Origin of Halloween, Samhain, All Saints Eve, All Hallows E'en - BOO!

This modern day haunting tradition began over 2000 yrs ago. While there are various discussions as to whom actually started the "Hallows E'en" or Samhain tradition, its origins are pre-Christian in nature. Today, Halloween is celebrated by cultures all over the world, although the actual day may not necessarily be October 31st.

Hallows E'en or Samhain is often associated with witches, bats, ghosts and ghouls, as well as evil, the devil, and the occult. Have you ever wondered why? Some believe it is the one time of the year when the spiritual world can make contact with living beings (get out your Ouija board), and magick is at its highest.

Ancient Celts believed the bright half of the year ended around November 1st, and referred to the day as Samhain, meaning "end of summer". Fall, as we know it today, was non-existent, so the next day was considered the first day of winter, which was also associated with death. As the days got shorter, and the earth became cold and barren, the window between the living and the spirit world was opened. It was believed that an opening into burial mounds existed at the time between October 31st and November 2nd. This is the time of the little sun; the part of the year that is ruled by the moons. Death was not feared, as it is today, but it was important to die with honor. If one died with honor, there was the promise of living on this world through our ancestors at the Feast of the Dead. This was also a time of harvest and festivals. Food and entertainment were provided in honor of dead relatives. This was the time of Celtic Druid fire festivals. During the celebrations, the Celts wore costumes, generally consisting of animal heads or skins, and attempted to tell each others fortunes. Another version tells of the 'ghosts' of ancestors being pranksters to the farmers. The living, going with the pranks, would dress as opposites, i.e. men as women and women as men. Children would rap on the doors of neighbors asking for food or snacks.

The Celts, like many cultures, started every day at sunset of the night before. Samhain became the evening of "All Hallows Eve" which was eventually changed to Hallows E'en, to today's version of Halloween. November 1st started as "All Hallows Day" to later become "All Saints Day" and November 2nd was "All Souls Day". Faeries were also imagined to be very active at this season. Storytelling by the fires of the hearth were very common, as there was not much else to do at this "time of the little sun".

This holiday was also connected to the Roman Church, which celebrated with the Festival of Feralia, a festival to honor the dead. The dead were honored, but not for their death, but as living spirits of loved ones and guardians who held the root of wisdom for the family. Many of today's traditions of celebrating Halloween are adopted from Samhain, the Celtic Druid fire festival.

This time of year is the closing of harvest and the initiation of the winter season; a time for celebrations, festivals, bonfires, feasting, honoring our dead, and convening with the spirits of our departed loved ones. The Mexican culture probably retains the most original of celebrations with its Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Dead. Halloween should not be thought of as a morbid occasion, but one in which our dead are celebrated for how they lived; a time of remembrance with celebration.