True History of Halloween

Many people ask the question, "How did Halloween Start?"The history of Halloween dates back to ancient pagan days. Later it was absorbed by the Christians as festivities to mark the hallowed eve of All Souls day. The facts about Halloween point to its Gaelic origins that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter.

The Halloween myths and legends are twisted around tales of horror and the dividing line between the living and the dead.

The origin of Halloween is said to be in Ireland. It was the Irish migrants immigrating to the New World that took with them the tradition of celebrating Halloween. Today it has spread to Europe and Australia with gusto. Halloween is connected with pumpkins and scarecrows.

The traditional colors of the festival are black and orange. The combination of amber and jet is said to spark of magical vibrations. Black is associated with cats, witches roaming around at night, vampires with their bats – all being associated with fear and eerie ghostly silence. Orange is connected with pumpkins being carved into Jack O’Lanterns, brown autumnal leaves and the fire of sunset.

The history of Halloween goes back to the festival of Samhain of the Celts. They lived in the region covering Ireland, United Kingdom and northern France about 2,000 years ago. They observed New Year on 1st November. The day marked summer’s end coinciding with the close of the harvesting season. It also heralded the cold dark days of winter – a time that reminds one of death when Nature goes into hibernation.

According to pagan belief the last day of the year is the time that marks out the fine line between life and death. The boundaries break down and the dead visit the land of the living. The ghosts come to trouble earth by destroying crops and harming humans. However the ghosts made it easier for the Druid priests to predict the future.

In those days people were totally at the mercy of Nature and to them it was some comfort to appease the nether powers and avoid danger. To celebrate the day, the Celts or the Druids, shut down the fires in their hearths at their homes and built huge fires that were considered sacred. Here they symbolically sacrificed what they loved most – their animals and crops to pacify the demons and their gods.

The history of Halloween tells us that the pagans wore costumes that looked like either the animals or demons. At the close of festivities they relit the fires of their hearths with sparks taken from the central bonfire to keep them warm and safe during winter.

When the Romans conquered the Celts they ruled for four hundred years and mixed with their own festivals that of the Druid celebrations of Samhain. The Romans celebrated the passing of their dead ancestors in late October and also the festival honouring Pomona their goddess of trees and fruits. Her symbol is the apple and this has led to the bobbing apple tradition during Halloween festivities of today.

The Roman civilization was followed by the advancement of Christianity into the Celtic lands. Pope Boniface IV announced 1st November to be observed as All Saints Day in honour of all the saints and martyrs. The night before this was the hallowed eve of Halloween.

Whatever the origin and history of Halloween in the hoary past, today the ghosts and angels mixed together in a festival marking the dead peeping into the land of the living. It is a grand time for a fun-punch mixed with fear of the unknown and unseen.

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