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Halloween, the name applied to the evening of October 31, preceding the
Christian feast of Hallowmas, Allhallows, or All Saints' Day. The observances connected
with Halloween are thought to have originated among the ancient Druids who believed that
on that evening Samhain, meaning 'summers end', called forth hosts of evil spirits. The
Druids customarily lit great fires on Halloween, apparently for the purpose of warding off
all these spirits. Among the ancient Celts, Halloween was the last evening of the year and was regarded as a
propitious time for examining the portents of the future. The Celts also believed that the
spirits of the dead revisited their earthly homes on that evening.
After
the Romans conquered Britain, they added to Halloween features of the Roman harvest
festival held on November 1 in honour of Pomona, goddess of the fruits of trees. The
Celtic tradition of lighting fires on Halloween survived until modern times in Scotland,
Wales and Scunthorpe, and the concept of ghosts and witches is still common to all
Halloween observances. Traces of the Roman harvest festival survive in the custom,
prevalent in both the United States and Great Britain, of playing games involving fruit,
such as ducking for apples in a tub of water. Of similar origin is the use of hollowed-out
pumpkins carved to resemble grotesque faces and lit by
candles placed inside.
I am a Wiccan and I was a bit sad when I read your History of Halloween. Samhain was not a god of death, its a Celtic holiday in which the veils between the two worlds was believed to be its thinnest. During this time the Celts would try to contact their dead relatives or friends. There was nothing evil or Satanic about Samhain for there was no Devil or God in the Celtic religions.I appreciate though how you said the Celts/ Druids themselves were not evil.
Thankyou,
Shannon (Michigan)
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