Why do you think there is halloween?

Answer 1

Halloween is not a Christian event. All Saints or All hallows is the Christianised version in response to one comment. Halloween was a pagan ritual celebrated to ward of evil spirits. Hence they would use lanterns to warn of evil spirits. The main one soon got the name of jack o' lanterns for this reason. They were said to destroy the crops and bring bad fortune. Apple boobing also came into it as a part of fortune telling. Which is why as a Christian I don't celebrate Halloween or let my kids either.

Answer 2

As some of the others said, it's the ancient festival of Samhain, the Celtic new year.

But more importantly, this pagan holiday serves a very important and healthy psychological function. It's the holiday that acknowledges the death aspect of the life cycle (all pagan holidays celebrate some aspect of the life cycle), and invites people to 'walk around in its shoes' so to speak. By dressing up as symbols of the things we fear, and by allowing ourselves to be frightened (as in haunted houses), we acknowledge and embrace our fears and therefore, gain a better understanding of them.

This brings our fear into light and removes its power to make us afraid. So you see, it helps us process the fear and change it into something manageable. The holiday also celebrates the hope of an afterlife, so it's not just about fear either. This is why it's so fun and exciting, and good to participate in. We will get nowhere with our fears if we always run from them. We will do much better to understand that fears can be endured and survived, and changed.

Answer 3

Samhain 31st October/Halloween

Pronounced [sow-ain], Samhain is the most important festival of the witch’s year, it is the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. At this time, the Goddess takes her role as crone or wise woman, and now we look to her for guidance. On this night, the wise woman bestows her wisdom in many forms - for example in divination methods such as tarot cards, runes, dark mirrors and other forms of scrying.

Samhain is the only one of the eight Sabbats that deals with death, and in history, this would have been a time for people to let their loved ones go, to finish jobs, pay debts and start to get everything ready for the winter months ahead. So now is a good time to put aside any differences you may have with someone, ready to move into the New Year.

We remember loved ones who have passed, and we place an extra setting at the dinner table to honour them. A time to remember, and also a time to look to the future. Known to the rest of the world as Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, this is a truly magical time

Answer 4

Halloween

Halloween (hăl"uwēn', häl"–) [key], Oct. 31, the eve of All Saints' Day, observed with traditional games and customs. The word comes from medieval England's All Hallows' eve (Old Eng. hallow=“saint”). However, many of these customs predate Christianity, going back to Celtic practices associated with Nov. 1, which was Samhain (sä'win) [key], the beginning of winter and the Celtic new year. Witches and other evil spirits were believed to roam the earth on this evening, playing tricks on human beings to mark the season of diminishing sunlight. Bonfires were lit, offerings were made of dainty foods and sweets, and people would disguise themselves as one of the roaming spirits, to avoid demonic persecution. Survivals of these early practices can be found in countries of Celtic influence today, such as the United States where children go from door to door in costumes demanding “trick or treat.”

Answer 5

It's the ancient festival of Samhain which is like New Year to pagans. As with many pagan festivals it was 'hi-jacked' by Christians and became 'All hallows even' the day before All Hallows Day or All Saints Day.

Answer 6

The pagan origins of Halloween are so palpable that there is little wonder the holiday has generated considerable controversy over the centuries. Falling on October 31, Halloween history tells us that this celebration is only the herald of the holiday that medieval Christian Europeans were intended to celebrate -- All Saints' Day, November 1.

And thus the story behind the term itself, which is short for "the eve before All Hallows' Day," the latter referring to the fact that saints of Christianity were "hallowed" individuals. It is thought that the Church decided All Saints' Day should fall on November 1 to make it coincide with its precursor, a Celtic festival of the harvest. By "overwriting" the pagan origins of Halloween, perhaps the new religion could steal some thunder from the lingering Celtic influence in Europe.

But if this was the Church's intention, the strategy backfired to some degree. Drawing on Celtic traditions, people evinced much more interest in honoring dead ancestors than in honoring dead Christian saints. To curb this un-Christian tendency, the Church instituted another holiday to promote Christianity -- All Souls' Day, November 2. On All Souls' Day the people were encouraged to pray for the souls in purgatory.

All Saints' Day was instituted as a holiday in the year A.D. 609 (initially celebrated in May, it was moved to the November 1 date in A.D. 834). Prior to that, a study of the pagan origins of Halloween reveals that the Celts had celebrated "Samhain" at this time of year. The Celts inhabited large portions of Western Europe throughout ancient times. They are perhaps most widely recognized for having been the people Julius Caesar fought in what is now France in his famous Gallic Wars (58-50 B.C.).

Despite this ancient French connection, it is only very recently that France has begun to write any pages for itself in Halloween history. But now the French do celebrate the spooky holiday, replete with the delights derived from dressing up in scary or bizarre costumes. About's French Language Guide, Laura K. Lawless, informs us about the Halloween history in France.

In the modern celebration of Halloween in the U.S., most people essentially enjoy the aspects of the holiday that derive from pagan origins of Halloween, albeit with a secular mindset. Some die-hards 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. It has nothing to do with nationhood and has lost its religious signifance for most people. We celebrate it simply because it is enjoyable to do so. Modern Halloween history has become remarkably tame, belying its controversial history.

For lovers of fall foliage and the bounty of the garden harvest, decorating the yard during this season holds an earthy pleasure that no other holiday can match. And in northern climes it is the last holiday of the year graced by live plants in the garden.

Among the various objets d'art that grace people's yards, patios and porches, are outdoor Halloween decorations your favorite? They are mine, and I suspect many gardeners feel the same way. Simply put, outdoor Halloween decorations are less a celebration of the holiday, per se, than of the harvest. Of course, the fact that this holiday is approached with such a fun-loving spirit, as discussed on Page 1, also plays a role in the quality of outdoor Halloween decorations. People let their hair down in decorating for All Hallows' Eve, which seems to stimulate impulses to creative landscaping.

For those who live in northern climes, displays of outdoor Halloween decorations celebrate both the culmination of the garden's spring-through-summer strivings and its last hurrah.

It is a bittersweet time, but also the only time in which we may enjoy the best of both worlds outdoors: namely, the products of the harvest, as well as gardens that are still thriving. Not to mention the fall foliage, which is Mother Nature's contribution to outdoor Halloween decorations.

Answer 7

It is the Christianised festival of Samhain, Summers End or the Day of the Dead - the ancient Celtic new year festival.

Answer 8

other than christican past, i think everyone has something dark about them, and everyone likes things "scary" sometimes. all in good fun, and it's a huge money-maker too!

Answer 9

Well, there doesn't have to be one, but it sure wouldn't be any fun without Samhain!

Answer 10

It makes my birthday all the more special!