2006-10-30 23:06:07 · 7 answers · asked by st31873 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Halloween
The term Halloween, and its older spelling Hallowe'en, is shortened from All-hallows-eve, 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 seldom used today, it is still a well-accepted label
2006-10-30 23:08:38 · answer #1 · answered by penny_172 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'Hallow' means worship, reverence, or glory. The word 'halo' comes from this; it's what a saint has in old pictures.
Saints ('the hallowed') are awarded a day in the calendar, when their own topics and populations should be specially remembered in prayers and charitable work.
(each saint is usually 'patron' to several different social issues or trades)
When the Romans (having officially adopted Christianity as the state religion) wanted to 'christianise' a local festival, they usually dedicated it to the christian saint whose work most closely matched the existing pagan theme of the festival.
For SAMHAIN, this was a bit of a problem, because the event was traditionally a time for everybody's revered ancestors to visit them and advise on the future etc.
The Romans wanted to demonise the pagan practice, and make their own version seem better. So they invented the idea that the 'revered ancestors' were actually malevolent, and that their advice would be evil trickery, designed to make the mortals aware of how stupid they were compared to spirits who could see all sorts of dimensions.
So they made the day after Samhain into the day of All Hallows, when prayers to the saints would ensure that the ancestors all returned to the other side and people forgot about their advice.
(the usage of 'eve' and 'morning' have changed: eve meant yesterday, and 'evening' was the process of today becoming yesterday; morrow and morrowning worked the same way)
The traditions of comical scary-masks and of appeasing visiting tricksters with sweets are probably much later references to the night (the eve of all hallows day) when 'good roman christians' would sit indoors telling each other mocking stories about the dreadful pagans doing their unspeakable unearthly activities outside.
2006-10-30 23:50:09 · answer #2 · answered by Fitology 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Doesn - if you mean doesn't, well it doesn't mean a lot of things, such as cakes, tights, salmon, giraffes.
Lol, sorry only joking.
I think it comes from the olde worlde All Hallows Eve, which somehow over the years turned into Halloween.
2006-10-30 23:09:52 · answer #3 · answered by Liggy Lee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Halloween is another name for All Hallows Eve, which basically means the devil is supposed to have free reign tonight. And also, the first of Novermber (the day after Halloween) is known as All Souls Day, which is the day that some religions believe all souls in purgatory get released into Heaven. Hope this helps!
2006-10-30 23:10:22 · answer #4 · answered by spun_up_06 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Boo!
All hallow's evening. This is a Christian appropriation of a pagan holiday. On this night, we dance with our dark side and celebrate this aspect of ourselves we fear and usually keep so hidden.
Get down with your bad self.
2006-10-30 23:08:01 · answer #5 · answered by joju 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The word itself originated for the Catholic chuch which means "All saints day" , which is nov 11, but the celtics stole it and made it OCT 31
2006-10-30 23:39:17 · answer #6 · answered by Pook 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All Hallows Eve. The eve when all spirits come back to earth supposedly.
2006-10-30 23:18:59 · answer #7 · answered by London Girl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋