Many people ask me why I don’t celebrate Halloween and here is the reason why. The word Halloween dates to around 1700-1800s and is of Christian origin. It means holly evening, which comes from the Scottish term (The evening before all hallows day). Development of artifacts and symbols affiliated with Halloween formed over time. Jack O Lanterns traditionally were used to frighten off evil spirits. The Jack O lantern is also linked with other meanings such as representing a soul denied entry to both Heaven and Hell. The story regarding this goes Jack was parading through town and came across Satan or the devil and tricked him into climbing up a tree in which he then etched the cross in the tree trapping him there he then struck a deal with the devil saying if you keep me from going to hell I …show more content…
Therefore, in short, the reason I don’t celebrate Halloween is because of its origin. Nothing about Halloween is supported by the bible. The fundamentals of the jack o lanterns origin are not true. For example, the soul of Jack is supposed to still be sentient after his death, hohwever at Ecclesiastes 9:5 states “the dead are conscious of nothing at all”. Then Hell the word hell translates to Hades or Tartarus and an etc. of other words that share the same meaning death not burning in hell just death. The Cross is not biblically accurate because before it was adopted from pagan religion symbolizing fertility. Before 4th century, it was not viewed as a symbol of salvation. Then in the Greek language where the word stauros meant stake or pale, not 2 pieces of wood nailed onto each other. In the origin the Jack-O-Lanterns was used to scare of evil spirits who escaped hell on October 31 but, then the entire use of it is useless because again at Ecclesiastes 9:5 states “the dead are conscious of nothing at
Halloween for many Americans means dressing up as an animal, famous star, cartoon, etc. and going trick-or-treating with their family or friends. However, not many people know the meaning behind Halloween. It is always celebrated on October 31st no matter what day it lands on. Many people do not know the tradition of Halloween and where it came from. In fact, I did not know either until my High School teacher told me that Halloween came from Ireland. The purpose of dressing up is so that the spirits and demons cannot recognize human beings. Many people thought the dead would arise that day and that’s why people used masks to distinguish themselves. In addition, trick-or-treating was a way to give candy, food, or money, but throughout the years it has changed. People trick-or-treat to receive candy or get tricked, which is always fun for children and even adults. People have a choice of either staying in their homes and just give candy to people who knock on the door or receiving candy. If the light of the front door is on or the house is decorated, then it is a sign that you can knock on their door. On Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns is believed that he tricked the devil, and when he died he was rejected in heaven and hell; for that reason, he roams our world and we represent him by carving pumpkins. Halloween dealt with spirits
First is the history of Halloween all according to a 2017 article from LiveScience by Benjamin Radford. Around 2,000 years ago in the United Kingdom Ireland, and the northern part of France the people called the Celts started this holiday. They called it Samhain back then instead of Halloween. November 1st marked their new year which resulted in them celebrating on October 31st. The New Year brought wintertime which to them meant death. On the night before winter which was October 31st, they believe that the spirits of the Dead came back. They wore costumes, put on bonfires, burned crops and sacrificed animals. When the Romans
Halloween. A holiday of spooky, scary, skeletons and a bunch of memes. It’s basically a holiday where you can go outside in cosplay and get free candy for it, provided that you aren’t busy to the point where you go home at about 6:00 PM and have to last-minute cancel your plans because of homework. (I’m still salty about that.) Regardless, Halloween has made its way to be one of my most favourite holidays. Now, I know what you may be thinking. “But Joyce! What about Christmas? It was literally about a month ago!” And, yes, while I do enjoy Christmas, Halloween is a holiday more after my heart.
The fear of Halloween can stem from a dislike or fear of the holiday's history. The root word of samhainophobia is Samhain, which is a Celtic word meaning summer’s end. They celebrated Samhain with huge bonfires where crops and animals were sacrificed. The Celts believed that on Samhain the veil between the land of the living and dead was thin, which allowed for ghost, spirits, and the devil himself to pass through to the land of the living. It was also believed the Druids-the Celts priest-could predict the future on Samhain. The Celts wore costumes both as disguises and for performing the sacrifices at the bonfires. Eventually Rome conquered the
In recent years, this holiday has been gaining more and more attention in the US. However, the growth in popularity hasn’t necessarily led to a growth in understanding of the holiday. Some people still associate it with the incredibly commercialized Halloween, but it is much more meaningful than that for those that celebrate it.
Halloween is not only one of the most popular holidays, but is also one of the oldest, and can be dated back to about 2,000 years ago. It is also known to have started
Halloween is a night that children can dress and act like something they are not and allows them to travel around town receiving candy. Halloween allows the elderly a time to interact with children and gives people a break from normality. Even though the popularity of Hallowing is slimming,
Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31st, or All Hallows Eve. It is a night of candy and fun for us, but started as a Scottish-Irish festival “[...] or two major gods—a sun god and a god of the dead (called Samhain), whose festival was held on November 1, the beginning of the Celtic New Year” (Bacon). The day after Halloween became “[...] a feast in honor of all the saints (All Hallows) was fixed on November 1, and in the 11th century November 2 was specified as All
Long ago, the Celtic and pagan religions made Halloween more alive before we ever did. The essay says, “Carving pumpkins, bobbing for apples, dressing up in costume and even trick-or-treating were all pagan practices that were carried over.” All of these items made people more interested in the holiday, since they got to be scared and get to be whatever character from whatever show, movie, or play. Some people also think Halloween can be dangerous though because of broken down homes. The essay said that residential house built during the early 1800s were becoming worn down and dilapidated. That means the young children could get crushed by beams supporting the house, fall through floors, and get severe broken bones, but since then, Halloween been improved to where no parent or child will get hurt and haunted houses have been mending their special FX, actors or employees makeup and costumes and are getting better than
In the 2002 book, Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, author Nicholas Rogers points out, “ Halloween is commonly thought to have pagan origins, even though the etymology is Christian. Halloween is, quite literally, the derivative of All Hallow Even, or the eve of All Saints’ Day (1 November). Taken together with All Souls’ Day, which falls on 2 November, it is a time assigned in the Christian calendar for honoring the saints and newly departed.” 1. The name All Hallow Even has evolved over time, it eventually became Hallowe’en, and then to what we know the holiday now as: Halloween. 2.
Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on the 31st of October across the globe. The holiday originated ancient Celtic. Celts lived 2000 years ago in the areas which are now Ireland, Northern France, and the United Kingdom. They had a similar celebration called Samhain. Samhain was celebrated on the 1st of November rather than the 31st of October. Throughout the centuries Halloween traditions have changed drastically. To see what a difference Halloween is now to back in time we must examine what traditions and celebrations were done, secondly how we celebrate the famously known holiday and finally what people have against the celebrations and traditions to this day.
Let’s start off with the way each holiday emphasizes spirits. Halloween originated from the Celtic festival known as Samhain. During this festival, people made bonfires
Halloween has gone through many changes since it first began. Once, Halloween was a grave time and considered a foreboding sign of the coming of winter. However, over the centuries Halloween has been modernized into a fun and festive time of year for many people, especially for Americans. People of all ages are all able to contribute to Halloween. Millions of Americans spend massive amounts of money every year on Halloween decorations, costumes, and candy.
The cross, also known as the crucifix, is a symbol of Jesus’s unconditional love for us and his selflessness. This symbol had shaped my faith and beliefs in this world because when Jesus died on the cross for us, He showed us what true unconditional love meant and that is to put the people you love before yourself. The fact that Jesus loves me encourages me to also be like Him, to be selfless, and make sacrifices for the people that I love.
Furthermore, there are many traditional rituals and superstitions associated with Halloween. Since the ancient Celts thought the nonliving roamed the earth, they created costumes out of animal pelts to ward off evil spirits. Fortunetelling and the utilization of large bonfires for sacrifices and purification were also early customs. After the Christianization of the holiday to commemorate saints and martyrs, the same festivities, bonfires, and guising remained, but October 31st was renamed All-Hallows Eve. This inevitably turned into Halloween. Similar to European traditions, America’s Halloween has also evolved throughout the years. Halloween’s recognition was originally restricted in colonial America due to its non-Christian beliefs and practices, and it was practiced at a more local level. According to an online source, “The first celebrations included ‘play parties,’ public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead and tell each other’s fortunes, dance, and sing” (“History of Halloween”). Festivities were akin to European traditions, but also included ghost stories and pranking. Beginning in the twentieth century, Halloween