2006-10-26 17:26:41 · 6 answers · asked by irishdrgnflyrn 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Halloween
Bluff Michael is correct about the pagan new year, the night where the veil between our world and the spirit world is thin and the pumkins used to frighten away bad spririts. But Samhain was also a harvest celebration, a time of giving thanks for the bounty. Food and cakes were offered as thanks to ensure good harvests in the future. This is where the offerings of candy are derived from. The candy also is a parallel to the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead. On this day when the Spirits can walk in our world Mexican families have a picnic in the cemetary and leave offerings of food for their departed loved ones. Our american Halloween draws on elements from several other cultures. We should notice that thanks for a good harvest, celebrating a new year, and honoring departed loved ones are in no way evil. I believe the only reason Christianity choose to depict Halloween as an evil holiday is that in prechristian pagan times when they recognized buy god and goddess archetypes, Samhain marked the time of year when the goddess took over for the god, who retreated into the underworld to rest and renew his vigor for the next spring.
2006-10-26 18:13:22 · answer #1 · answered by strgoddss 3 · 19⤊ 4⤋
A Celtic tradition observing the night between the old year and the new, belonging to neither. On that night, beings from the spirit world can roam freely in ours, so we put lanterns with scary faces on them to frighten off the spirits.
The custom of going door to door may have been an old American Thanksgiving custom that was absorbed by Halloween.
2006-10-27 00:38:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Halloween originated in Ireland. It is a Celtic tradition.
2006-10-27 00:46:57 · answer #3 · answered by Karla R 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year
2006-10-27 00:29:48 · answer #4 · answered by FallenAngel 2 · 3⤊ 3⤋
It was an old pagan holiday.
Central to Eastern Europe.
2006-10-27 00:27:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
good question
I think the fruitation really happpend here in the US though.
2006-10-27 00:34:24 · answer #6 · answered by Labatt113 4 · 0⤊ 8⤋