The History of All Hallow's Eve (course number 1313)

[twinflower]

Welcome to History 1313!  This is where we will be talking about the beginnings and and origins of Halloween!

 

Now here's a question..Is Halloween an American thing?  Where did this celebration originate from?  Do other countries celebrate with the festivities America does or something different?  Is there a reason that has been lost for this night of festivity and frolic?

 

The answer is YES!  Our special Professor for this course will be Lady Ursula, with Twinnie assisting her! 

 

Other countries do celebrate the Halloween holiday..but not as Americans do and for different reasons.  Thier celebrations usually focus on the dead..celebrating them or helping them to move on, such as in China:

 

In China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of photographs of family members who have departed while bonfires and lanterns are lit in order to light the paths of the spirits as they travel the earth on Halloween night. Worshippers in Buddhist temples fashion "boats of the law" from paper, some of which are very large, which are then burned in the evening hours. The purpose of this custom is twofold: as a remembrance of the dead and in order to free the spirits of the "pretas" in order that they might ascend to heaven. "Pretas" are the spirits of those who died as a result of an accident or drowning and whose bodies were consequently never buried. The presence of "pretas" among the living is thought by the Chinese to be dangerous. Under the guidance of Buddhist temples, societies are formed to carry out ceremonies for the "pretas," which includes the lighting of lanterns. Monks are invited to recite sacred verses and offerings of fruit are presented.

 

In Japan the focus is on ancestors:

 

The Japanese celebrate the "Obon Festival" (also known as "Matsuri" or "Urabon") which is similar to Halloween festivities in that it is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors. Special foods are prepared and bright red lanterns are hung everywhere. Candles are lit and placed into lanterns which are then set afloat on rivers and seas. During the "Obon Festival," a fire is lit every night in order to show the ancestors where their families might be found. "Obon" is one of the two main occasions during the Japanese year when the dead are believed to return to their birthplaces. Memorial stones are cleaned and community dances performed. The "Obon Festival" takes place during July or August.

 

Spain,Mexico and the Latin American countries have a three day festival!

 

Among Spanish-speaking nations, Halloween is known as "El Dia de los Muertos." It is a joyous and happy holiday...a time to remember friends and family who have died. Officially commemorated on November 2 (All Souls' Day), the three-day celebration actually begins on the evening of October 31. Designed to honor the dead who are believed to return to their homes on Halloween, many families construct an altar in their home and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, fresh water and samples of the deceased's favorite foods and drinks. Frequently, a basin and towel are left out in order that the spirit can wash prior to indulging in the feast. Candles and incense are burned to help the departed find his or her way home. Relatives also tidy the gravesites of deceased family members, including snipping weeds, making repairs and painting. The grave is then adorned with flowers, wreaths or paper streamers. Often, a live person is placed inside a coffin which is then paraded through the streets while vendors toss fruit, flowers and candies into the casket. On November 2, relatives gather at the gravesite to picnic and reminisce. Some of these gatherings may even include tequila and a mariachi band although American Halloween customs are gradually taking over this celebration. In Mexico during the Autumn, countless numbers of Monarch butterflies return to the shelter of Mexico's oyamel fir trees. It was the belief of the Aztecs that these butterflies bore the spirits of dead ancestors.

 

But it is when we travel to Ireland that we start to see the similarities to our more well known Halloween traditions that have survived into this day and age!

 

In Ireland, believed to be the birthplace of Halloween, the tradition is still celebrated as much as it is in the United States. In rural areas, bonfires are lit as they were in the days of the Celts and children dress up in costumes to spend the evening "trick-or-treating" in their neighborhoods. After the visiting, most people attend parties with neighbors and friends. At these parties, many games are played, including "snap-apple," in which an apple on a string is tied to a doorframe or tree, and players attempt to take a bite out of the suspended apple. In addition to bobbing for apples, parents often arrange treasure hunts with sweets or pastries as the "treasure." The Irish also play a card game where cards are laid face-down on a table with sweets or coins beneath them. When a child selects a card, he or she receives whatever prize might be found there. A traditional food is eaten on Halloween called "barnbrack." This is a type of fruitcake which can be baked at home or store-bought. A muslin-wrapped treat is baked inside the cake which, so it is said, can foretell the future of the one who finds it. If the prize is a ring, then that person will soon be wed and a piece of straw means a prosperous year is forthcoming. Children are also known to play tricks upon their neighbors on Halloween night. One of which is known as "knock-a-dolly," where children knock on the doors of their neighbors but then run away before the door is opened.

 

One of the reasons Ireland is also considered the birthplace of Halloween, is that it was the home of the Celtic Pagans.  Samhien, (pronounced Sow-en) was and is today one of thier major festivals.  It was from this original celebration that Halloween as we know it began...although as we know it has lost much of the meaning and significance that the Pagan Festival was about.

 

So...are there practicing Pagans in todays society?  Just what is a Pagan?  Just what was the Samhien Festival about anyway?  Does anyone know? 

 

*grins*   Jump on in here with any thoughts you have or knowledge!!  Take a guess..but here is a hint...think about the changing of the seasons at this time of year!!! :D

[UrsulaLV]

A Few words from your resident Pagan -

 

Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow’s Eve. Hallow E’en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane’s dark twin…A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A “spirit night”, as they say in Wales.

 

All Hallow’s Eve is the eve of All Hallow’s Day (November 1). And for once, even popular tradition remembers that the eve is more important than the day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October 31, beginning at sundown. And this seems only fitting for the great Celtic New Year’s festival. Not that the holiday was Celtic only…But the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the British Isles.

 

The Celts called it Samhain, which means “summer’s end”, according to their ancient twofold division of the year, when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter ran from Samhain to Beltane…According to the later fourfold division of the year, Samhain is seen as “autumn’s end” and the beginning of winter. Samhain is pronounced (depending on where you’re from) as “sow-in” (in Ireland), or “sow-een” (in Wales), or “sav-en” (in Scotland), or (inevitably) “sam-hane” (in the U.S., where we don’t speak Gaelic).

Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Celtic New Year’s Eve, when the new year begins with the onset of the dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins at sundown.

 

from All Hallow's Eve by Mike Nichols Copyright © 2005 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/

[UrsulaLV]

The Dead, Divination and Samhain - the Veil between the Worlds

 

There are many representations of Celtic Gods with two faces, and it surely must have been one of them who held sway over Samhain. Like his Roman counterpart Janus, he would straddle the threshold, one face turned toward the past, in commemoration of those who died during the last year, and one face gazing hopefully toward the future, mystic eyes attempting to pierce the veil and divine what the coming year holds. These two themes, celebrating the dead and divining the future, are inexorably intertwined in Samhain, as they are likely to be in any New Year’s celebration.

 

As a feast of the dead, this was the one night when the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan…Extra places were set at the table and food set out for any who had died that year…As a feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for peering into the future…The reason for this has to do with the Celtic view of time. ..The ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical. And in this framework, New Year’s Eve represents a point outside of time, when the natural order of the universe dissolves back into primordial chaos, preparatory to reestablishing itself in a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time and, hence, it may be used to view any other point in time. At no other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading, or tealeaf reading so likely to succeed.

 

from All Hallow's Eve by Mike Nichols Copyright © 2005 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/

[UrsulaLV]

Jack-o-Lanterns on Halloween E'en

 

Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the jack-o’- lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household. (The American pumpkin seems to have forever superseded the European gourd as the jack-o’- lantern of choice.)

 

Bobbing for apples may well represent the remnants of a Pagan “baptism” rite called a seining, according to some writers. The water-filled tub is a latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice’s head is immersed. The fact that the participant in this folk game was usually blindfolded with hands tied behind the back also puts one in mind of a traditional Craft initiation ceremony.

 

from All Hallow's Eve by Mike Nichols Copyright © 2005 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/

 

 

[UrsulaLV]

Telling your future husband -

 

There are so many types of divination that are traditional to Hallowstide, it is possible to mention only a few.

 

Girls were told to place hazelnuts along the front of the firegrate, each one to symbolize one of her suitors. She could then divine her future husband by chanting, “If you love me, pop and fly; if you hate me, burn and die.”

 

Several methods used the apple, that most popular of Halloween fruits. You should slice an apple through the equator (to reveal the five-pointed star within) and then eat it by candlelight before a mirror. Your future spouse will then appear over your shoulder. Or, peel an apple, making sure the fpeeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, “I pare this apple round and round again; / My sweetheart’s name to flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken paring o’er my head, / My sweetheart’s letter on the ground to read.”

 

Or, you might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of your hearth. The considerate little creature will then spell out the initial letter as it moves.

 

from All Hallow's Eve by Mike Nichols Copyright © 2005 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/

[UrsulaLV]

To Witches, Halloween is one of the four High Holidays, or Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter days. Because it is the most important holiday of the year, it is sometimes called “The Great Sabbat”. It is an ironic fact that the newer, self-created covens tend to use the older name of the holiday, Samhain, which they have discovered through modern research. While the older hereditary and traditional covens often use the newer name, Halloween, which has been handed down through oral tradition within their coven. (This often holds true for the names of the other holidays, as well. One may often get an indication of a coven’s antiquity by noting what names it uses for the holidays.)

 

With such an important holiday, Witches often hold two distinct celebrations. First, a large Halloween party for non- Craft friends, often held on the previous weekend. And second, a coven ritual held on Halloween night itself, late enough so as not to be interrupted by trick-or-treaters. If the rituals are performed properly, there is often the feeling of invisible friends taking part in the rites.

 

Another date that may be utilized in planning celebrations is the actual cross-quarter day, or Old Halloween, or Halloween O.S. (Old Style). This occurs when the sun has reached fifteen degrees Scorpio, an astrological “power point” symbolized by the Eagle. The celebration would begin at sunset. Interestingly, this date (Old Halloween) was also appropriated by the church as the holiday of Martinmas.

 

Of all the Witchcraft holidays, Halloween is the only one that still boasts anything near to popular celebration. Even though it is typically relegated to children (and the young-atheart) and observed as an evening affair only, many of its traditions are firmly rooted in Paganism. ...Nonetheless, it seems only right that there should be one night of the year when our minds are turned toward thoughts of the supernatural. A night when both Pagans and non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the Otherworld and its inhabitants. And if you are one of them, may all your jack-o’-lanterns burn bright on this All Hallow’s Eve.

 

from All Hallow's Eve by Mike Nichols Copyright © 2005 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/

[UrsulaLV]

I, personally, mark the turning of the year with remembrance and thankfulness for the past, and looking toward the spring.  What has gone before shapes and strengthens us, and prepares us for the future. 

 

I look to the Earth and Sky, and I try to stand bare-foot, on the earth, with my hair loose, to feel the magic that comes from them.  I would pour a little libation on the ground and say thank you for my blessings.

 

Yeah, sounds a little goofy.  Think about any other religious practice.  This is nuttin' compared to some.

 

 

[twinflower]

Thank you Ursula!!!  That is just an awesome teaching for us!!!  I'm glad we have you to share this with us!!

 

*grins*  as for the sounding goofy..not at all.  Paganism is an Earth faith..very connected to nature and the elements.  The ritual you describes is in perfect keeping with thier practices!

 

Most faiths have ritual's that are practiced and from the outside looking in..do seem goofy!  But that usually stems from ignorance!  That's why learning such as you have shared is wonderful..helps us to see the beauty of the ritual!!!

 

If anyone has questions..please post them.  Ursula I'm sure will be happy to answer or try to answer!

 

I actually have one as well...wasn't the Samhien a celebration of the harvest as well?  Wrapped up in the changing of the long days to the long nights?  Of light to dark? 

[U4ea]

I'm curious about something not quite Halloween related, but still sorta Halloween related. What is it about Salem that draws so many witches? I know the history of the town, but aside from the irony of 5% of the country's witches living in a place where 19 people who weren't witches were executed for being one... what's the draw?

 

I watched a documentary on Salem and the Hathorne curse the other day, can you tell? lol

[UrsulaLV]

Lor, the Salem thing is because of the history of the place.  The witches there were attracted to the area, sort of like a monument.  The Salem Trials fall at the end of what we call the Burning Times.  Most of Europe has sites that saw the burning and torture of women accused of being witches, but America has very few, so it kind of makes sense that Salem attracts people for the event. 

 

Most people who move there for that reason are like Catholics that move to Lourdes, or Rome, or somewhere very associated with their religion.  I'm not sure I would want to live somewhere that soaked in sadness, if nothing else. 

[UrsulaLV]

Samhain marks the end of the harvest.  The end of the Summer, and Light, for the year.  It marks the beginning of Winter, and Dark for the other half of the year.  If you think about it, Harvest starts in July or August, so the end of October is about right.

 

Wait till April.  :) Beltain is May 1st. 

[Blackrose]

very interesting read M'Ladys

[U4ea]

*nudges this thread with her hip and winks*

 

Happy Halloween, ya'll! I say we make this thread a tradition. *grins*

[Samuraiflip05]

Hmmm, lots of info there....good stuff too....can't find any questions at the moment.  ;)

[Mayleigh Aes Sedai]

relly interesting ladies! althought i all ready knew most of the irish stuff!!

 

we still use some of the festival namesfor name of our months!

January

Mí Eanair

 

February

Mí Feabhra

 

March

Mí Márta

 

April

Mí Aibreán

 

May

Mí Bealtaine

 

June

Mí Meitheamh

 

July

Mí Iúil

 

August

Mí Lúnasa

 

September

Mí Meán Fomhair

 

October

Mí Deireadh Fomhair

 

November

Mí na Samhna

 

December

Mí na Nollag

 

 

[KellySedai]

Wow, that is a lot of stuff I didn't know about Halloween.  Its my favorite holiday, so thank you for all of that.  ;D

 

 

[twinflower]

oh lor!  I'm so glad you bumped this!!  *hugs and grins*  I loved are Halloween celebration of Kin U last year and learning!!

 

Ursula I hope you can add some our knowledge this year as well!

 

I would like to add this bit of knowledge..well sort of..

 

Most Christian celebrations and festivals are born from the Pagan festivals and celebrations...mutated and warped to fit into the theology of Christianinty not as an insult..in fact most Christians today have no idea of the relation thier Religious festivals have to the Pagan faith...go figure.

 

But when the early Christians were "forcing" or changing the faith of the people..they tried to find some comman grounds that would appeal to the new converts...

 

One of those is Halloween...in Chrisitanity..All Saints Eve.  It is the night of celebrating all the Saints in heaven and those who have died.  Usually on the Sunday closest to October 31st a congregation celebrates and remembers all the members of thier congregation that have died in the previous year.  Usually lighting a candle or a ring of the church bell for each one....

[UrsulaLV]

November 1st is All Saints' Day, the official observance day for any saint that did not have a feast day when it was established, a few hundred years ago.

 

November 2nd is All Souls' Day, to commemorate those who have died.  It is also Dia De Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. 

 

I'll stick with my holiday, though.  Easier on my old knees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Taei]

History

 

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain).[1] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes [2] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[3] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.[4][5]

 

History of name

 

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Even (both "even" and "eve" are abbreviations of "evening", but "Halloween" gets its "n" from "even") as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day",[6] which is now also known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,[3] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

 

 

All Saints Day was originally All Hallows' Day. Something that is hallow is considered holy and sacred.

 

Hallow is a word usually used as a verb, meaning "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate".[1] The adjective form hallowed, as used in The Lord's Prayer, means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallow

[Taei]

United States and Canada

 

History

 

Halloween did not become a holiday in the United States until the 19th century, where lingering Puritan tradition restricted the observance of many holidays. American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries do not include Halloween in their lists of holidays.[29] The transatlantic migration of nearly two million Irish following the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849) finally brought the holiday to the United States. Scottish emigration, primarily to Canada before 1870 and to the United States thereafter, brought the Scottish version of the holiday to each country. The main event for children of modern Halloween in the United States and Canada is trick-or-treating, in which children disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling "trick or treat!" to solicit a gift of candy or similar items.[30]

 

Scottish-American and Irish-American societies held dinners and balls that celebrated their heritages, with perhaps a recitation of Robert Burns' poem "Halloween" or a telling of Irish legends, much as Columbus Day celebrations were more about Italian-American heritage than Columbus per se. Home parties centred on children's activities, such as apple bobbing, and various divination games often concerning future romance. Not surprisingly, pranks and mischief were common as well.

 

At the turn of the 20th century, Halloween had turned into a night of vandalism, with destruction of property and cruelty to animals and people.[31] Around 1912, the Boy Scouts, Boys Clubs and other neighborhood organizations came together to encourage a safe celebration that would end the destruction that had become so common on this night.[32] School posters during this time called for a "Sane Halloween." Children began to go door to door, receiving treats, rather than playing tricks on their neighbors. This helped to reduce the mischief, and by the 1930s, "beggar's nights" had become very popular. Trick-or-treating became widespread by the end of the 1930s.

 

Traditions

 

The commercialization of Halloween in the United States did not start until the 20th century, beginning perhaps with Halloween postcards (featuring hundreds of designs) which were most popular between 1905 and 1915.[33] Dennison Manufacturing Company, which published its first Hallowe'en catalog in 1909, and the Beistle Company were pioneers in commercially made Halloween decorations, particularly die-cut paper items.[34][35] German manufacturers specialised in Halloween figurines that were exported to the United States in the period between the two world wars.

 

There is little primary documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween in the United States or elsewhere, before 1900.[36] Mass-produced Halloween costumes did not appear in stores until the 1930s, and trick-or-treating did not become a fixture of the holiday until the 1950s.

 

In the 1990s, many manufacturers began producing a larger variety of Halloween yard decorations; before this a majority of decorations were homemade. Some of the most popular yard decorations are jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, orange string lights, inflatable decorations (such as spiders, pumpkins, mummies and vampires), and animatronic window and door decorations. Other popular decorations are foam tombstones and gargoyles.

 

Halloween is now the United States' second most popular holiday (after Christmas) for decorating; the sale of candy and costumes are also extremely common during the holiday, which is marketed to children and adults alike. According to the National Retail Federation, the most popular Halloween costume themes for adults are, in order: witch, pirate, vampire, cat and clown.[37] Each year, popular costumes are dictated by various current events and pop culture icons.On many college campuses, Halloween is a major celebration, with the Friday and Saturday nearest October 31 hosting many costume parties.

 

The National Confectioners Association reported in 2005 that 80 percent of American adults planned to give out candy to trick-or-treaters,[38] and that 93 percent of children planned to go trick-or-treating.[39]

 

Madison, Wisconsin, home of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, hosts one of the more infamous annual Halloween celebrations. Due to the large influx of out-of-towners crowding the State Street area, riots have broken out in recent years, resulting in the use mounted police and tear gas to disperse the crowds.[40]

 

Anoka, Minnesota, the self-proclaimed "Halloween Capital of the World", celebrates the holiday with a large civic parade and several other city-wide events. Salem, Massachusetts, also has laid claim to the "Halloween Capital" title, while trying to dissociate itself from its history of persecuting witchcraft. At the same time, however, the city does see a great deal of tourism surrounding the Salem witch trials, especially around Halloween. In the 1990s, the city added an official "Haunted Happenings" celebration to the October tourist season.. Nearby Keene, New Hampshire, hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest each October which previously held the record for having the greatest number of lit jack-o'-lanterns at once. (Boston, Massachusetts holds the record as of October 2006). In Atlanta, Georgia, the Little Five Points neighborhood hosts the Little Five Points Halloween Parade on the weekend before October 31st each year.

 

Rutland, Vermont has hosted the annual Rutland Halloween Parade since 1960. Tom Fagan, a local comic book fan, is credited with having a hand in the parade's early development and superhero theme. In the early 1970s, the Rutland Halloween Parade achieved a degree of fame when it was used as the setting of a number of superhero comic books, including Batman #237, Justice League of America #103, Amazing Adventures #16 and The Mighty Thor #207.

Ubu Apocalypse, a presentation of over-sized papier-mâché masks at the Village Halloween Parade in New York City.

 

New York City hosts the United States' largest Halloween celebration, known as The Village Halloween Parade. Started by Greenwich Village mask maker Ralph Lee in 1973, the evening parade now attracts over two million spectators and participants, as well as roughly four million television viewers annually. It is the largest participatory parade in the country if not the world, encouraging spectators to march in the parade as well.

 

Barbara Ehrenreich, in her book on collective joy mentions this as an example of how Halloween is transitioning from a children's holiday to an adult holiday and compares it to Mardi Gras.

 

In many towns and cities, trick-or-treaters are welcomed by lit porch lights and jack-o'-lanterns. In some large and/or crime ridden areas, however, trick-or-treating is discouraged, or refocused to staged trick-or-treating events within nearby shopping malls, in order to prevent potential acts of violence against trick-or-treaters. Even where crime is not an issue, many American towns have designated specific hours for trick-or-treating, e.g., 5-7 pm or 5-8 pm, to discourage late-night trick-or-treating.

 

Those living in the country may hold Halloween parties, often with bonfires, with the celebrants passing between them. The parties usually involve traditional games (like snipe hunting, bobbing for apples, or searching for candy in a similar manner to Easter egg hunting), haunted hayrides (often accompanied by scary stories, and costumed people hiding in the dark to jump out and scare the riders), and treats (usually a bag of candy and/or homemade treats). Scary movies may also be viewed. Normally, the children are picked up by their parents at predetermined times. However, it is not uncommon for such parties to include sleepovers.

 

Trick-or-treating may often end by early evening, but the nightlife thrives in many urban areas. Halloween costume parties provide an opportunity for adults to gather and socialize. Urban bars are frequented by people wearing Halloween masks and risqué costumes. Many bars and restaurants hold costume contests to attract customers to their establishments. Haunted houses are also popular in some areas.

 

In Western Canada, fireworks displays and a civic bonfire are part of the festivities.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#United_States_and_Canada

[Taei]

Religious perspectives

 

    Main articles: All Saints and Samhain

 

In North America, Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints Day,[45][46] while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a day of remembrance and prayers for unity.[47] Celtic Christians may have Samhain services that focus on the cultural aspects of the holiday, in the belief that many ancient Celtic customs are "compatible with the new Christian religion. Christianity embraced the Celtic notions of family, community, the bond among all people, and respect for the dead. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry (hodgepodge) of celebrations from October 31 through November 5, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery."[48]

 

Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, treating it as a purely secular holiday devoted to celebrating “imaginary spooks” and handing out candy. Halloween celebrations are common among Roman Catholic parochial schools throughout North America and in Ireland. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church sees Halloween as having a Christian connection.[49] Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, has said, "f English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that."[50] Most Christians hold the view that the tradition is far from being "satanic" in origin or practice and that it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners' heritage.[48] Other Christians, primarily of the Evangelical and Fundamentalist variety, are concerned about Halloween, and reject the holiday because they believe it trivializes (and celebrates) “the occult” and what they perceive as evil.[51] A response among some fundamentalists in recent years has been the use of Hell houses or themed pamphlets (such as those of Jack T. Chick) which attempt to make use of Halloween as an opportunity for evangelism.[52] Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith[53] due to its origin as a Pagan "festival of the dead." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday.[52]

 

Some Wiccans feel that the tradition is offensive to "real witches" for promoting stereotypical caricatures of "wicked witches".

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#Religious_perspectives

[Taei]

All Saints' Day (also called All Hallows or Hallowmas[1]), often shortened to All Saints, is a feast celebrated on November 1 in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. In terms of Roman Catholic theology, the feast commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in heaven, while the next day, All Souls' Day, commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven.

 

History

 

In the early Church, Christians would celebrate the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ (known as the saint's "birth day") by serving an All-Night Vigil, and then celebrating the Eucharist over their tomb or the shrine at their place of martyrdom. In the fourth century, neighbouring dioceses began to transfer relics, and to celebrate the feast days of specific martyrs in common. Frequently, a number of Christians would suffer martyrdom on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration. In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all.

 

A commemoration of "All Martyrs" began to be celebrated as early as the year 270, although no specific month or date is mentioned in existing records.[2] The first trace of a general celebration on a specific day is attested in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost.[3] There is mention of a common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373), and the custom is also referred to in the 74th Homily of St. John Chrysostom (†407), who speaks of a "feast of martyrs of the whole world."[4] As early as 411, there is found among the Chaldean Christians a general commemoration of all Confessors (Commemoratio Confessorum), celebrated on the Friday after Easter.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints