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Happy All Hallows' Eve (Halloween)!


Happy Halloween and October! All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) is my favorite time of year because of the trees changing colors, the weather cools down, the festivities of the holidays begin and children get to dress up as their favorite characters and collect candy! But do any of you know where Halloween came from and why we celebrate it?

“Halloween can be traced directly back to SAMHAIN, the ancient Celtic harvest festival honoring the Lord of the Dead. Observed on November 1 in the British Isles and parts of what is now France, Samhain also marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year, while Samhain Eve marked the end of the old year. The night was a time of transition between the old and the new, a time when the separation between the world of the living and the world of the dead was very thin. On Samhain Eve the boundary between this world and the netherworld of fairies, gods, spirits, and magic was at its thinnest. As a result, passage between the two dimensions was easier than at any other time. Visitations from the spirits of one's own departed ancestor, divine beings, or demons were believed to be possible- though not desirable.

The Celts believed that the souls of those who had died during the previous year gathered to travel together to the land of the dead. They lit BONFIRES and sacrificed fruits and vegetables, hoping to win the favor of the spirits of the deceased and to avoid their punishments. Sometimes the living disguised themselves in masks and COSTUMES so that the spirits of the dead wouldn't recognize them. Charms, spells, and predictions about the future seemed to carry special weight on the eve of Samhain.

By the fourth century, the Christian church was doing everything it could to stamp out pagan festivals like Samhain, but the Celts wouldn't give up their ancient rituals and symbols. So the Christian church gave them new names and meanings. November 1 became All Saints' Day (All Hallows' Day in England), a celebration of all the Christian saints. The night of October 31 became All Hallows' Eve (later Halloween). But its association with the supernatural persisted.
Halloween came to America with the Irish immigrants of the 1840s. Their folk customs and beliefs merged with existing agricultural traditions. The early American Halloween, therefore, was not only a time to foretell the future and dabble in the occult but to complete certain seasonal tasks associated with the fall harvest. Over the years the holiday's agricultural significance faded, and it became primarily a children's holiday-a time to dress up as the ghosts and GOBLINS their ancestors at one time feared."

There is so much more to learn about Halloween and you can read the full history at the Article. If you need help reigning in the harvest by hiring additional employees, ProRecruiters is here. Contact our office at (918) 551-7767 and one of our associates can assist you. Enjoy your Halloween!


Citations:

For Columbia Encyclopedia:

All Hallow's Eve. (n.d.) The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia®. (2013). Retrieved October 30 2018 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/All+Hallow%27s+Eve

For Holiday Symbols and Customs:

All Hallow's Eve. (n.d.) Holiday Symbols and Customs, 4th ed.. (2009). Retrieved October 30 2018 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/All+Hallow%27s+Eve

For Holidays Dictionary:

All Hallow's Eve. (n.d.) Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, Fourth Edition. (2010). Retrieved October 30 2018 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/All+Hallow%27s+Eve

For Allusions - Thematic Dictionary:

All Hallow's Eve. (n.d.) Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. (2008). Retrieved October 30 2018 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/All+Hallow%27s+Eve

For Collins Discovery Encyclopedia:

All Hallow's Eve. (n.d.) Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition. (2005). Retrieved October 30 2018 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/All+Hallow%27s+Eve

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