where does halloween come from?

Question

where does halloween come from? whats the tradition? whats the purpose of it? is it something some weird guy made up to have fun or does it have to do with the dead? im just curious...

please be specific..

Answer 1

it is from all hallows eve. this is a christian feast before all saints day, nov 1 i'll bet if u did halloween.com u could find out an indepth definition.

Answer 2

The holiday's origins date back to "the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain." Roughly 2,000 years ago, a people known as the Celts lived in the area now divided among three modern-day countries: the United Kingdom, Northern France, and Ireland. The Celts began their new year on November 1, meaning October 31 was their New Year's Eve. According the History Channel, "the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred" that night.
Bonfires and animal sacrifices were common, as were costumes "typically consisting of animal heads and skins." Eventually, the Romans conquered the Celts, and Samhain was combined with other holidays. Later, as Christianity became more powerful, Pope Boniface IV put a new tilt on the event. He designated November 1 "All Saints' Day" -- a day when followers could honor saints and martyrs. This celebration was also called "All-Hallows," and the night before (October 31) was known as "All-Hallows' Eve." Later, it became known as Halloween.
These days, Halloween is mostly known as a day when kids throw dental hygiene out the window and go hog-wild with candy.

Answer 3

"Samhain" is Scottish Gaelic for "summer's end" celebrated on October 31 -- a celebration of the harvest and a time to reflect on new beginnings for the New Year. (The New Year is on November 1. )

This was the biggest festival day and feast of the year for the Scottish.

On this day, the cows were driven down from the high pastures and the hay put in their barns for the winter. The crops had been harvested. Cooking was done all day in preparation for the evening feast. Hearth fires lit. Wreaths were made and decorated with gords and berries.

For the feast, chairs and dinner were put out for all the relatives -- living and dead. After the feast, the villagers gathered on a hillside for a bonfire and fun and games.

The hillsides all around were all lit with bonfires.

Bobbing for apples -- are you going to marry this year.

Throwing nuts into the fire -- if it popped or didn't determined whether you would quarrel with your spouse or not this year.

Gords, such as turnips, were carved with scary faces. The children were told that the souls of the dead would try and follow them home -- you know, "there's a ghost behind that tree and he's gonna get you". So on the way home, the children carried the gords with candles to try and scare the ghosts away.

Pumpkins did not grow in Scotland. After the Scottish emigrated to America, they discovered a bigger, better gord -- the pumpkin.

So today, we still have hay rides, harvest festival and pumpkin carving, bobbing for apples, and telling scary stories.

Answer 4

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred.
Check out The History Channel's website to read more:
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=713&display_order=1&mini_id=1076

Answer 5

Halloween comes from the pre christian pagan religions. Where it was originally called Samhain, (pronounced SOW-in, SAH-vin, or SAM-hayne) means "End of Summer". The dark winter half of the year commences on this day.

It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two "spirit-nights" each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. (The equivelant of heaven)

Originally the "Feast of the Dead" was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the "wandering dead". Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who were lost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos. The Wee Folke (fairies, sprites) became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool the Nature spirits.

This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person's fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.

Answer 6

It comes from the Celts (Irish and Scots). It was the last day of their year. They called it Samhain. The Catholics later adopted it and renamed it Hallowed Evening, or the Eve of All Saints Day. Yes, it does have something to do with the dead: it was the nights that spirits were allowed to return to earth to visit their family and friends. Samhain was also the name of one of their gods, the Lord of the Dead. See the sites below for more info:

Answer 7

If you are Christian, you should always know where Pagan holidays come from. In short, Halloween is a holiday that is in direct opposition to Gods requirements. Halloween is based on Spirits of the dead, magical practices, divination, sorcery. All these things are detestible to your God.

Answer 8

Lots of ppl are answering this question that don't have a clue where Halloween came from.
Halloween is half way in between Winter Solistice and Autumn Equinox. It is a place in time.

Answer 9

What is Halloween really all about?
Have you ever asked yourself, "Who in the world ever thought of the idea of walking around in weird costumes, trick or treating, and/or putting a carved-out pumpkin in your window?"

You will agree with me that Halloween is really one of the strangest days of the year, is it not? Perhaps you wonder how the celebration of such a day ever got started. In this pamphlet I would like to answer this question for you!

Where and when did Halloween customs originate?

The many customs we have today in relation to Halloween have their origins in the religious practices of the Romans and the Druids, therefore dating back many centuries. The Romans worshiped various gods and on October 31, a special feast was held in honor of Pomona, goddess of the fruit trees. Later, the Druids, an ancient order of Celtic priests in Britain, made this feast an even more extensive celebration by also honoring Samhain, lord of the dead. This was normally done on November 1 and it was therefore decided to conveniently honor both Pomona and Samhain on October 31 and November 1.

These Druids believed that on the night before November 1 (October 31) Samhain called together wicked souls or spirits which had been condemned to live in the bodies of animals during the year which had just transpired. Since they were afraid of these spirits, they chose October 31 as a day to sacrifice to their gods, hoping they would protect them. They really believed that on this day they were surrounded by strange spirits, ghosts, witches, fairies, and elves, who came out to hurt them. In addition to this, they also believed that cats were holy animals, as they considered them to represent people who lived formerly, and as punishment for evil deeds were reincarnated as a cat. All this explains why witches, ghosts, and cats are a part of Halloween today.

The custom of trick-or-treating and the use of "jack-o'-lanterns" comes from Ireland. Hundreds of years ago, Irish farmers went from house to house, begging for food, in the name of their ancient gods, to be used at the village Halloween celebration. They would promise good luck to those who gave them good, and made threats to those who refused to give. They simply told the people, "You treat me, or else I will trick you!"

I got this from ask.com

Answer 10

It originates from the Pagan holiday Samhain (pronounced: sow-when).