Halloween Origins
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Halloween celebration has become very traditional not only in the United States, but also this holiday has been exported to many other countries although its origin is not American at all.
But, what is the history of the day of the dead, and the customs of Halloween and especially, what is the true origin of a holiday in which in other countries?, it seems that the memory of those who are no longer honored are out of disguise and pumpkins.
More than 2,000 years ago, on the night of Samhain, the Celts turned off the lights and hoped that death would not knock on their doors. Celtic culture encompassed the British, Scandinavian and Western European islands and this tradition of Samhain spread throughout these territories becoming one of the most popular and in fact we can say that despite some distortion has remained traditional. The evolution modified it but it arrives to our days from this origin and its development.
Druids, Celtic pagan priests, celebrated the night of the Samhain in which the spirits walked again on the earth, seeking to possess the living. That is why no fire was lit, the houses remained cold and dark, their masters dressed in funerals to avoid the attention of the dead and thus it was believed that in the night of the dead one could go on living if it went unnoticed.
In addition, the Celts celebrated the end of summer and the end of harvests and, with it, the beginning of a new year. "All Hallows Eve" is the Anglo-Saxon name that over the centuries was given to this particular tradition, the eve of All Saints Day, which through time and space would deform into the word "Halloween."
From there we get a name that has been exported to the whole world although the word "halloween" does not have a translation in the countries in which it is also celebrated. Something that does not happen for example with the Christmas, festivity that each country translates to its language.
Each October 31, this date was also a festival dedicated to two gods: Morrigan (goddess of war and death) and Dagda (a secondary deity related to abundance). Despite its tenebrous origin, perhaps the most curious thing about this celebration is not its lugubrious character, but the mixture of cultural traits that nowadays agglutinates in a single date the traditions of several towns.
The fact is that the influence of pagan and Christian, mainly, has degenerated into a celebration that although far from the origin that we are explaining still maintains that connection with being a party in which death is very present.
But, what is the history of the day of the dead, and the customs of Halloween and especially, what is the true origin of a holiday in which in other countries?, it seems that the memory of those who are no longer honored are out of disguise and pumpkins.
More than 2,000 years ago, on the night of Samhain, the Celts turned off the lights and hoped that death would not knock on their doors. Celtic culture encompassed the British, Scandinavian and Western European islands and this tradition of Samhain spread throughout these territories becoming one of the most popular and in fact we can say that despite some distortion has remained traditional. The evolution modified it but it arrives to our days from this origin and its development.
Druids, Celtic pagan priests, celebrated the night of the Samhain in which the spirits walked again on the earth, seeking to possess the living. That is why no fire was lit, the houses remained cold and dark, their masters dressed in funerals to avoid the attention of the dead and thus it was believed that in the night of the dead one could go on living if it went unnoticed.
In addition, the Celts celebrated the end of summer and the end of harvests and, with it, the beginning of a new year. "All Hallows Eve" is the Anglo-Saxon name that over the centuries was given to this particular tradition, the eve of All Saints Day, which through time and space would deform into the word "Halloween."
From there we get a name that has been exported to the whole world although the word "halloween" does not have a translation in the countries in which it is also celebrated. Something that does not happen for example with the Christmas, festivity that each country translates to its language.
Each October 31, this date was also a festival dedicated to two gods: Morrigan (goddess of war and death) and Dagda (a secondary deity related to abundance). Despite its tenebrous origin, perhaps the most curious thing about this celebration is not its lugubrious character, but the mixture of cultural traits that nowadays agglutinates in a single date the traditions of several towns.
The fact is that the influence of pagan and Christian, mainly, has degenerated into a celebration that although far from the origin that we are explaining still maintains that connection with being a party in which death is very present.
