Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back thousands of years, and what we know as Halloween has had many influences from various cultures over the centuries. From the Roman's "Pomona Day," to the Celtic "Festival of Samhain," to the Christian holidays of "All Saints" and "All Souls Days."
Hundreds of years ago, the Celtics worshipped nature and had many gods, including the Sun God. It was the Sun God who made the earth beautiful and the crops flourish. The Celtics celebrated their New Year on November 1st. Every year, it was celebrated with a festival that marked the end of the "season of the sun" and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold." They believed that during the winter, the sun god was taken prisoner by Samhain, the Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness.
On October 31st, the eve of their new year, it was believed that Samhain called together the dead. The dead would taking the form of animals, with the most evil animal being that of the cat.
On October 31st, after the crops were all harvested and stored for the long winter, the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished. The Druids (Celtic priests) would meet in the hilltop in the dark oak forest. They would light new fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the fires, the "season of the sun" passed and the "season of darkness" would begin.
The next morning, the Druids would give an ember from the fires to each family. Each family would then take the burning ember home to start new cooking fires. These new fires would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits.
The November 1st festival was named after Samhain, and honored both the Sun God and Samhain. It would last for 3 days, and included a parade in which the Celtic people would wear costumes made from the pelts and heads of their animals. This festival would go on to become the first Halloween.
The Romans invaded Britain during the first century, bringing many of their festivals and customs with them. One such festival was known as "Pomona Day." It was named for their goddess of fruits and gardens, and was also celebrated at the start of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule, the Celtic customary "Samhain Festival" and the Roman "Pomona Day" mixed to become one major fall holiday.
The spread of the new Christian religion throughout Europe and Britain brought further influence on the Fall celebrations. In the year 835AD, the Roman Catholic Church made November 1st a church holiday to honor all the saints. They came to call it "All Saint's Day," "Hallowmas," and "All Hallows." They would later go on to make November 2nd their holy day, calling it "All Souls Day" and it served to honor the dead. Celebrations included bonfires, parades, and people dressing up as saints, angels and evil spirits.
The Christian holiday, however, did not make people forget their earlier customs. On the eve of All Hallows (October 31st) people continued to celebrate the "Festival of Samhain" and "Pomona Day." Over the years the customs from all these holidays mixed, and October 31st became "All Hallow Even," then "All Hallow's Eve," "Hallowe'en," and finally "Halloween."
The Halloween celebrated today includes all of the influences that we've mentioned. Pomona Day's apples, nuts, and harvest; the Festival of Samhain's cats, magic, and evil spirits; and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day. Happy Halloween!
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