Origin of Halloween

Origins of Halloween

The Paleopagan Druids or the Pagans are known to have celebrated four major festivals—Samhain, Oimelc, Beltane & Lughnasadh. The tradition for the calculation of these festivals was to use the civil calendar days or eves of November 1st, February 1st, May 1st and August 1st, respectively. Samhain means ‘sown-in’ or ‘end of summer’ and known as Lá Samhna in Irish and the beginning of a new harvest year. November 1 also meant the beginning of winters. As winters were severe and harsh, it also meant a fatal season and the Celts often linked it with human death. It was a belief that on October 31, the boundary that separated the physical or alive from the dead receded on this day.

Samhain was the beginning of the Winter, also known as the Dark Half of the Year owing to early sunset and long nights. Being a day at the edge of summers and beginning of winters, it was considered a supernatural time period. It was a common belief that the dead walked amongst the living, lifting the unknown future, resulting into prophecies and predictions for the future. The Celtic priests who carried out the rituals in open air were called Druids, who were members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul. They generally performed their rituals by offering sacrifices, animal and sometime human, though the human sacrifices were execution of criminals, thief’s etc.

There are different mythological events related to the day leading to some magical occurrences. It was on a Samhain that the Nemedians captured the Tower of Glass that was constructed by the cruel Formorians. On Samhian, it was believed that the cover between this world and ancestral world fell apart. There were traditions for knowledgeable men to safely make it to the other side. The customs involved communicating with the spirits of the departed. It was a positive ritual where elders were always honoured and seen as the source of wisdom and guidance. It was a dark phase as the moon could not be seen in the sky and it became easier to travel to other worlds.

With the occult of Christianity, the festival was christened as Hallowe’en, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The origin of the festival hence has very deep Pagan roots. We can clearly see that Halloween was linked with Celtic Gods and Goddesses and with the worship of the Ancestors. It is believed that in the Old Norse religion, at the same time of the year, during an event known as álfablót (elven blot) some sacrifices were made to the elves as they were believed to be connected to ancestors.

The rites, rituals and customs followed in every Celtic region are different. A few common customs can be associated like bonfire, fortification of limits that ensure that wandering spirits do not cross over and create trouble for the social life. The Samhian festival in old times also marked a sombre and careful beginning of winters, as preserved food was needed to last through the severe winter season.