There are many sources of the Halloween we know today, but perhaps the oldest and strongest source is the Celtic celebration, Samhain.
Samhain, celebrated some 2,000 years ago, was the mark of the end of the harvest and the beginning of a new year. The Celts believed with the end of summer came the cold, the dark, and therefore, the time most associated with deaths among the tribes. Originally, Samhain was the night where the barriers, holding the dead in their world, were blurred and broken. The passage of the dead into our world was long thought the reason for ruined crops and the rise of mischief. On the other hand, the Celts also believed Samhain to be the best time for their priests, the Druids, to make predictions on the upcoming year.
In celebration, enormous bonfires were erected where the remnants of crops and animals, removed of their offerings for the winter, were thrown to feed the blaze. The Celtic people would dress in the hides and bones of animals and exchange fortunes. Each house in the village would end the night by taking a piece of the fire back to light their hearth for luck in the new year.
To find out more about Samhain, only a piece of what Halloween has become, try these links:
I also highly suggest going to your local bookstore to find out more!
No comments:
Post a Comment