Halloween is a celebration of humanity's desire to confront fear, death, uncertainty, and loss. Halloween, or Samhain, provides an opportunity for rejuvenation and reconnection with the dead. This is the ideal moment to take a break from your routine.
Watch scary movies, go to a haunted home, carve Jack-o'-Lanterns, and create candy apples to get in the mood. Above all, keep in mind that the veil between the living and the dead is thin at this time. Celebrate life, death, and the chain of lives that brought us all together on Halloween.
Watch scary movies, go to a haunted home, carve Jack-o'-Lanterns, and create candy apples to get in the mood. Above all, keep in mind that the veil between the living and the dead is thin at this time. Celebrate life, death, and the chain of lives that brought us all together on Halloween.
Carving Halloween Jack-O'-Lanterns
Jack-O'- Lanterns, made from turnips rather than pumpkins and originated in Ireland, are said to be based on a story about a man named Stingy Jack who continually captured the Devil and only let him go on the condition that Jack never go to Hell.
However, when he died, Jack discovered that Heaven didn't want his soul either, and he was forced to walk the Earth as a ghost for the rest of his life. The Devil placed a chunk of burning coal in a carved-out turnip to light his route. Residents began carving frightful faces into their gourds to ward off evil spirits.
Ghost Sightings
The Celtic people believed that ghosts wandered the Earth during the festival Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the winter season. Later, Christian missionaries introduced All Souls Day on November 2 to preserve the image of the living and the dead mixing at the same time of year.
With so many ghosts roaming the Earth at Samhain, the Celts had to get inventive if they didn't want to be terrified by evil spirits. People would dress up in disguises to fool the ghosts into thinking they were spirits themselves and be left alone.
However, when he died, Jack discovered that Heaven didn't want his soul either, and he was forced to walk the Earth as a ghost for the rest of his life. The Devil placed a chunk of burning coal in a carved-out turnip to light his route. Residents began carving frightful faces into their gourds to ward off evil spirits.
Ghost Sightings
The Celtic people believed that ghosts wandered the Earth during the festival Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the winter season. Later, Christian missionaries introduced All Souls Day on November 2 to preserve the image of the living and the dead mixing at the same time of year.
With so many ghosts roaming the Earth at Samhain, the Celts had to get inventive if they didn't want to be terrified by evil spirits. People would dress up in disguises to fool the ghosts into thinking they were spirits themselves and be left alone.
The Pagan Way Of Trick-Or-Treating
The origins of trick-or-treating are a source of much discussion. According to one theory, Celtic people would leave food out on Samhain to appease the souls, ghosts, and spirits who traveled the Earth that night. People began dressing up like these otherworldly beings in exchange for similar food and drink gifts.
Trick-Or-Treating In A Scottish Manner
Others believe the sweets craze is related to the Scottish practice of guising, which is a secular form of souling. Sellers, mainly children or poor adults in the Middle Ages, would walk around to neighborhood homes and collect food or money in exchange for prayers said for the deceased on All Souls' Day.
Trick-Or-Treating In A Scottish Manner
Others believe the sweets craze is related to the Scottish practice of guising, which is a secular form of souling. Sellers, mainly children or poor adults in the Middle Ages, would walk around to neighborhood homes and collect food or money in exchange for prayers said for the deceased on All Souls' Day.
The American Way Of Trick-Or-Treating
According to some historians, modern trick-or-treating evolved from belsnickel, a German-American practice in which youngsters dressed up in costumes and then called on their neighbors to see if the adults could guess who the masked visitors were. If no one could identify the children, they were rewarded with food or other rewards in one practice variant.
Bobbing For Apples
The origins of this game can be traced back to a Roman courtship ritual honoring Pomona, the goddess of agriculture and abundance. The concept was that young men and women would predict their future relationships based on the game.
There were other variations, but the gist was that young men and women would predict their future relationships based on the game. When the Romans conquered the British Isles, the Pomona festival was combined with Samhain, a pre-Halloween feast.
Decorating With Black And Orange Color
The traditional Halloween colors can be traced back to the Celtic feast of Samhain. Summer's "death" was symbolized by black, while the autumn harvest season was symbolized by orange.
There were other variations, but the gist was that young men and women would predict their future relationships based on the game. When the Romans conquered the British Isles, the Pomona festival was combined with Samhain, a pre-Halloween feast.
Decorating With Black And Orange Color
The traditional Halloween colors can be traced back to the Celtic feast of Samhain. Summer's "death" was symbolized by black, while the autumn harvest season was symbolized by orange.
