Halloween
Halloween
Warding off the Otherworld
As the tipping point that also ushered in the beginning of the "dark season," it was believed that the night opened a kind of door to the Otherworld, letting spirits roam the Earth.
"The feast of Samhain was the occasion of stock-taking and in-gathering, of reorganizing communities for the winter months, including the preparation of quarters for itinerant warriors and shamans," wrote Nicholas Rogers, a historian at York University in Toronto, in his book Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (Oxford University Press, 2002). "It was also a period of supernatural intensity, when the forces of darkness and decay were said to be abroad, spilling out from the sidh, [or] the ancient barrows or hills of the countryside."
To combat the threat, ancient Celts often held raging bonfires - fire being a common way to ward off evil spirits.
The practice continued throughout the region even after Christianity took hold in the Middle Ages and the festival was renamed All Hallows Eve. Later, in towns, the fires shrank and were placed instead within turnips or gourds, which were inexpensive, readily available and safe "containers." http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091029/sc_livescience/whyweca...
Just as this celebration has morphed so have the ideas about it. If as a current group of people see it as a day given over to the devil and witches and such it has been popular media that has created this idea.
Whether you choose to pass out candy or just pass out try to research your latest urban legend.
Since I became an adult this day of celebration has become an unsafe occasion, one put down by many as Satanic and evil. Like Christmas though the general society enjoys it without doing bad things to children or getting into devil worship.
It does not matter which way you view it just view it from a knowledgeable perspective.
Warding off the Otherworld
As the tipping point that also ushered in the beginning of the "dark season," it was believed that the night opened a kind of door to the Otherworld, letting spirits roam the Earth.
"The feast of Samhain was the occasion of stock-taking and in-gathering, of reorganizing communities for the winter months, including the preparation of quarters for itinerant warriors and shamans," wrote Nicholas Rogers, a historian at York University in Toronto, in his book Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (Oxford University Press, 2002). "It was also a period of supernatural intensity, when the forces of darkness and decay were said to be abroad, spilling out from the sidh, [or] the ancient barrows or hills of the countryside."
To combat the threat, ancient Celts often held raging bonfires - fire being a common way to ward off evil spirits.
The practice continued throughout the region even after Christianity took hold in the Middle Ages and the festival was renamed All Hallows Eve. Later, in towns, the fires shrank and were placed instead within turnips or gourds, which were inexpensive, readily available and safe "containers." http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091029/sc_livescience/whyweca...
Just as this celebration has morphed so have the ideas about it. If as a current group of people see it as a day given over to the devil and witches and such it has been popular media that has created this idea.
Whether you choose to pass out candy or just pass out try to research your latest urban legend.
Since I became an adult this day of celebration has become an unsafe occasion, one put down by many as Satanic and evil. Like Christmas though the general society enjoys it without doing bad things to children or getting into devil worship.
It does not matter which way you view it just view it from a knowledgeable perspective.
Comment
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Comment by Bro. Rock Harrison on October 31, 2009 at 10:16pm
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Yes i love researching my brother. And you are on it. I search it out about 6 years ago and the same thing you wrote is the things I search out. Bless you for sharing this
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