POST#39: HALLOWEEN!!!!

Hello, fellow zombies! So, Halloween is near, and EVERYONE is putting up creepy Halloween decorations, Halloween wreaths on their doors and probably buying candy, treat bags, costumes and party planning for Halloween. Well, today I bought my costume, when did you buy your costume? So, want to know how Halloween started? Well, here you got some information! It's origin is from 16th century Scotland. Though the origin of the word Halloween is Christian, the holiday is commonly thought to have pagan roots. Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the fruit called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which comes from the Old Irish for "summer's end". Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx) calendar. Samhain is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and many important events in Irish mythology happen or begin on Samhain. Held on or about 31 October–1 November, it marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the 'darker half' of the year. This was a time for stock-taking and preparing for the cold winter ahead; cattle were brought back down from the summer pastures and livestock were slaughtered. In much of the Gaelic world, bonfires were lit and there were rituals involving them. Some of these rituals hint that they may once have involved human sacrifice. Samhain was seen as a time when the 'door' to the Otherworld opened enough for the souls of the dead, and other beings such as fairies, to come into our world. The souls of the dead were said to revisit their homes on Samhain. Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them. It has thus been likened to a festival of the dead. Lewis Spence described it as a "feast of the dead" and "festival of the fairies". People took steps to protect themselves from harmful spirits, which is thought to have led to the custom of guising. Divination games or rituals were also done at Samhain. Kindred festivals were held at the same time of year in other Celtic lands; for example the Byronthic Calan Gaeaf (in Wales), Kalan Gwav (in Cornwall) and Kalan Goañv (in Brittany).

The origins of Halloween are impressive, eh?

Happy (early) Halloween!

Maria.