Unmasking the haunting history of
Halloween
by Clayton Mercurio
Contrary to some beliefs, Halloween is not a holiday cleverly developed by candy companies. In fact, Halloween is deeply rooted in ancient Druidic demon worship.
Halloween was originally called The Feast of Samhain when it was celebrated by the Celts and their priests, the Druids.
Due to the ending of the harvest season and the approaching darkness of winter, the Celts believed that the veil separating the living from t he dead was at its thinnest on October 31.
Evil spirits and the souls of the dead were believed to revisit earth and possibly torment the living. Crops might be destroyed, babies stolen, and farm animals killed - all results due to the open doorway for the spirits.
It is believed that many pagan cultures left “treats” for these spirits to prevent them from doing any harm.
When Christianity spread through Europe most pagan temples were torn down and their November 1 holiday was merged with All Saints’ Day, also called All Hallows’ Day. The evening before was referred to as All Hallows’ Evening or Halloween.
Most children still continued to practice old Samhain traditions by dressing up as spirits and roaming from house to house for a treat.
If they received none, they performed an unwelcome trick.
Today, shaving cream, toilet paper, and eggs are used in the practice of modern day tricks.
Many symbols are associated with Halloween. The use of a jack-o-lantern started in Europe as a turnip with a candle in it but then migrated to America with the use of a pumpkin.
The scary face of a jack-o-lantern is placed in front of your house to supposedly ward off the evil spirits which arrive on Halloween. Ghosts and witches feared fire, and so the fire within the jack-o-lantern became the best weapon against evil spirits.
The word jack-o-lantern comes from the abbreviation “Jack of the Lantern.” In the Irish tale, a man named Jack played a trick on the Devil. Annoyed, the Devil tossed a burning coal from hell at Jack. Jack used this coal to light his “lantern” and then roamed the earth in search of rest.
The word “witch” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning “wise one.”
It was believed that the use of skulls on Halloween by witches enabled them to better communicate with the dead. It was also believed that cats were the symbols from which witches derived their power to invoke evil spirits.
The Celts were particularly fearful of black cats because they believed that these cats were originally humans who had been transformed by evil powers.
Witch-hunting during Halloween became regular during the colonial period in America.
Bobbing for apples is popular at Halloween parties. It was a means of divination among the Druids. Since apples are a symbol of love, the process of ducking for an apple was a process of selecting a lover.
Halloween is a holiday with a dark history clouded by modern day fan fare.
So now when you celebrate Halloween remember that it was not always just fun and games.