today, with them.
Jack-o-Lanterns: There are two stories I have heard about how Jack-o-Lanterns have come to be. One is the more known history where they originally started as turnips. The Irish would place lights in turnips because they believed it warded off the mischievous spirits that would arise on this night. When they realized pumpkins were plentiful in America the turnip was replaced with pumpkins. Another less known idea is that it originally started with witches placing lights in skulls to light the way to coven meetings.
Bats, Spiders, and Black Cats: All of these animals are obviously harmless but during earlier centuries have found themselves connected to witches. Almost everyone