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Halloween dates back centuries to the pre-Christian era. Many cultures in that era had a specific day or time period for the remembrance of the dead. However, it is the Celtic version that is most closely related to the Halloween we celebrate today, as it was while attempting to Christianize the Celtic people that Pope Boniface IV instituted All Saints Day on November 1, in an effort to replace the Celtic festival for the dead with a Christian holiday. The evening before All Saints Day became Halloween, and with the help of the Irish and other Europeans, began to take…
Halloween in Germany is a festive, exciting time filled with old traditions and modern twists. Halloween began among Celtics and Druids of Scottish, Irish and English descent. Their "Festival of Samhain," or "festival of the dead," started sometime around A.D. 800 when it was believed that the appearance of ghosts, fairies and demons on October 31 marked the end of summer as well as their calendar year. They believed that on this day, departed souls, whether they were good or evil, visited their kin in search of food and warmth for the coming winter. Religious leaders later hoped that the…
Modern neopagans, often known as Wiccans, still practice Halloween traditions that incorporate or modify rituals practiced by the ancient Celts. Halloween is a celebration that evolved from Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"), a Celtic festival that occurs on October 31st and marks the beginning of the New Year. The festival also celebrates the final harvest of the season, so Samhain traditions also incorporate themes of death and renewal in nature. It is believed to be a time when there is no separation between the living world and the dead world, and the living can communicate with departed ancestors.
Halloween is big business in Spain, as well as within Spanish-speaking parts of the world such as Mexico. Halloween in Spain is celebrated over not just for one day but three, collectively termed the El Dia de los Muertos. The festival begins with the Day of the Witches on October 31, otherwise known as Dia de las Brujas, with the Dia de Todos los Santos, or All Saints Day, and the Día de Los Muertos, or All Souls Day, following.
