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Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back
thousands of years. The holiday we know as Halloween has had many
influences from many cultures over the centuries. From the Roman's
Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, to the Christian
holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.
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Hundreds of years ago in what is now Great Britain and Northern
France, lived the Celts. The Celts worshipped nature and had many
gods, with the sun god as their favorite. It was "he" who commanded
their work and their rest times, and who made the earth
beautiful and the crops grow.
The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was
celebrated every year with a festival and marked the end
of the "season of the sun" and the beginning of
"the season of darkness and cold."
The Celts believed, that during the winter, the sun god was taken
prisoner by Samhain, the Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness.
On the eve before their new year (October 31), it was believed that
Samhain called together all the dead people. The dead would take
different forms, with the bad spirits taking the form of animals.
The most evil taking the form of cats.
On October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for
the long winter the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished.
The Druids, the Celtic priests, would meet in the hilltop in the dark
oak forest (oak trees were considered sacred). The Druids would
light new fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they
danced around the the fires, the season of the sun passed
and the season of darkness would begin.
When the morning arrived the Druids would give an ember from their
fires to each family who would then take them home to start new
cooking fires. These fires would keep the homes warm and
free from evil spirits.
The November 1st festival was named after Samhain and honored
both the sun god and Samhain. The festival would last for 3 days.
Many people would parade in costumes made from the skins and heads
of their animals. This festival would become the first Halloween.
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During the first century the Romans invaded Britain. They brought
with them many of their festivals and customs. One of these was the
festival know as Pomona Day, named for their goddess of fruits and
gardens. It was also celebrated around the 1st of November. After
hundreds of years of Roman rule the customs of the Celtic's Samhain
festival and the Roman Pomona Day mixed,
becoming 1 major fall holiday.
The next influence came with the spread of the new Christian religion
throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the Roman
Catholic Church would make November 1st a church holiday to honor
all the saints. This day was called All Saint's Day, or Hallowmas, or
All Hallows. Years later the Church would make November 2nd a holy
day. It was called All Souls Day and was to honor the dead. It was
celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people dressing up
as saints, angels and devils.
But the spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early
customs. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to
celebrate the festival of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years
the customs from all these holidays mixed. October 31st became
known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow's Eve,
Hallowe'en, and then - Halloween.
The Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences,
Pomona Day's apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain's
black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons
and skulls from All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day.
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