Halloween, like most of the holidays celebrated everywhere, is based on specific histories.
Take Christmas and Thanksgiving as examples. Christmas finds its history back to the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet, looking at history, one realizes that this date isn’t actually exact. In fact it is only an approximation borne out of Early Church tradition that has been placed in the Christian cannon by the Council of Constantinople.
Thanksgiving, on the other hand, traces itself back from the time of early settlers in the American soil.
Halloween can also be traced to a most ancient past. In fact, Halloween has been existent far earlier than majority of the celebrations worldwide. This article will take a look at Halloween history and tradition.
Halloween history and tradition starts with the the Celtics of the Irish Isles. The ancient Celts were actually the original settlers of the area that spoke a more primitive form of Gaelic which is now referred to as the official language of Southern Ireland before English. They had a separate religious system that allowed for the accommodation of both feminism and gender equality. This is ironically so because their major deity is the Great Mother yet, she is still considered as someone who isn’t exactly higher or lower than her consort, the lesser deity called the Horned One. With the dominance of the Great Mother, one finds a feminist religion yet, as was mentioned, not entirely because the major deity is still the wife of a male one.
Halloween history and tradition is very close to Druidism since one of their practices determined the celebration of this holiday itself. The Celts, together with their very own priests and priestesses moved out into the Irish forests once a year wearing costumes that appropriated the evil spirits. They did this because their own religious paradigm reveals that they actually believe in evil entities named the Unnamed Ones. The rite was purposely done in order to lure the Unnamed Ones to come with them. Yet, at that moment when they are there already, the whole assembly starts making noises and celebrating to drive them away. In their tradition this happens by hinting the Great Mother that the evil spirits were assembled with them. Knowing where they were, the Great Mother can ask the Horned One to hunt and bring them back to damnation. This story is the start of the long line of Halloween history and tradition.
Halloween history and tradition then moves into the Christian era. St. Gregory the Great, the pope, asked St. Augustine of Canterbury to go into the British area in order to convert the Anglo-Saxons. St. Augustine did as was ordered yet, he faced a dilemma when he arrived in the areas of Britain, Scotland and Ireland. The question was basically about what to do with the pagan rites. He consulted this to the pope who told him to transform the rites into matters of catechism where the people may be able to relate their practices to the Christian god. This he did until the practice was continued by St. Patrick in Ireland. In Halloween history and tradition, this story is seen as the bridge between the old pagan practice and the present way of celebrating Halloween.
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