Author Topic: Halloween Lore and Legends  (Read 63265 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Halloween Lore and Legends
« on: October 24, 2011, 10:46:05 pm »
What is this holiday known as Halloween anyway? According to History.com, it "originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween."

Wikipedia says, it has "origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, whose original spelling was Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)".[1] The name of the festival historically kept by the Gaels and Celts in the British Isles which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".[1][2][3]

However, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English folk lore: "Certainly Samhain was a time for festive gatherings, and medieval Irish texts and later Irish, Welsh, and Scottish folklore use it as a setting for supernatural encounters, but there is no evidence that it was connected with the dead in pre-Christian times, or that pagan religious ceremonies were held." [4]

The Irish myths which mention Samhain were written in the 10th and 11th centuries by Christian monks. This is around 200 years after the Catholic church inaugurated All Saints Day and at least 400 year after Ireland became Christian."
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Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2011, 03:03:52 pm »
What I find interesting now is the number of Catholics who don't want their kids to participate in the holiday because of the "evil" origins or connotations to it.

When I was little, and went to Catholic school, there was never any mention of this, all the kids celebrated Halloween, and the school always had a costume parade, and several of the nuns would participate, and wear costumes.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2011, 11:00:54 pm »
I think it is part of the growing Puritanism of America, Chuck.

It's interesting...Halloween's origins are in the Celtic nature rituals for sure. What people would call "the Pagans". But, the Celts grew to embrace Christianity just a hundred years or so after it started spreading in the Mediterranean. Then, in the 7th century, Pope Gregory the Great decreed that there would be a meeting, or synod, between the Celtic Christians and the Roman Christians ostensibly to decide when Easter would be celebrated. But it turned out that the Roman Christians pretty much took over and forced the Celtic Christians to disband. Ironically, Easter is celebrated according to the Celtic tradition, which means that they won the battle but lost the war. Also, very few people understand how to set the date of Easter each year (and why should the date of Christ's resurection be different from year to year? That's a whole 'nother story!)
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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2011, 11:05:30 pm »
I'm a little sad that my new grandson won't be able to know the joys of celebrating Halloween. My daughter's family is Messianic Jewish, and though they celebrate a lot of holidays, Halloween is not one of them. They celebrate the Jewish holidays religiously and the Christian holidays in a subdued way. But they shun the holidays of other religions and especially those that have pagan roots. Today, my daughter, grandson and I ate at a Tibetan restaurant and as we were leaving I started to spin a prayer wheel. My grandson was in my arms and reached up to spin the wheel too, but my daughter blocked his reach. Shame on me for corrupting my grandson, hehe!!
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Marge_Innavera

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2011, 09:40:01 am »
What I find interesting now is the number of Catholics who don't want their kids to participate in the holiday because of the "evil" origins or connotations to it.

When I was little, and went to Catholic school, there was never any mention of this, all the kids celebrated Halloween, and the school always had a costume parade, and several of the nuns would participate, and wear costumes.

I know what you're talking about, but don't get the impression that it's specifically Catholic. If anything, fundamentalist Protestents seem to be more paranoid about the holiday.

Interestingly, at least one right-wing radio talk show host veddy, veddy much disapproves of Halloween.  Check out the audio at the link below -- it starts out quite sane; an elementary school principal was concerned about the school's Halloween celebration getting too time-consuming.  She was also concerned about "safety issues", which she wasn't specific about. Instead, the school had a Halloween party in the evening to which parents were invited.  

After the principal mentions that there would be trick-or-treating in the classrooms, the interview descends into pure lunacy.  (Not on the principal's part; she was pretty much left holding the phone.)

http://www.trn1.com/102511-laura-ingraham-halloween-in-school


I would have loved to have seen nuns in costumes!    ;D

Marge_Innavera

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2011, 09:50:53 am »
A source for some fun with Halloween:

http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/world/seasonal/halloween.html

Here's a few questions from one of the trivia quizzes.  Some of the questions are easy, some might take a little looking-up:


All of these celebrities were born on Halloween except one; can you tell me which one does not belong?

    River Phoenix
    John Candy
    Michael Landon
    Dan Rather

http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz342248272e1c8.html
The "Monster Mash", often played around the Halloween holiday, was a 1962 novelty song by which of the following groups?

    Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
    "Lord" Paul Bearer and the Grave-Diggers
    David "Doctor" Livingstone and the Tomb-Raiders
    "Sir" Jack O'Lantern and the Pumpkin Smashers


What was the point of the old Scottish Halloween tradition involving a young woman peeling an apple in one long strip and then throwing it over her shoulder?

    It would protect you against miscarriage
    It would protect you from the plague
    It would land in the shape of the number of children she would have
    The peel was believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2011, 09:55:45 am »
I know what you're talking about, but don't get the impression that it's specifically Catholic. If anything, fundamentalist Protestents seem to be more paranoid about the holiday.

I expect you're probably correct about that, though I work with at least one super-Catholic who turns up her nose at Halloween and for just that reason.  :-\

Quote
The "Monster Mash", often played around the Halloween holiday, was a 1962 novelty song by which of the following groups?

    Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers

("It was a graveyard smash!")

 ;D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2011, 10:16:20 am »
I would have loved to have seen nuns in costumes!    ;D

I remember we had a (for the time) "relaxed" order of nuns.  Some wore blue habits while others chose not to.  In general those who didn't wear the habit would dress in costumes.  I remember my kindergarten teacher (Sister Joan) wearing a ghost outfit.

The nuns who wore habits stayed in their habits, but particpated in the day's activities.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2011, 10:32:22 am »
I think tonight I will watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. After all, gotta be prepared for Halloween Night, when the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch and flies through the air to bring toys all the good children.  ;D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: Halloween Lore and Legends
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2011, 12:52:23 pm »
All of these celebrities were born on Halloween except one; can you tell me which one does not belong?

    River Phoenix
    John Candy
    Michael Landon
    Dan Rather



River Phoenix. He died on Halloween. Comes to my mind every year. :-\