Fall Is Coming and With It Halloween!
By Lara S Bridges
Back
to school time again and with it fall is not far behind. It is my
favorite time of year! I love the cooler weather, the leaves changing
into an array of colors. The best part are all the fun holidays!
Halloween starts off the fall holiday season. My nine-year-old son looks
forward to it all year long. It is a time we can have fun, dress up and
pretend to be some one else. We have a night to escape and be someone
else. But where did this holiday come from?
Halloween has a long
history. About 2,000 years ago there was a group of people, the Celts,
lived where our current Ireland, France, England and Scotland are
located. The end of the growing season was November 1st. This was also
the beginning of the winter season that was a time of dark, cold and
death of all the living plants. This was also the first day of the new
year.
This group of people were very superstitious. They thought
that the night was the time when all the undesirable creatures came out.
This includes ghosts, goblins and evil spirits. They also had oral
traditions, which is very much like the Native Americans in that the way
things were passed to the next generation was through stories. One of
these stories included the story of Samhain. This story says that all
the dead were allowed to come back to the land of the living and exact
revenge. There were some that would bring news of what the new year
brought.
In preparation for this special day the villagers would
build a huge bonfire in the middle of town. This bonfire was more than
just wood. It would include offerings such as crops, animals and cloth.
This was done in hopes of the spirits looking fondly on them and giving
them a good year. There is one danger to this, in order to get your
offering to the bonfire you would have to go out when it is dark. If a
spirit knows you they have power over you so to fool the spirit they
would wear animal skins. Carving a pumpkin with a scary face and a lit
candle inside would keep the spirits out of your home. And protect your
family from the power they would possess over you.
Later down the
line came the Romans and they decided to combine their day of the dead
traditions with the Celts. One of the Roman traditions included bobbing
for apples. This comes from the goddess Pomona whose symbol was the
apple. If you caught an apple with your teeth you would bring down a
blessing for the new year.
Christianity came along and changed it
even further. The 1st of November became All Saints Day. The night
before became All Hallow's Eve which was later combined into today's
Halloween. Enjoy the fun fall season and the wonderful holidays!
At Lara's Candle Shop we have a variety of scented candles. You
choose the color and scent to match you holiday party and decor! Visit
us now!
http://www.larascandleshop.com
