<>(())<> Halloween - How Did It Begin??? <>(())<>

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LindasBusyKitchen
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<>(())<> Halloween - How Did It Begin??? <>(())<>

Post by LindasBusyKitchen » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:09 am

Beginning in the early Middle Ages, Halloween was the early pagan holiday of Samhain, which included many ritualistic ceremonies to connect to spirits, as the Celts were polytheistic and believed in many Gods. They knew it as "All Hallows' Eve".

"All Hallows' Eve" means "Hallowed Evening", and was celebrated on October 31 each year. The Celts believed the boundary between this world and the next became especially thin at this time, enabling them to connect with the dead, which allowed all the evil spirits, who had died the previous year, to return home to visit the living.

They paid homage to saints (hallows = saints). People used to dress up as saints and go door to door reciting songs or verses. The children would also go from door to door asking for "soul cakes," a treat similar to biscuits.

They celebrated in costume, with special feasts, which included making lanterns by hollowing out gourds; hence the beginning of making Jack-o'-lanterns.

When Christianity took over, the pagan's celebration of the holiday changed. The mystical rituals of earlier times turned into more lighthearted fun and games. Over time the name was eventually shortened to Halloween as we know it today.

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