Originally, a pagan festival of the dead, which has survived to
the present in popular culture as Halloween, a night of trick-or-treating by
children and others dressed in costumes of fantasy and the supernatural. All
Hallows Eve is observed the night of October 31, followed on November 1 by All
Hallows Day, also called All Hallowmas, All Saints' Day and All Soul's Day. The
ancient Celts called the festival Samhain (pronounced sow' an) and observed it
to celebrate the onset of winter and the beginning of the Celtic New Year;
"samhain" means "end of summer." In Ireland the festival was known as Samhein,
or La Samon, the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as
Hallowe'en. Samhain was a solar festival marked by sacred fire and fire rituals.
During the height of the Druids, the priestly caste of the Celts, all fires
except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain. Householders were
levied a fee for the holy fire which burned at their altars.
In ancient Ireland, the Druids scarificed to the deities by burning victims
in wickerwork cages. All other fires were to be extinguished and were relit from
the sacrificial fire. Samhain marked the third and final harvest, and the
storage of provisions for the winter. The veil between the worlds of the living
and the dead was believed to be at its thinnest point in the year, making
communication between the living and the dead much easier. On the eve of the
holiday, the souls of the dead freely roamed the land of the living.
The Romans observed the holiday of
Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made
sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations
to them. The festival was celebrated on February 21, the end of the Roman year.
In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the
pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Gregory III
changed the date to November 1. The Greek Orthodox Church observes it on the
first Sunday after Pentecost.
Numerous folk customs connected with the pagan observances for
the dead have survived to the present. In addition to the souls of the dead
roaming about, the Devil, witches and numerous spirits are believed to be out
and at the peak of their supernatural powers. In Ireland and Scotland, the
custom of extinguishing one's home fire and relighting if from the festival
bonfire has continued into modern times.
Samhain, as it is still called in some
parts, is a time for getting rid of weakness, as pagans once slaughtered weak
animals which were unlikely to survive the winter. A common ritual calls for
writing down weaknesses on a piece of paper or parchment, and tossing it into
the fire. Cakes are baked as offerings for the souls of the dead.
In some parts of modern Scotland, young
people still celebrate by building bonfires on hilltops and high ground, and
then dance around the flames. The fire is known as Hallowe'en bleeze, and custom
once included digging a circular trench around the fire to symbolize the sun.
The custom of trick or treating probably
has several origins. An old Irish peasant practice called for going door to door
to collect money, breadcake, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts, apples, etc., in
preparation for the festival of St. Columb Kill. Another was the begging for
soul cakes, or offerings for one's self-particularly in exchange for promises of
prosperity or protection against bad luck.
