Have you ever heard of Halloween and wondered what it was all about?
Halloween is celebrated each year on the evening of 31 October - the
day preceding the Christian feast of All Saints Day (also known as Hallowmas or
Allhallows)
It is the day when dead spirits are said to come back to life
This belief in reawakened spirits dates back more than 2,000 years to the time of the
Druids
Druidism was a religious faith (200 BC - 200 AD)
Druids believed in the immortality of the soul,
which at death was believed to pass into the body of a new-born child
Druids also believed that they were descended from a supreme being
Druids were versed in astrology, magic, and the mysterious powers of
plants and animals
They held oak trees and mistletoe in great reverence, and usually
conducted their rituals in oak forests
Druids believed that on 31 October, Saman (the Lord of the Dead) called up evil spirits
Only great fires could keep evil spirits away
When the Romans invaded Britain, they added features of the Roman Harvest Festival (held
on November 1) to the Druid rituals of Halloween
The Roman Harvest Festival was held in honour of "Pomona" the goddess of the
fruits of trees
In the UK and the USA, links to this festival can still be seen in the game of
"bobbing for apples." Apples are placed in a tub of water and contestants have
to try to catch the apples using only their mouths. A variation of this game is to tie an
apple on to a piece of string and to dangle it from the branch of a tree - the contestants
have to eat the apple without using their hands. Try it at home - it is a lot of fun!
A popular custom on Halloween is to gouge out the insides of a pumpkin, carve a face on
the outside, and place a lighted candle in the middle. This is also meant to ward off evil
spirits
Children in the UK (and especially the USA/Canada) play "Trick or Treat" on
Halloween. They dress as witches, ghosts, or spirits and go from house-to-house asking the
question "Trick or Treat?" Usually the people in the houses give the children
small sweets or fruit as "Treats." If they refuse to give the children any small
gifts, the children play "Tricks" on people in the house
Halloween