Samhain - the origin of Halloween October 31st
This is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Samhain is Irish-Gaelic for 'the Summer's end', and is pronounced 'sow-in'. Samhain represented the death of the summer sun god, Lugh.
This festival celebrates Nature's cycle of death and renewal, a time when the Celts acknowledged the beginning and ending of all things in life and nature. Samhain marked the end of harvest and the beginning of the New Celtic Year.
Samhain is one of the four Celtic fire festivals marking the quarter points in the year - feasts were held and bonfires were lit throughout the countryside.
The bonfires were to warm friendly spirits and ward off evil spirits, and also represented the sun which they wished would return, bringing heat and growth.
It was custom to give an ember from the fires to attending families, who would then take it home to start a new cooking fire. These fires were believed to keep the homes happy and free from any lost evil spirits.
The name 'bonfire' is believed to be derived from the custom of burning the bones of the cattle which were slaughtered at this time - a 'bone fire'.
The celtic people dressed in scary costumes to frighten the evil spirits. They dressed as witches, ghost, skeletons. They also played games to bring good luck in the new year. The Celts believed that on the night of October31, ghosts came out of their tombs. The spirits of the dead returned to earth. The Celtic religion went on for a long time in Ireland and Scotland. Halloween continued to be important in both places.
After the Roman invasion in 43 AD, Samhain also became a harvest festival called Pomona. Pomona was the roman goddess of gardens and orchards. Nuts, fruits and apples were part of the Samhain ceremonies. Apples were sacred and lucky. The colours of Halloween are orange and black. They represent the harvest ( orange) and death (black). After the Roman invasion, Christian rites substituted pagan rites.
In the 19th century, Irish immigrants brought their Halloween customs and traditions to The United States. Gradually Halloween became a secular observance ( In Scotland young people met to play games to find out which of them would marry during that year. In The USA young children go from house to house demanding "Trick or treat"...)
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be afraid, be very afraid.
And stay away from that side road in Bickley you sometimes drive down. Will be full of ghosts, werewolves etc tonight
; - )