The Origins Of Halloween
The light is getting colder - winter bright, and the shadows are growing longer once more. As we move into the autumn fall we get closer to Halloween. Yeah, it's a fair way off but it is on its way.So, if you are here at Halloween Monster Party, then it's likely that you are a big fan of monsters and Halloween. We all enjoy the holiday, but where did it originate?
Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived over 2,000 years ago in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated the New Year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and crops and the beginning of the cold dark winter, a time of year that was often associated with death.
Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived over 2,000 years ago in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated the New Year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and crops and the beginning of the cold dark winter, a time of year that was often associated with death.During the celebration, the Celts wore ritualistic costumes, consisting of animal heads and skins. 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 43 A.D. The Romans had conquered Celtic Britain. In the course of the four hundred years of Roman occupation, 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 honour the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, Pomona. The symbol of Pomona was the apple, and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably began the tradition of 'bobbing' for apples that is a stock Halloween tradition in the modern age.By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic Britain. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV (in an attempt to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday) designated November 1 All Saints' Day; a time to honour Christian Martyrs and Saints. 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.
It is believed that British and Irish immigrants took these traditions to the new world, and thus Halloween has spread as a holiday and festival.
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