Halloween Question!!!?

Question

Do you consider halloween a real holiday???
Explain please!

Answer 1

Yes, I do. People celebrate it, so it's a holiday.

Answer 2

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

Answer 3

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

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. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

Answer 4

It's a great time for the kids, but I don't really consider it a holiday.
(Heck, I still have to work. My kids still have to go to school!)

My wife is from Mexico. They take it much more seriously as a holiday there than we do in the United States.

They call it "Dia de los muertos" or "Day of the Dead".
They celebrate their deceased ancestors on this day.

Answer 5

Yes, I am Catholic, and it is the eve of all saints day, or, All Hallowed's Eve. It is a very important time to remember all the great people before us that serve God, the ones that were martyred for His name, the scholars, the evangelists, the missionaries....

Sometimes it is a tall order to be exactly like Christ, and the saints are people that we can aspire to be like, first, to become closer to Christ. They are reminders of the love that God has put in the world. And on this holiday, we celebrate them - kinda like a big birthday party!

Answer 6

I don't consider Halloween a holiday simply because nobody gets this day off! I don't know why nobody does ...

Answer 7

For me yes.

I celebrate it as close to the celtic paganreligion as best i can. day of relfection and to honor those loved ones that have passed.

A time where i can ask those who have passed questions through various meduims like dowsing, or tarot. It's a celebration that the whole family can take part in.

For my 5 year old how ever , it's the only day of the year he can get 3lbs of sweets and not pay for it lol.

Answer 8

A holiday is defined as "A day free from work that one may spend at leisure, especially a day on which custom or the law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event"

So no, it isn;t a real holiday!

Answer 9

yes i do. even though it is just a day to party for a reason. it is also a religious holiday and has a long history like every other holiday

Answer 10

for my house its just a fun "holiday" but not real like Thanksgiving or Christmas