Halloween History & giveaway
Did you ever wonder why we celebrate Halloween?
Origins
The origins of Halloween were in the Celtic fire festival Samhain (SAH-win) marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, typically celebrated from sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st. It was believed that the veil between our world and the otherworld was thin during this time, allowing ghosts, gods and spirits could pass into our world
Large bonfires were lit on hilltops to ward off evil spirits and villagers would walk their cattle between bonfires to protect them. Modern day Wiccans and pagans still light bonfires today.
Many of the pagan traditions became blended with Christian traditions in the 8th century. The church made November 1st All Saint’s Day, or All Hallow’s Day. “Hallow” is an old English word for “saint.” Over time, October 31st became known as All Hallows’ Eve, then got shortened to “Halloween”.
Fortune telling
Fortune telling was rampant on this night. In Scotland they made a type of sweet bread, called barmbrack, with items baked inside that told different fortunes.
- If your slice held a coin, you’d be rich,
- A ring, you’d be married soon,
- but if you got a thimble, you’d die a spinster.
Trick or Treat
Groups of people, often children, would go door-to-door in costume to disguise themselves from roaming spirits and offer to pray for the dead in exchange for food, called ‘soul cakes’. These practices were considered a precursor to modern trick-or-treating.
Jack-o’-lanterns
The modern jack-o’-lantern is linked to an Irish legend about Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil and was denied entry to both heaven and hell. Given a burning coal by the Devil, Jack placed it in a carved turnip, creating the first “jack-o’-lantern.” This tradition was shared with Scotland and when Celtic immigrants arrived in America, they found pumpkins easier to carve than turnips, leading to the jack-o’-lanterns we know today.
Transforming Research into Writing
Many of the things I learned about Samhain ended up in my historical/fantasy fiction, To Rescue a Witch. If you click on the link you can enter to win a copy of my book!
eBook & Paperback Sweepstakes!
(2) Winners of eBook “Gift Baskets” of ALL ebooks
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Happy Halloween!
Lisa 😉
Copyright (c) Lisa Traugott 2024. All rights reserved.