Imogene's Imaginings: Keziah Hill

Welcome to my Dark Side DownUnder Blog… I thought I might focus on the history of Halloween, its traditions and origins.

Not being a Halloween celebrator (is that even a real word??) it has been interesting over the last few years to watch as it has evolved (or according to my husband, invade) into contemporary Australian culture – so because there are so many beliefs and myths out there (waves finger into the dim distance…) – I present the History and traditions of Halloween.

The word:

Halloween was first used in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows'-Even ('evening'), that is, the night before All Hallows' Day. Although the phrase All Hallows' is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not seen until 1556. [1]

"Image courtesy of Ponsuwan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net"

The date:

It is generally believed that Halloween (as we know it) celebrated the end of summer – in the traditional celtic sense, this was the 31^st October and heralded the day that cattle were traditionally brought closer to home in preparation for the winter. As they were in tune with the land and the seasons, it makes sense that annual celebrations revolved around the changing seasons.

According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle. [2]

But the history of Halloween, does go further back than according to some historians, who theorise that it could, in fact be linked to the roman festivals of Parentalia (the festivals of the dead), but whatever your beliefs it has commonly come to be associated with Samhain (the pagan/wiccan/celtic day of observance.)

The Catholic Church:

In 601 A.D. Pope Gregory passed an edict requiring that missionaries should find a way to incorporate, or consecrate the item of worship to Christ, thereby encouraging Catholicism in the “pagan masses”. This, as we know, was a very effective measure in growing the membership of the churches and “mainstreaming” the days of observance.

The Mythology:

There are a number of beliefs which can be directly attributed to the pagan history of Halloween. These include:

*The knowledge that the dead rise from their graves and walk among the living;


Image courtesy of Tina Phillips/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*The demons, fairies and other mythological creatures travel abroad on the night; &

*The night when the portal between our world and the Otherworld open to admit demons, fairies and other nasties.

Halloween is still one of the most widely practiced holidays, though. Throughout the world, observances includes:

1. The Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos – Mexico) There appears to be some conflicting reports regarding exactly which festivity was morphed. The Aztecs recognized two gods of death. Mictecacihuatl was the darker of the two. His celebration was traditionally held in the Ninth month (August in our calendar). The other god was kinder and gentler; his celebration coincided more with today's dates. [3]

2. Samhain – Wiccan Practices [4]

Fun activities:

Over the years, part of the evolution of Halloween has included symbols and practices which are commonly associated with this feast.

I won’t go into a lot of detail as I am swiftly running out of space. <g>

*Trick or Treat – this is actually one of the fastest growing traditions, requiring dressing up in costume and visiting house to house. While not a “new tradition” in and of itself, it has morphed to become a fun activity, widely practiced.

*Bonfires – traditionally the practice of lighting bonfires was to keep away the witches/bad spirits etc.

"Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Jack-o-Lanterns – According to The Wisdom of Wicca “early Celts hollowed out appropriate fruits or vegetables as candle holders. These ranged from simple dish-shaped wind protectors to hollowed turnips that were much like a hollow pumpkin. This practice continued through the Middle Ages until lanterns became cheap and readily available.”[5]

*Cauldrons, Black Cats, Scarecrows, Witches – all of these went to the heart of the pagan ritual/belief system. To the believers, this was a feast day that centered around scaring away spirits/evil creatures and celebrating (later) the souls of the saints.

There is a lot of information around, centering on the traditions/ myths/ observances of Halloween, so I have listed a number of sites below for you to visit.

In the end, though, the cultural observance of Halloween is like most other holidays that we observe, in that they are constantly changing and evolving to fit our modern lifestyle.