My OperaHappy Halloween!
Saturday, October 31, 2009 9:58:46 AM
Today is Halloween. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.
A History Lesson, as a Pagan, I feel I should educate.
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.
I hate Wiki's but here is one on Samhain if you want to know more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Take time to remember the ones that have passed on in your life and how they influenced your life. Honor them, and never forget them.
A History Lesson, as a Pagan, I feel I should educate.
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.
I hate Wiki's but here is one on Samhain if you want to know more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Take time to remember the ones that have passed on in your life and how they influenced your life. Honor them, and never forget them.
