More than 2,000 years ago, ancient Celts paid homage to
spirits of the dead in a celebration they called Samhain. It was a somber pagan
ritual that began their new year on the current date of November 1st. That
celebration evolved into what we call Halloween.
The Celts used the start of November to mark the end of
harvest season and the beginning of winter. They believed the transition
between the seasons provided an open door between the worlds of the living and
the dead. That opening allowed fearful creatures among the dead access to the
population. The Celts devised rituals that would protect them from evil
spirits. Samhain, the night of the dead, was their yearly defense from an
invasion of ghosts and evil spirits that wanted to steal harvested crops and
personal property from the Celts.
The night before Samhain eventually became known as All
Hallows’ Eve. That’s when the people would dress in costumes that were designed
to be gruesome and frightful. By disguising themselves, the Celts hoped to fool
the nighttime visitors from stealing from them. They left food, drink and sweet
treats on their doorsteps the night before and through Samhain to help appease
the evil spirits to not ruin their crops. That led to our tradition of giving
candy to children who come to our doors on Halloween.
Celtic societies populated the European areas we know as
Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France from 300 B.C. until 600
A.D. They lived in the midst of the Iron
Age in Medieval Europe with an agrarian culture that depended on their skills
in planting crops for existence. The fear of crop failures was what motivated
the Celts to cater to their superstitions of ghosts invading their society.
The ritual of celebrating the dead became an important
Christian celebration called All Saints Day.
In the 8th Century, Pope Gregory III made November 1st the official day
of celebrating the lives of canonized saints in the Catholic Church. The Samhain
celebration informally designated All Hallows Eve on October 31st, giving
people an excuse to party the night before a day of prayer.
Today we give candy and treats to children dressed in
Halloween costumes. Without realizing it, we are celebrating a pagan tradition.
Kids come to the door on Halloween and threaten a trick or treat. Through this
ritual, the children represent visitors from the dead who demand a treat or
they will inflict mischief against the homeowner.
According to the Nielsen Research Company, Americans buy 90 million pounds of chocolate candy yearly during Halloween week. That’s more chocolate than the amounts bought during the weeks of both Easter and Valentine’s Day. Hard candy purchases more than double the amount of chocolate bought for Halloween.
The amazing amount of candy bought in the United States to
give away on October 31st is motivated from pagan superstitions of an extinct
society from 2,000 years ago. When trick-or-treaters come to our doors asking
for candy, we don’t consciously make the connection that the treats we give
them are meant to appease them from inflicting terrible harm to us.
Thanks for reading this blog. Come back to this space at the
end of the month to enjoy reading another interesting subject. See my website
at www.joevlatino.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment