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It is not the intent of this page to determine if Halloween and its varying customs are good or bad, safe or unsafe, right or wrong, or politically correct or incorrect. The purpose of this page is to have fun. |
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Halloween is a major folk holiday in many parts of the world. "Trick or Treaters" go from home to home in search of candies and other treats. Homes are decorated, pumpkins are carved into jack-o-lanterns, parties are attended. The actual celebration of Halloween came to America with the early Irish and Scottish immigrants. By the time it reached America's shores,it had already lost much of its mystery and was merely a celebration of the harvest, a night of games, popcorn, and telling ghost stories around a bonfire. |
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Halloween was originally All Hallows' Eve. It was the evening before All Saints' Day. All Saints' Day was crated in the 7th Century by Pope Boniface IV to recognize the saints who were without their own day and to celebrate saints that the Church had failed to recognize. Originally celebrated in May, it was moved by Pope Gregory to November 1. This may have been done, like many holidays, to coincide with non-Christian celebrations. |
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One of the non-Christian Holidays celebrated at this time was the Celtic Holiday "Samhain," (pronounced "Sow-In" - rhymes with "cow") This is a festival held at the end of summer to recognize the completed harvest. The term derives from the Celtic word "Sam" and "Hain" meaning "end of" and "summer." Many of our traditions for Halloween can trace their roots to this Celtic Holiday. |
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The idea that the Samhain was a God of the Dead is a myth. This story probably had its origins in the belief that the veil between this world and the next was the thinnest at this time of year. Friends and relatives who had died would often return, with their souls inhabiting an animal; ofen a black cat |
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As part of the celebration of the harvest, food was given to the Gods. Often the celebrants went from home to home collecting the foods to be used.
In Early Christian Europe it was the tradition to go from home to home asking for "soul cakes." In return, these "beggers" would pray for the souls of the homeowner's relatives. |
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Bonfires played a large part in the festival. Children were sent throughout the countryside picking up kindling and stick for the fires. These festival fires were sacred and were lit along the hill tops to honor the Gods. People would take an ember from these fires back to their home to light their fire in the hearth. |
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Because the "evil spirits" were known to lurk in the darkness, the celebrants dressed up in costumes and carved scary faces on the gourds used to carry the fire embers back to their homes. All of this in the hope that the spirits would be frightened away and not bother them. |
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The Jack-o'-Lantern cames from an Irish folk tale of an 18th century Irishman named Jack. He had supposedly tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree and then cut a cross in the tree truck, trapping the Devil in the branches. When Jack died, he was unable to go to Heaven because of his meanness during his life. The Devil would not take in in Hell, so we wandered the earth endlessly. The Devil, taking pitty on Jack, gave him a piece of coal to light his path. Consequently, the lighted pumpkins, with the face of a man carved into them is the Lantern of Jack. |
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Apples have long been associated with female deities...with immortality....with resurrection and knowledge. Many of the games played at Halloween parties use the apple as the center.
Unmarried people would attempt to take a bite out of an apple bobbing in water or hanging from a string. The first person to accomplish this was to be the next person married.
Peeling an apple in front of a mirror lighted only by a candle was believed to produce the image of your future spouse.
Attempting to peel an apple in one long unbroken peel was said to estimate the number of years you had on earth. |
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LOS DIAS DE LOS MUERTOS |
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An ancient Aztec belief was that the Monarch butterfly held the spirits of dead ancestors. Today, when the thousands of Monarch butterflies return to Mexico for wintering in the fir trees, many contemporary Mexicans hold to and celebrate this belief. It is the spirit of these ancestors that is honored during Los Dias de los Muertos, The Days of the Dead.
This is a joyous celebration. A time to remember past friends and family. It is celebrated in conjunction with the return of the Monarchs, October 31 to November 2. These days are also the celebrations of Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Soul's Day. Alters are built and rememberence candles are lit. Bread, candy, fruit and flowers decorate the home. Celebrants dress as ghouls, ghosts, mummies and skeletons, parade in the streats and visit the cemetery to continue the celebration. |
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Brightest
Blessings
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TRICK OR TREAT FOR UNICEF
UNICEF-assisted projects and the survival of children all over the world depend on the commitment of caring people. Every donation can help save the lives of these children. |
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HALLOWEEN PAGE 1
HALLOWEEN PAGE 3
BATS
FALL PUMPKIN RECIPES
BACK TO CHARLIE'S INDEX |
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