The Truth About Halloween

 

 

 

The purpose of this page is to clear up the misconceptions that Christians and others have about Halloween. We will explore the ancient practices of Halloween (Samhain), how it came to be    associated with "Satan" and the true significance of Halloween, a sacred time for all modern pagans and witches.

 

NOTE: If you are Christian, or understand Halloween to be an "evil" event filled with lust, blood sacrifice and Satan worship...read on and find out what Halloween really is!

 

Finally, I have gathered this information from a variety of sources and I do not claim to know everything about Halloween, ancient pagan/witch practices or Celtic history. However, this information has been well-researched and should be a good starting point for further studies.

 

The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-in)

 

Samhain marks the beginning of the Celtic New Year and the beginning of the agricultural year.  The Celtic peoples believed that the veil between the would of the living and that of the dead is at its thinnest on this night. In the ancient past, it was commonly believed that certain kinds of knowledge were available at the time of Samhain, a night when the sidhe or faery people would come forth to walk amongst mankind.

 

Samhain was also a time to honour those beloved persons who have passed on into the realm of the afterlife and customs such as leaving a candle burning in the window to light the way for departed spirits were commonplace. Another custom, particular to Samhain, was the wearing of disguises to confuse the wandering spirits of the dead into believing that the people in costume were of the spirit world and not living mortals. People commonly left plates of food out for their departed loved ones, a practice widespread even in modern Celtic lands today.

 

It has never been proven that there were human sacrifices by Celtic peoples to celebrate Samhain. However, we do know that the Celtic peoples had a great spiritual reverence of Samhain and it was akin to how one views Easter and many of the other "holy days" today.

 

The festival of Samhain adopted by Christians

 

Samhain was adopted as the basis for the Christian festival of All Soul's Day by St. Odilio of Cluny in 998 A.D. Today, in many Catholic countries, the day of All Soul's is held, most notably in Mexico where the Day of the Dead is observed by the living visiting family graves to bring candles, offerings and songs and to give family news to the departed. On All Soul's (November 2) the soulers of Shropshire and Cheshire still roam the countryside with their hobby horse, the original "nightmare", which bears the dead away upon its back, and the old custom of soul-caking, giving a spiced cake in payment for prayers of the dead, recalls the ancient honour once shown to the ancestors..

 

Halloween and Satan

 

I will attempt to debunk many common misconceptions that Christians, in particular, have about Halloween and why it has become synonymous with "Satan". I have visited many Christian web sites in search of information as to why Halloween is considered "Satanic". Most of the nformation is based upon opinion and interpretation of Biblical scripture and there are also many common misconceptions about the origins, customs, rituals and celebrations surrounding Samhain or   Halloween. Besides, Only Christians are responsible for associating Satan with Halloween!

 

Human Sacrifice by ancient and modern pagans

 

There is a common belief amongst Christians that there was rampant sacrifice by Druids, Celts and other pre-Christian peoples of the past and therefore modern pagans and witches must also be sacrificing humans. Human sacrifice by the ancient Celts can neither be proved nor disproved. Likewise, the Christian belief that modern witches and pagans perform human sacrifice, particularly the sacrificing of infants, has no basis in truth. The FBI did an intensive several-year   study on the so called "Satanic Ritual Abuse" and found no evidence to support the allegations.

 

Satan was a deity feared by Celtic people

 

Satan as a deity or a concept was not a part of ancient Celtic beliefs. Satan was introduced by Christianity, which came after the ancient pagan traditions.  Therefore, there is no and was never any connection between Satan and Samhain/Halloween.

 

Halloween is used as a time to "recruit" people into witchcraft and paganism

 

Modern day pagans and witches DO NOT recruit or attempt to convert people to their religion. We firmly believe that an individual alone may choose their religion, no one can make the choice for them.

 

Kidnappings and missing pets increase dramatically during Halloween

 

Again, there is no evidence that there is an increase in child abductions or pet-napping during Halloween.

 

Samhain was the "Lord of Death and Evil Spirits"

 

The ancient Celts did not have any such deity. Samhain is the name of the festival, and the Celts did not have any purely "evil" god or goddess.

 

Pagans, witches and modern druids sacrifice humans at Stonehenge every year

 

Stonehenge is a well guarded public monument. Hundreds of Thousands of people visit this incredible site yearly. I have no doubt that it would be impossible to sacrifice anyone or anything at this monument without being caught. Besides, in the last 30 years, I have never heard of any sacrifice being committed at Stonehenge during Halloween, or anytime..

 

Pagans and witches practice bizarre & immoral sexual rituals

 

Pagans and witches view sexuality as a natural part of a healthy lifestyle when practised by consenting adults. We do not have ritualistic orgies as part of our religion.

 

Apples, Bats, Brooms, Cats, Owls and Hats - Popular Halloween Imagary

 

Because of their nocturnal habits, cats very easily became associated with witchcraft and cats along with toads and frogs were considered to be witches' familiars. It was believed that witches could assume the shape of a cat and that they could only do this shape-shifting nine times in their lifetime. Cats, with their uncanny ability to sense the presence of the deceased, became associated with Samhain and the season of the spirit. Black cats, in particular, enjoy this association even today and their black colour is the symbol of the Crone, the wise-woman of pagan belief, who was and is the goddess honoured at this time of the year by ancient and modern pagans.

Unfortunately, because of their association with witchcraft during the persecutions, these sensitive and loyal pets were often tortured and burned, or otherwise killed, along with their human companions.

 

Bats and owls are also associated with Halloween as they are nocturnal creatures like the cat. Owls are associated with the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and of war. During Athena's   time, the image of an owl was embossed on the coinage of the city of Athens, of which Athena was patroness. Owls have been considered symbols of wisdom and have also been known as messengers from the spirit world.

 

Ancient pagans associated apples with both love and death. Apples, apple wood and apple blossoms are sometimes used in spells and love charms. As the apple tree blossoms in Beltane (May), and is therefore associated with the Sacred Marriage, so does its fruit ripen and is    harvested during Samhain, and is also associated with death and the spirit realm. In Celtic myth, the land of Avalon, where the spirits of the dead dwell, is a fair island to the West where abundant apple trees bear fruit year round. Today, apples and apple games are very much a part of the Halloween festivities. Bobbing for apples is one such way that apples are used as well as in the making of candied apples!

 

The traditional witch's hat has a flaring brim and a tall, pointed cone. It has been said that in the Middle Ages a monk named Dunce discovered that the tall, pointy hat was commonly worn by wizards, and was thought to increase mental activity - and so the dunce cap was invented not to humiliate children but to help them. It is thought that the witch added the brim to the conical shape to help strengthen her own energies and to send out her energy to do her will in any direction. Jack-O-Lanterns are another prominent feature of Halloween. It has been said that in Europe, candles were traditionally placed inside of turnips and other vegetables to keep them from blowing out. Naturally, openings had to be cut in the vegetables to let out the light, and this eventually evolved into the artistic faces carved on pumpkins today!

 

The cauldron, another common symbol of Halloween appears in Celtic myth as the cauldron of the goddess Cerridwen. Cerridwen's cauldron was the "cauldron of knowledge" in which her potion of wisdom called greal was made. To make her potion of wisdom, the brew had to simmer for a year and a day. This is the common passage of time in Celtic lore and for modern pagans, it is the traditional study period before formal initiation.

 

Last but not least, is the famous witch's broom or besom. In Ireland, the besom was sometimes called a "Faery's Horse". To those not of the Craft, the broom may seem to represent domestic drudgery, but for those of whom study the ancient mysteries, the besom is one of the most potent symbols of all.