What is the true meaning of Halloween?

Question

Some say it's satanic. Some say its a Pagan holiday. I don't know what the hell it is. Can someone help me out here.

Answer 1

way back in the day, most people believed that spirits and demons existed. "Halloween" was originally All Hallow's Eve, and it was the day that the demons and evil were supposedly allowed to walk the earth. people dressed up in scary costumes to frighten away the evil spirits. the pagan aspect is associated with "witches" having become a part of halloween. in history, the pagans probably cast spells to ward off the same evil spirits on All Hallows Eve. The only part I don't get is where the candy comes in...

Answer 2

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain ; from the Old Irish samain).The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year".Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.

Answer 3

Halloween is the Christian (Catholic) celebration honoring the saints that was timed to coincide with Gaelic Pagan celebration of Samhain that honored the deceased. Some branches of Satanism do consider Halloween to be a holiday.

Answer 4

Halloween (IPA pronunciation: [hælə'win], [hælo'win]) is an observance celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets. It is celebrated in much of the Western world, though most common in Canada, the United States, Puerto Rico, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and with increasing popularity in Australia and New Zealand. Halloween originated among the Celts in Ireland, Britain and France as a pagan Celtic harvest festival. Irish, Scots and other immigrants brought versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th century. Most other Western countries have embraced Halloween as a part of American pop culture in the late 20th century.

The term Halloween, and its older spelling Hallowe'en, is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the evening before "All Hallows' Day"[1] (also known as "All Saints' Day"). In Ireland, the name was All Hallows' Eve (often shortened to Hallow Eve), and though seldomly used today, it is still a well accepted label. Halloween was also sometimes called All Saints' Eve. The holiday was a day of religious festivities in various northern European pagan traditions, until it was appropriated by Christian missionaries and given a Christian interpretation. Halloween is also called Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca, a mischievous spirit.

Halloween is sometimes associated with the occult. Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when the spiritual world can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent (e.g. Catalan mythology about witches).

There's more on the link below.

Answer 5

First of all ...No ...it has nothing to do with Satantic beliefs. Halloween comes from the ancient pagan festival Samhain...pronounced 'sow-in'. this festival celebrated the end of Harvesttime and the beginning of the new year. it was (is) a 2 day celebration which begins on Oct.31 at sundown.(Samhain is 1 of 8 sabbats/seasonal celebrations on the Celtic Wheel of the year)
.....After the Romans overtook celt-occupied lands in the 1st century...the romans incorporated many of the Celtic traditions with their own. a few hundred years later the Roman Cathlic Church further modified Samhain...making Nov.1 All Saints Day in honor of the Cathlic Saints...it was celebrated with bonfires and people dressed up as angels and saints paradeing tho the villages.
Nov.1 also known as All Hallows day(Hallow meaning to santify or make holy)Oct 31 was called All Hallows eve...over time it became shortened first to...Hallows Eve...then to....Hallows evening...then to Hallowe'en...to....Halloween.

Answer 6

Good answers already given above, but I'd like to add that it's not Satanic. Satan belongs to the Christian mythos and has nothing to do with with the pagan Halloween, which was celebrated long before Christianity was on the scene.

Answer 7

It was the festival of Samhain in Celtic culture when the crops had been harvested and people prepared for winter. To Celts it was the end of the year and symbolic of death as the land grew colder and trees shed their leaves.

The Catholic church needed new members and found out about the festival and it's traditions and co-opted it (just like they did Christmas and Easter...come on like Ceasar would ask for a census in the middle of winter in a region prime to rebellion). They called Nov 1 All hallowed day or all saints day and the day before was all hallowed eve. Where Halloween comes from.

The Celts made faces in turnips to scare away the dead where we got the jack o'lantern from and treats were left to appease the dead as well.

Answer 8

All Hallows Eve Meaning

Answer 9

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=713&display_order=1&mini_id=1076
Origin with the Druids.
Christian name "All Hallows Eve."

Answer 10

That is like asking what is the true meaning of Christmas, or Hanuka.