what is the history of Halloween?

Answer 1

The pagan roots of the holiday go back to the druids of Celtic Europe when it was known as Samhain or Samhuinn, (pronounced Sou’in) the three days of the Celtic new year.

The poor would go from house to house asking for Soul Cakes in payment for praying for the soul of the families dear departed. People did crazy things, men dressed as women, and women as men. Farmers’ gates were unhinged and left in ditches, peoples’ horses were moved to different fields, and children would knock on neighbors’ doors for food and treats in a way that we still find today . . . in the custom of trick-or-treating on Halloween.

The Druids however celebrated differently. Behind this apparent lunacy, lay a deeper meaning. The Druids knew that these three days were the time when the veil between this world and the World of the Ancestors was drawn aside ... and journeys could be made to the ‘other side’. The Druid rites, therefore, were concerned with making contact with the spirits of the departed, who were seen as sources of guidance and inspiration. The druids also practiced ritual sex known as the “Great Rite”, and hollowed out pumpkins and turnips, carving faces in them, and then used candles made from human tallow to illuminate them.

Since the old testament of the Bible, the Torah and the Koran all forbid contacting the dead (necromancy) it is considered sinful. As Christianity replaced pagan worship in Europe, the druidic part of the holiday fell into disuse. The Catholic church adopted November second as All Souls Day and November first as All Hallows (Saints) Day. The evening (eve) of All Hallows became Halloween (a contraction of Hallow eve).

Samhain is still celebrated by modern witches (wicca) as one of the great Wicca sabbats, opposite Beltane in the Wicca Wheel of the Year. Pictures of modern witches casting a circle with burning bonfires and sky clad (naked) priestesses only re-enforce the idea that Halloween is associated with evil rituals.

In the modern celebration of Halloween in the U.S., most people essentially enjoy the aspects of the holiday that derive from the common Celtic origins of Halloween, albeit with a secular mindset. Some die-hoards of Christianity, however, still vehemently oppose the holiday, harking back to the controversies of medieval times. Nonetheless, the holiday celebrated by the great majority of people today is one of our most fun holidays.

Answer 2

HALLOWEEN IS A PAGAN RELIGION THAT DATES BACK TO THE 1300'S. THERE HAS BEEN A DOCUMENTARY ON ALL WEEK ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL. IT OFFICALLY ORGINATED AS A DAY TO CELEBRATE THE DEAD AND SUMMON UP EVIL SPIRITS. CUSTOMES AND CANDY WERE LATER ADDED JUST AS A MEANS TO CORRUPT THE CHILDREN AND GET THEM TO JOIN IN THIS MEANS OF DEVIL WORSHIPPING.

Answer 3

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=255855&rel_no=1

Halloween was originally the Celtic New Year called Samhain but pronounced So-wen. it survived in Ireland longest because the continental Celts and British Celts were pushed out or assimilated by roman and german tribes.

Answer 4

in my culture, we celebrated a day to honor those that have passed on.(the dead)
it was celebrated around this time of year. it was and still is called in, english translation, "the feast of the dead". which followed with the harvest festival. the renewal of the circle of life and thanksgiving for being born unto this earth, all in one.
always give thanks, for we as humans, will never see this world again.
this answer is only one of many.
cheers

Answer 5

Halloween is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and other treats. It is celebrated in parts of the Western world, most commonly in the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and with increasing popularity in Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Philippines. In recent years, Halloween is also celebrated in parts of Western Europe, such as Belgium and France. Halloween originated as a Pagan festival among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain with Irish, Scots, Welsh and other immigrants transporting 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.How IS it going? tell her it is Not a Costume..

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"). The holiday was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1. 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. The festival is also known as Samhain or Oíche Shamhna to the Irish, Calan Gaeaf to the Welsh, Allantide to the Cornish and Hop-tu-Naa to the Manx. Halloween is also called Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca, a mischievous spirit.

Many European cultural traditions hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent (e.g. Catalan mythology about witches, Irish tales of the Sídhe).
History of Halloween, like any other festival's history is inspired through traditions that have transpired through ages from one generation to another. We follow them mostly as did our dads and grandpas. And as this process goes on, much of their originality get distorted with newer additions and alterations. It happens so gradually, spanning over so many ages, that we hardly come to know about these distortions. At one point of time it leaves us puzzled, with its multicolored faces. Digging into its history helps sieve out the facts from the fantasies which caught us unaware. Yet, doubts still lurk deep in our soul, especially when the reality differs from what has taken a deep seated root into our beliefs. The history of Halloween Day, as culled from the net, is being depicted here in this light. This is to help out those who are interested in washing off the superficial hues to reach the core and know things as they truly are. 'Trick or treat' may be an innocent fun to relish on the Halloween Day. But just think about a bunch of frightening fantasies and the scary stories featuring ghosts, witches, monsters, evils, elves and animal sacrifices associated with it. They are no more innocent. Are these stories a myth or there is a blend of some reality? Come and plunge into the halloween history to unfurl yourself the age-old veil of mysticism draped around it.



Behind the name... Halloween, or the Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1. In old English the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians used to observe All Hallows Day to honor all Saints in heaven, known or unknown. They used to consider it with all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the Church year. And Catholics, all and sundry, was obliged to attend Mass. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. The festival was celebrated on February 21, the end of the Roman year. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Gregory III changed the date to November 1. The Greek Orthodox Church observes it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Despite this connection with the Roman Church, the American version of Halloween Day celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow. In Ireland the festival was known as Samhein, or La Samon, the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's Nos Galen-gaeof (that is, the Night of the Winter Calends. According to the Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess).(1) The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Soula. Sam + Fuin = end of summer."(2) Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. Thus most of the customs connected with the Day are remnants of the ancient religious beliefs and rituals, first of the Druids and then transcended amongst the Roman Christians who conquered them.

hope that helps=)

Answer 6

http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=history+of+halloween