Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on October 31. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced: \u201csow-win\u201d), a time that marked the period between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, the last harvest and the beginning of the dark period of the year. This was and still is considered a time when the veil between the living and spirit worlds, as well as the \u201cother worlds\u201d (such as the fairy world), is thinnest. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off spirits and disguise themselves from ghosts. Samhain was celebrated between October 31 and November 1.<\/p>\n
Christian Influence<\/strong><\/p>\n As Christianity attempted to settle into the pagan communities, the church tried to reframe Samhain as a Christian celebration. It was first moved from October to May by Pope Boniface during the fifth century; however, the people continued to celebrate the quarterly fire festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. Then in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III returned to the original dates and declared November 1 All Saints Day. Over time, Samhain became All Hallows Eve or Halloween, and November 1 became All Saints Day. In addition, November 2 would become All Souls Day.<\/p>\n Ancient Celts held Samhain (the end of summer) as the most important of the four quarterly fire festivals. It marked the time between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice.<\/p>\n The Modern Mirrors the Ancient<\/strong><\/p>\n Our modern Halloween traditions mirror some of the traditions borne in the origins of Samhain. We wear costumes to disguise ourselves from evil spirits and carve and illuminate pumpkins just as the Celts lit gourds to bring light to the dark and guide departed spirits back to the spirit world. Candies and food are shared as well \u2013 places are set at the table in honor of souls passed, and candy is placed by doorways to appease the fairies and those of the other worlds.<\/p>\n Traditionally on Halloween (or the day before, known in the U.S. as Mischief Night), people will pull pranks on one another. In ancient times, fairies were often blamed for the mischief, and perhaps they still are, but human naughtiness is usually the real culprit.<\/p>\n Even trick-or-treating harkens back to earlier Celt days. When children don costumes and knock on people\u2019s door seeking out treats, it\u2019s tied to the old Irish and Scottish tradition of \u201cmumming\u201d or \u201cguising\u201d (as in disguising) done in the nights leading up to Samhain. People would get into costume and go door to door singing songs to the dead in return for cakes if they were lucky. It even sounds a bit like Christmas caroling. The singing can be considered as one of the other \u201ctricks\u201d performed to receive \u201ctreats.\u201d<\/p>\n Superstitions and Divinations<\/strong><\/p>\n Some of our modern-day superstitions are callbacks to ancient times, especially Halloween. For instance, no superstitious person today is hoping for a black cat to cross their path; it\u2019s considered bad luck. However, in the middle ages, people avoided black cats because it was believed that witches would disguise themselves as a black cat.<\/p>\n If you were originally from Scotland or Ireland, you might choose the time of the harvest to see a fortune teller to perform various dating divination works such as burning chestnuts in a fire or receiving some nutty, sugary sweets to eat before bed on Halloween in the hopes of seeing your future love in a dream.<\/p>\n Want to build a better future? A life path reading<\/strong><\/a> with one of our talented life path psychics<\/strong><\/a> can tell you where you\u2019re headed. And if you don\u2019t like where you\u2019re headed, your life path psychic<\/strong><\/a> can steer you down a better path.<\/p>\n Find a life path psychic<\/strong><\/a> or learn more about a life path reading<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n About California Psychics<\/strong> Celtic Origins Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on October 31. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced: \u201csow-win\u201d), a time that marked the period between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, the last harvest and the beginning of the dark period of the year. This was and still is considered a time when the veil between the living and spirit worlds, as well as the \u201cother worlds\u201d (such as the fairy world), is thinnest. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off spirits and disguise themselves from ghosts. Samhain was celebrated between October 31 and November 1. Christian Influence As Christianity attempted to settle into the pagan communities, the church tried to reframe Samhain as a Christian celebration. It was first moved from October to May by Pope Boniface during the fifth century; however, the people continued to celebrate the quarterly fire festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. Then in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III returned to the original dates and declared November 1 All Saints Day. Over time, Samhain became All Hallows Eve or Halloween, and November 1 became All Saints Day. In addition, November 2 would become All Souls Day. Ancient Celts held Samhain (the end of summer) as the most important of the four quarterly fire festivals. It marked the time between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. The Modern Mirrors the Ancient Our modern Halloween traditions mirror some of the traditions borne in the origins of Samhain. We wear costumes to disguise ourselves from evil spirits and carve and illuminate pumpkins just as the Celts lit gourds to bring light to the dark and guide departed spirits back to the spirit world. Candies and food are shared as well \u2013 places are set at the table in honor of souls passed, and candy is placed by doorways to appease the fairies and those of the other worlds. Traditionally on Halloween (or the day before, known in the U.S. as Mischief Night), people will pull pranks on one another. In ancient times, fairies were often blamed for the mischief, and perhaps they still are, but human naughtiness is usually the real culprit. Even trick-or-treating harkens back to earlier Celt days. When children don costumes and knock on people\u2019s door seeking out treats, it\u2019s tied to the old Irish and Scottish tradition of \u201cmumming\u201d or \u201cguising\u201d (as in disguising) done in the nights leading up to Samhain. People would get into costume and go door to door singing songs to the dead in return for cakes if they were lucky. It even sounds a bit like Christmas caroling. The singing can be considered as one of the other \u201ctricks\u201d performed to receive \u201ctreats.\u201d Superstitions and Divinations Some of our modern-day superstitions are callbacks to ancient times, especially Halloween. For instance, no superstitious person today is hoping for a black cat to cross their path; it\u2019s considered bad luck. However, in the middle ages, people avoided black cats because it was believed that witches would disguise themselves as a black cat. If you were originally from Scotland or Ireland, you might choose the time of the harvest to see a fortune teller to perform various dating divination works such as burning chestnuts in a fire or receiving some nutty, sugary sweets to eat before bed on Halloween in the hopes of seeing your future love in a dream. Want to build a better future? A life path reading with one of our talented life path psychics can tell you where you\u2019re headed. And if you don\u2019t like where you\u2019re headed, your life path psychic can steer you down a better path. Find a life path psychic or learn more about a life path reading. About California Psychics California Psychics is the most trusted source of psychic readings. We have delivered over 6 million discreet and confidential psychic readings by phone since 1995. More than a prediction, we are your guide for life\u2019s journey. Serenity, happiness, and success are just a phone call away. With over 400 psychics online to choose from, you\u2019re sure to find the best psychics for you. Call one of our trusted and accurate psychics today! Confidential and secure, real psychics, accurate predictions, 100% guaranteed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5954250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33269],"tags":[7883,33842,6989,4935,614,34190,3647,34189,4934],"cp_author":[31217],"class_list":["post-5954178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holidays","tag-autumn","tag-autumn-equinox","tag-celtic","tag-celts","tag-fall","tag-fall-harvest","tag-halloween","tag-halloween-origins","tag-samhain","cp_author-lj-innes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nCalifornia Psychics is the most trusted source of psychic readings<\/a>. We have delivered over 6 million discreet and confidential psychic readings by phone<\/a> since 1995. More than a prediction, we are your guide for life\u2019s journey. Serenity, happiness, and success are just a phone call away. With over 400 psychics online<\/a> to choose from, you\u2019re sure to find the best psychics<\/a> for you. Call one of our trusted and accurate psychics<\/a> today! Confidential and secure, real psychics<\/a>, accurate predictions, 100% guaranteed.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"