With all of the excitement of the holiday season and the new traditions that have made their way into contemporary culture, it can be difficult to remember the origin of these holidays and the point of the traditional traditions. All too often, Halloween is associated with costumes and candy but, in its early days, the point of Halloween held great point throughout Scotland, Ireland and Britain. Sadly, over time, these traditions have been forgotten.
Halloween verily started out as Samhain, a ceremony celebrated among Celts and their ancestors. It also marked the end of the winter solstice as well as a victorious harvest. According to the tradition, this was the one night a year when spirits were free to walk the earth. Origin suggests that the Celtic families would hide in their homes in fear of these spirits or arrival into contact with them.
Halloween Costumes
Many symbols that are used today, such as the jack-o-lantern, originated from this ceremony. The jack-o-lanterns originated from an Irish folktale, Stingy Jack, a greedy alcoholic who tricked the devil into climbing a tree and then trapped him by carving a easy cross into the trunk. The devil cursed Jack and he was forced to walk the earth for all eternity.
The ceremony of Samhain, was followed by All Hallows Eve, celebrated on November first. The souls would once again be banished and no longer free to roam the earth. Although many of the traditions have been lost over time, the origins of Halloween and the beliefs which were practiced at this time help contemporary celebrations with their own symbols.
The actual origins of Halloween and the meaning of symbols that characterized this day have been forgotten, even by historians. The true meaning of the celebration has been replaced somewhat by what Hollywood thinks it should mean. However, in contemporary Celtic Ireland, Samhain is still celebrated as the serious holiday it is and as a time to pray for relatives' safe entry into heaven.
The True Meaning Behind Halloween
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