The sun is setting. Night falls and a chill hangs in the air as the
moon begins to rise.....
The fallen leaves swirl up and turn through the air as the wind scatters
them where they may fall. The very sweet night air is charged with an
energy of its own......
It's Halloween...
But just where did Halloween come from? Well, some believe it all began
with the Druids....
The Druids were an order of priests in ancient France and Britain. They
were known as doers of magic and even devil worship. They had two Gods:
The Celtic sun god and the Lord of the dead. They held a festival to
celebrate the ""Summer's End"" on October the 31st. It was named 'Samhain'.
(Saman of Samhain was the pagan lord of the dead among the Druids.)
In parts of Ireland today October 31 is still known as OIDHCH SHAMHNA,
‘Vigil of Saman'.
The word Halloween is derived from the term "All Hallows Eve" which
occurred on Oct. 31, the end of summer in Northwestern Europe.
"All Saints Day," or "All Hallows Day" was the next Day, Nov. 1st.
Therefore, Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day.
It is of interest that November 1 was the first day of the Druidic New Year.
This made the evening before very special.
It was believed that on THIS night the veil between the worlds of
the dead and the living was so thin that the dead could come out of their
graves and walk among the living. The druid priests taught the people to
offer up sacrifices to the walking dead and have special feasts for them.
If they did not do this then the priests told them that when they died,
they would be reincarnated as animals instead of people.
Since in ancient times, the days were customarily reckoned as beginning
at sunset, Halloween was merely the evening celebration in anticipation
of the great day of November 1, dedicated to the lord of the dead!
Soon Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve, or Hallows’ Evening), originally a pagan
festival, became the outstanding Christian event held every autumn.
The Druids believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches,
and elves came out to harm people. They sought to soothe these creatures
with offerings of food.
Animals were feared on that night also. Dogs, owls, snakes, and pigs were
particularly worshipped in fear on that night. But the cat was regarded
with a special veneration. The Druid priests taught that cats..black cats
were sacred. Perhaps this is why STILL today, we think of cats as evil and
witches familiars.
These Celtic priests also taught the people that witches ride on brooms
through the skies on that night, and fling down curses on those who do
not honor the dead by taking part in the ritual ceremonies of that night.
Soon people began to dress up in ''costumes'' and wander the streets in
hopes of frightening off the dead seeking to inhabit their bodies. Interesting
that gradually we have adopted these customs and without further thought
as to where -or why- they came about, we don hideous apparrel and wander
about in the night playing tricks on those who are not mindfull and gathering
up treats from all those who will take part.....
It is also a common belief that on This night, magic reaches its most potent
stages. Spells for the casting......dreams for the weaving......
And so....Halloween.
Are You Afraid Of The Dark??
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