What is Halloween & Samhain?
When the night of October 31st comes around most of the Western world will witness a surge of spooky activity. So many people these days join in the fun of Halloween!
But what is the origin of these spooky festivities? Why do we dress up as ghouls, skeletons, tortured victims, headless lords, witches and warlocks?
Why do we carve out pumpkins and Turnips, bob for apples and trick or treat?
The truth is it’s a mish mash of cultures, traditions and belief systems.
Both Samhain and Halloween are celebrated on October 31st – Northern Hemisphere, but what’s the difference between the Festival of Samhain and that of Halloween?
One notable difference is that most people are not even aware of Samhain and only know the night to be called ‘Halloween’.
So how do we know for sure what we are celebrating? Firstly, it’s necessary to look back in time to see which came first!
Samhain pronounced ‘sow en’ reaches thousands of years back into early European Celtic roots. The Celtic culture, religion and beliefs were strongly tuned into the earth and sky around them, including the cycles of nature, the arrival of the different seasons & stages of the sun, moon and stars.
The important dates on their calendars were marked by these seasonal changes. They gave great respect to nature and knew that winter would be a harsh time for them and they must prepare well and work with the season in order to survive. They believed that they were part of this continuous regeneration of the earth – the sacred circle of life!
Samhain became the mark of the first day of winter and the start of the