Where did "Halloween" or more accurately "Samhain" originate?

Answer 1

Halloween, or Hallowe'en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, Halloween festivals, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and viewing horror films. Halloween originated from the Pagan festival Samhain, celebrated among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is now celebrated in several parts of the western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.

The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day",[1] also which is now known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,[2] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

Many European cultural traditions, in particular Celtic cultures, 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 (according to, for example, Catalan mythology about witches and Irish tales of the Sídhe).

In other terms, the original Samhain was originally "celebrated" (and I use the term loosely) was the second week of May, before the Catholic Church altered it into a "Pagan" Holiday and moved it to the last moon in the fall of harvest season. I don't think too many people would give you candy on the night of May 12th, however.

Answer 2

Those are two different questions. Halloween is a Christian holiday, Samhain is a pagan holiday.

Samhain (pronounced Sow-wen) is Gaelic for Summer's End. It was the final harvest of the Summer. It was not only the turning of Summer to Winter (the ancient Celts did not recognize autumn), but it was also the new year. At this time during the year it was believed that the veil between worlds was thinnest and the dead could return. Families would often leave a "dumb supper" out for a deceased loved one who may return. Lanterns carved from turnips lit the way to show the dead how to come home. It was not a fearful time (as some would have you believe).

This was also a time when the first animals were slaughtered for food for the winter.

Halloween is a holiday invented by the church to cover up Samhain (which was NEVER celebrated in May). The church didn't like pagan festivals, but could not get rid of them (Christmas itself was originally a pagan holiday), so they often covered them up.

On the day after Samhain, they set up All Saint's Day to account for the evil wickedness of Samhain. They changed its name to Halloween, or All Hallows Eve. Hallow means holy, so it was the eve of a holy day, All Saint's Day.

Answer 3

Samhain is actually from the Old Irish word (samain), which is the word in the Gaelic language(s) for the month of November. The Scottish Gaelic spelled it Samhainn or Samhuinn which translates to "for the feast", or slight variations is "for the month". Samhain was/is a celebration of the end of the harvest season but Halloween is the beginning of the dark, cold winter or "New beginning of the year" in ancient culture.

NOW the ancient Celtic calender used the exact same word for a month in there calendar, Specificly the first three nights of this exact month, the festival marking the end of the Harvest as well as the Summers. Later on the tradition was adopted and changed a bit and became the Catholic celebration of All Saints day also called All Souls Day, the changed to All Halo's Day to the short version of Halloween which was/is also believed by the Celts as a time of year often associated with human death. The belief was that on the night before the new year, the border between the world of the living and the realm of the dead became blurred and that on this specific night the night of October 31st, it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In and causing trouble by way of damaging the crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids,( or Celtic priests if you wold rather,) 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. SO to commemorate the event, Celts/Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the deities and ghosts.

Now during these celebrations costumes were worn such as animal heads and skins, and they attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they would RE LITE their fires meaning there fires at there homes, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
Now trick or treat and Jack o Lantern's are a spin off of this dealing with trapped souls and it you treat me I won't trick you but thats not the actually historical back ground behind Halloween/Samhain. Hope it helps.

Answer 4

Usually pronounced Sow'ain, Samhain is the most important Sabbat of the Witches calender. It marks the beginning and end of the Wheel of the Year, like New Years is to conventional calenders. Samhain starts and soon as it's dark and the rituals peak at Midnight. It marks the point where winter is on it's way, which is probably why it's sometimes linked to death. It is also one of the intercalary days of the old Celtic calender a day apart from the normal year and when the veil between the living and dead is at it's fullest. Some people find it is the best time to summon spirits, but as a young Witch I personally don't agree with that. Anyway, I think that just about covers it. Oh yes, there will be some answers with fire festivals in it, while that is true and Samhain is the major Sabbat. Beltane is the major fire Sabbat. But Candles do play a major part in the celebration of Samhain.

Answer 5

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 6

From Wikipedia:

The modern holiday of Halloween has its origins in the ancient Gaelic festival known as Samhain . The Festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is erroneously regarded as 'The Celtic New Year'. Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The Ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, where the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them. When the Romans occupied Celtic territory, several Roman traditions were also incorporated into the festivals. Feralia, a day celebrated in late October by the Romans for the passing of the dead as well as a festival which celebrated the Roman Goddess Pomona, the goddess of fruit were incorporated into the celebrations. The symbol of Pomona was an apple, which is a proposed origin for the tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

Answer 7

The feast of Samhain (pronounced Sau-win), was the festival of the Celtic peoples of Ireland,(and earlier in prehistory, the British Isles, and western Europe). Samhain was the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year. On the night of Samhain, the threshold between this world and the otherwolrd was at its lowest, so the souls of those dead could cross most easily. Feasts and offerings were set out for departed relatives and friends. It was not the happy-go-lucky festival we have of Halloween today but more of a solemn and holy festival day.

Answer 8

About 2,000 years ago in the area of the world that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, lived a group of people called the Celts. The Celts' lives revolved around growing their food, and considered the end of the year to be the end of the harvest season. So, they celebrated new year's eve each year on October 31st with a festival called "Samhain," named after their Lord of the Dead (also known as the Lord of Darkness). Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in') was presided over by Celtic priests called Druids.

Back then, winter was the time of year associated with human death. The Celts believed that on the night that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred allowing ghosts of the dead to return to earth. Celts thought that the presence of the ghosts made it easier for the Druids, their priests, to predict the future. These predictions were an important source of comfort and direction for the Celts during their long, dark, frightening winters.

To celebrate Samhain, the Druids built huge sacred bonfires around which the Celts gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to their ancient gods. During the celebration, the Celts dressed up in costumes consisting of animal heads and skins and tried to tell each other's fortunes.

The Celts eventually were conquered by the Romans, and by about the year 43 AD two Roman festivals were combined with the Celtic Samhain festival. The first Roman festival 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 practiced today on Halloween.

By 800 AD, the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st as All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. The combined and updated 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.

Answer 9

Halloween was originated by the Celts over 2,000 years ago...and was originally called Samhain (pronounced sow-in) because that was the Celt's word for November, and November 1st their New Year. The day marked the end of their harvest and the beginning of winter. Since the cold weather was associated with death, the Celts believed that the day before their New Year (October 31), spirits could return to earth, and would cause mischief, destroying crops.
Druids built bonfires and sacrifices were made to please the spirits so they won't cause mischief (which is where we get the idea of trick-or-treating).

the celebration was later influenced by the Christians All Saints Day...and the day before was called All-hallows eve, or Halloween

Answer 10

I don't know about "more accurately" but Halloween is named after All Hallows Evening, the eve of All Saints Day - November 1. It wouldn't surprise me to find that All Saints Day as created to counter a pagan celebration between mid summer and mid winter.
Yup, as this says http://www.paganspath.com/magik/samhain-history.htm
But designating the 1st of November as the end of summer as this site does seems to fly in the face of the latitude of the Celts where summer ends long before this time. For example, the temp in Paris is 39-59 over the next 10 days.