Holidays and religion

[Psycheinaboat]

Since we have members from so many beliefs and backgrounds, I wondered what many of you thought about Christians, and possibly people of other faiths, celebrating holidays rooted in very different beliefs.

I am in the U.S. and there has been some debate about holidays like Christimas, Halloween, and Easter that have very pagan roots being so popular among Christians. Some of you may know of other holidays, perhaps in other countries, that bring up issues like this.

[okmit]

Since we have members from so many beliefs and backgrounds, I wondered what many of you thought about Christians, and possibly people of other faiths, celebrating holidays rooted in very different beliefs.

I am in the U.S. and there has been some debate about holidays like Christimas, Halloween, and Easter that have very pagan roots being so popular among Christians. Some of you may know of other holidays, perhaps in other countries, that bring up issues like this.

I'm a little confused?A pagan has no religious affiliations.Are you wondering if other religions have bastardized their sacred anniversaries with things such as Santa Clause,or the Easter Bunny?Hmm.?

[subterranean]

I have read that many Christians holidays actully developed from pagan's traditions. I have an article about Halloween at home and I'll try to post the summary later to share with you all.

[Sabin Stargem]

If I remember right, Christianity sometimes adopts local customs and traditions in order to become integrated and familiar to converts. Also, economics may have to do with this: the tradition of Christmas and other holidays are beneficial to those who have vested interest in selling something - hence, they support them via advertising of various sorts.

[Pendragon]

I have read that many Christians holidays actully developed from pagan's traditions. I have an article about Halloween at home and I'll try to post the summary later to share with you all.

I am in the U.S. and there has been some debate about holidays like Christimas, Halloween, and Easter that have very pagan roots being so popular among Christians. Some of you may know of other holidays, perhaps in other countries, that bring up issues like this.
I dread this, because I just know that this post is going to make me some enemies, and I try to be at peace with all men. Both of these posts are quite right. Neither has anything to do with Christianity as it is now, however. It was way back when the catholic church first started to convert the various pagan people. The people wished to accept the new faith, but years of traditional feasts and celebrations are not so easily erased. The 25th of December was the Sun God's birthday. Since no one knows for certain when Christ was born, the church adopted the 25th of December as The Son of God's birthday, The Mass of Jesus Christ, Christmas. Nothing wrong at all with that. We don't know when He was born, so having a day set aside to mark that momentous occassion can have no wrong. The people celebrated October 31 as a feast day. The church declared November 1 as All Souls Day, a day to pray for all souls. The evening before, October 31, was then All Souls Eve. Again, prayer for all souls cannot be termed wrong in any way, and setting it on that date was fine. The celebration of the goddes Estore (there are various spellings) was to celebrate the arrival of spring. All we know is that Christ arose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week, and was crucified on Friday. So the church named that Sunday Easter, aptly, I believe, since it means "bringing forth new life." Thus by setting dates for things that no one knew when they took place, or special pray days on the days that pagans held their feasts, peace was restored. The people could embrace the new religion and still celebrate the old feasts, but for a new reason. To anyone I may have offended, I appologize in advance. And to any Catholic scholar, if I have erred, please correct me, but this is what I have found in my studies. A brilliant way out of a sticky situation.

[okmit]

If it is not Apostolic it is not Christian.Christianity doesn't adopt to any customs or traditions that are contrary to the doctrine.There is ethnic differences that are practiced in compliance with the celebration of Holy Day Feasts,but I assure you Halloween is not a Christian Holy Day.
A pagan convert that retains a pagan practice is still converting.Hmm.?

[Sabin Stargem]

Religious institutions don't always need a truely complete conversion if it suits the purpose. Some individuals in socities that don't support a favorable religion may wield the influence that is needed to convert the whole populance to a new way of thinking. Many religions desire to have these influential people work in their name, even if these people don't believe in the religion as a whole.

Merchants, political figures, and so on probably have their respective reasons for maintaining traditional beliefs, festivals, and so they offer the conversion of the locals, provided some condtions are met. Also, the converted people themselves can probably manage to preserve their holidays and such, depending upon location, populance, and their value.

[okmit]

Religious institutions don't always need a truely complete conversion if it suits the purpose. Some individuals in socities that don't support a favorable religion may wield the influence that is needed to convert the whole populance to a new way of thinking. Many religions desire to have these influential people work in their name, even if these people don't believe in the religion as a whole.

Merchants, political figures, and so on probably have their respective reasons for maintaining traditional beliefs, festivals, and so they offer the conversion of the locals, provided some condtions are met. Also, the converted people themselves can probably manage to preserve their holidays and such, depending upon location, populance, and their value.

What Religious instituition knows how complete a conversion is and to what purpose would it serve to have ignorant disciples?

Merchants(money changers),and politicians(ceasar)that USE religion to further their ends are in conflict with doctrine.

A convert is not a convert if they do not convert ,and to worship in any manner that conflicts with doctrine means you excommunicate yourself.

you may find www.forum18 an www.voiceofthemartyrs interesting?

[Psycheinaboat]

I just thought this would be an interesting topic. Because so many here have been able to handle religious discussions in a respectful and polite manner, I figured we could discuss this.

Whoever it was who said that Christians had adulterated or "stolen" pagan holidays has a point, although that is not the point I was trying to make. I was just bringing about an interesting topic.

***


Religious institutions don't always need a truely complete conversion if it suits the purpose. Some individuals in socities that don't support a favorable religion may wield the influence that is needed to convert the whole populance to a new way of thinking. Many religions desire to have these influential people work in their name, even if these people don't believe in the religion as a whole.

I agree Sabin. In some cultures were polytheism was/is practiced, the Catholic saints have been blended so well with the local gods that it is easy for the Catholic Church to claim the region. I think Haiti is one such place.

Whether they are truly Catholic or not could be questioned, but I am sure the church has power in these places because of its presence.

[okmit]

I just thought this would be an interesting topic. Because so many here have been able to handle religious discussions in a respectful and polite manner, I figured we could discuss this.

Whoever it was who said that Christians had adulterated or "stolen" pagan holidays has a point, although that is not the point I was trying to make. I was just bringing about an interesting topic.

***



I agree Sabin. In some cultures were polytheism was/is practiced, the Catholic saints have been blended so well with the local gods that it is easy for the Catholic Church to claim the region. I think Haiti is one such place.

Whether they are truly Catholic or not could be questioned, but I am sure the church has power in these places because of its presence.

Are you talking about voodoo?

[Psycheinaboat]

Are you talking about voodoo?

I was unsure of my original comment because I had come across the info. on a program on TLC that discussed this issue in depth using many cultural examples, but touched only a little on Haiti.

I don't have time to do thorough searches right now, but here is a link I found easily that might help you...

http://countrystudies.us/haiti/33.htm

[okmit]

I was unsure of my original comment because I had come across the info. on a program on TLC that discussed this issue in depth using many cultural examples, but touched only a little on Haiti.

I don't have time to do thorough searches right now, but here is a link I found easily that might help you...

http://countrystudies.us/haiti/33.htm

They consider themselves Roman Catholic,but the Roman Catholic church does not recognize them.They have no delegates,Bishops,Cardinals,Metropolitans,or accepted liturgical practices.
Check out ZENIT on line,it is the voice of the Vatican.

[Pendragon]

There is ethnic differences that are practiced in compliance with the celebration of Holy Day Feasts,but I assure you Halloween is not a Christian Holy Day.
And please note that I never said it was. It is Novemeber 1 that is All Souls Day, also called All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day. The night before came to been known, (not CELEBRATED, but KNOWN) as All Souls Eve, All Saints Eve, or All Hallows Eve--thus using the general practice of shorting things it became KNOWN as Halloween. Actually it is one of the four sabbats (excuse me if I misspelled that) for witches...

[querida]

The 25th of December was the Sun God's birthday. Since no one knows for certain when Christ was born, the church adopted the 25th of December as The Son of God's birthday, The Mass of Jesus Christ, Christmas.

Interesting Pendragon.... I had no idea.
So can one not figure out his date of birth trough the date of the census issued by Caesar... or at least have a general idea of it (month)?
I guess it doesn't really matter.... I'm just wondering if you know of any research on finding the "true" date of birth of Jesus?

I think it's so funny, I never even questioned his date of birth. It's something that's been around for so long, one just accepts it as true. I mean, what would it be like to have Christmas in April? or September?
The traditions would be completely different.

And another thing.... since Santa Claus comes from St Nicholas (what I heard, correct me if I'm wrong) who's celebrated on the 6th of december, a date close to Christmas. (Here in Belgium, St Nicholas is bigger than Santa Claus, the 6th of december is when everyone get the presents and stuff. Christmas is a family time, you might get a sweater or something for your grandma.) ... back to the dates being close..... If Christmas was celebrated in August... it makes you wonder.... would Santa Claus still be who he is today??

I hope this isn't too confusing; and most of you will understand... I am lacking sleep right now.

[subterranean]

I read that Hallowen was actually established to match Hallo day (day for saints). I'll get back to this later as the article is at home.

And too add Pendrago's previous post, religious holidays rooted in pagan or local culture tradition, is not only apply to Christianity. In my country, Islam-the biggest religion, also has several holidays which are mixed with local traditions and cultures. Some animistic beliefs were trasnformed and modifed to suit Islamic teachings. This, of course, is a result of the effort to smoothen the preachings very long time ago.

[Nightshade]

hummm well I feel a need to stick my oar in so
first Easter-- In egypt there is a festival called sham el nesime (smell the breeze?) its actually an anceent egyptien gfestivel that despite occupations and different religons is still very much celebrated coming of spring and all that probably because spring is filled with smelly sandstorms so spring comes when you smell it?? Anyway he point was that is on the monday after easter sunday.
Christmas-- Well Not being a christian so not definet why but I do know the coptic (sorry if thats missspelt) celebrate it on the 7th or the 8th of January
Santa Claus_- Isnt he quite modern in fact came from a shop in New york at the begining of last centuary???
Islam-- Now that is one I can talk about and yes in some places they do things liker celebrate the birth of mohmmed which was basiclly an adaptation of christmas really to my mind at least anyways but cttually I do know the history of that it was when the fattimeen came to egypt they decided it should be celebrated actually thats wrong it was the lot after them and before the abbisyeen (ottamans).
Actually come to think of it was the first recorded christmas celebration in 365AD( or somthing close to that) in Alexandria?? At least thats what my egyptien history books woul;d have me thinck anyway

[Pendragon]

Interesting Pendragon.... I had no idea.
So can one not figure out his date of birth trough the date of the census issued by Caesar... or at least have a general idea of it (month)?
I guess it doesn't really matter.... I'm just wondering if you know of any research on finding the "true" date of birth of Jesus?

I think it's so funny, I never even questioned his date of birth. It's something that's been around for so long, one just accepts it as true. I mean, what would it be like to have Christmas in April? or September?
The traditions would be completely different.

And another thing.... since Santa Claus comes from St Nicholas (what I heard, correct me if I'm wrong) who's celebrated on the 6th of december, a date close to Christmas. (Here in Belgium, St Nicholas is bigger than Santa Claus, the 6th of december is when everyone get the presents and stuff. Christmas is a family time, you might get a sweater or something for your grandma.) ... back to the dates being close..... If Christmas was celebrated in August... it makes you wonder.... would Santa Claus still be who he is today??

I hope this isn't too confusing; and most of you will understand... I am lacking sleep right now.Well, the promblem lies with calanders. The dates have changed over the years due to adaptation of different calanders. And the Jewish months were different than our standard months. I have heard several different efforts to pinpoint the exact date, but they vary widely depending on who is doing the research and what they use as a starting point. I have, oddly enough, heard April mentioned as a possible time. But as you say, it doesn't matter. In the Bible, He never said to remember His birth, but in the taking of the Eucharist, to "shew forth my death till I come." As for Saint Nicholas, that Godly man has little to do with the jolly fat man in the red suit dreamed up by American cartoonist Thomas Nast. And Christmas customs vary from place to place. Some celebrate 12th night, January 6, exactly 12 days from Christmas. Don't quote me on this but I think this represents the day Christ was Circumcised.

:wave:

[querida]

I think... according to Jewish tradition, Jesus was circumcised 8 days after birth.
January 6th is Epiphany:

A Christian feast intended to celebrate the 'shining forth' or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus. This feast was initially based on, and viewed as a fulfillment of, the Jewish Feast of Lights.
The West decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25. The East continued to treat January 6 as the day marking Jesus's birth. This has given rise in the west to the notion of a twelve-day festival, starting on December 25, and ending on January 6, called the twelve days of Christmas (a partridge in a pear tree!)

In Europe (well at least in Belgium, don't know about the rest) and Latin America, Epiphany is called "the day of the kings" and is concidered the day when the 3 kings came to give gifts and worship Jesus.

[subterranean]

Ok, I have read a little about Halloween. According to The Encyclopedia of Religion, Halloween or also called as Allhallows Eve (celebrated on 31-October), is a afestival celebrated prior to the Christian Feast of All Saints (All Saints' Day, celebrated on 1-November by some churches/denominations). This celebration is rooted from Celtic cultures of the Brittish Isles. In this day, it is believed that the barriers between the world of the livings and the world the deaths were broken, thus the deaths can "visit" the livings and humans, on the other hand, can penetrate to the world of the gods and supranatural creatures.

Other ancient Celtic's tradition and festive which were transformed by the Brittish Church are the winter soltice (Christmas)and spring fertility rites (Easter).

And I did extra readings last night on God's festivals recorded in the Bible. Some of them are:

Feast on Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8; Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12, Luke 2:41-42, 22:1,7; Acts 20: 6,1)
Feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-22; Acts 2:1-21, 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8)
Passover (Leviticus 23:5; Matthew 26:2, 17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 2:41-42)

There are many other festivals recorded in the Bible, unfortunately I don't have time to list all of them at the momment.

[okmit]

I believe the difference in the dates is due to the changes in the Julian calendar by Pope Gregory(Gregorian calendar.) The Orthodox continue celebrate by the Julian.
September...Sept, 7...in the 9th.month...Hmm?

[Pendragon]

I think... according to Jewish tradition, Jesus was circumcised 8 days after birth.
January 6th is Epiphany:

Correct, 8 days after birth was the traditional time for circumcising Hebrew male children, what was I thinking? Thank you for the correction. Even much study can still leave one with much to learn. Only a fool thinks he or she knows everything. :nod:

[Pendragon]

A suggestion which may help and allow you to draw your own conclusions. Go to Google, type in "Origins of Holidays" and browse the sites. I say no more on the matter than this. "Seek and ye shall find."

[papayahed]

Correct, 8 days after birth was the traditional time for circumcising Hebrew male children, what was I thinking? Thank you for the correction. Even much study can still leave one with much to learn. Only a fool thinks he or she knows everything. :nod:


I had to dust off my brain for this one, but I think January 6 (Epiphany) also is believed to be the day that the Three Kings showed up and presented the gifts to Jesus.

[Koa]

Yep, epiphany is that... it's a holiday here...no school, etc.

But is Halloween a religious holiday??? I dont understand what it has to do with Christmas and Easter... Xmas and Easter might have a pagan origin but that was substituted by the christian holiday... that is, they chose 25th December cos for the Romans it was some kind of celebration...or stuff. But Halloween?:confused: Btw, what the hell is Halloween after all? Here it's just a consumistic party taken from anglosaxon cultures, for which it has an old origin rooted in the paganism yes... but..:confused:

[Koa]

Uhm ok sub's post above pretty much sums the thing up...still...it has nothing religious left, cos the religious day is the next one...

[tiny explorer]

I think there are holidays that regards religion.and there are which religion doesn't make any sense at....didi I made my point or not? haha...Excuse me if I don't make such sense! :brickwall

[DTrent]

Actually, 1st century Christians did not celebrate anything except the Lord's Evening Meal. It is the only celebration authorized by God but is not considered a 'holiday'. All other holidays & celebrations (Xmas, Easter, etc.) are not Scriptural hence are not celebrated by true Christians today.

[yellowfeverlime]

DId any1 even get this?
I am not really sure...ppls here seem undecisive...

[yellowfeverlime]

huh? this is the wrong thread... o well, i didn't mean to post on this one
oops

[emily655321]

Thank you, yellowfeverlime, for inadvertantly unearthing this thread. :D I have a couple pieces of clarification.


I'm a little confused?A pagan has no religious affiliations.
pagan
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin paganus, from Latin, civilian, country dweller, from pagus country district; akin to Latin pangere (to fix)
1 : HEATHEN 1; especially : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)
(from Merriam-Webster Online (http://www.m-w.com/).)

I dug out my old favorite book, Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060960930/qid=1133379666/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-0692364-5101406?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by Charles Panati, as my dubious reference material.

The traditions passed on for a given holiday do not always correspond to the precise date they've been assigned. For instance, Easter. In the story of Easter, Jesus comes to Jerusalem for Passover, and is crucified, I think, two days later? A week later? I can't remember. It's in the spring because Passover is in the spring, but for years it didn't have an exact date. At the Council of Nicea in A.D.325, it was decreed that Easter should always fall on "the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox." (It was also at this time that the decision was made to make the cross/crucifix the symbol of Christianity.) When Christian missionaries reached the lands north of the Roman Empire, they discovered that the pagan peoples there already had a spring celebration, centering around the goddess Eostre/Eastre/Estore (as Pen said, spellings vary. Gutenburg wasn't born yet)—origin of the name "Esther," anybody?—Anyway, I'll quote Panati, because I like his explanation:

Whenever possible, the missionaries did not interfere too strongly with entrenched customs. Rather, quietly—and often ingeniously—they attempted to transform pagan practices into ceremonies that harmonized with Christian doctrine. There was a very practical reason for this. Converts publicly partaking in a Christian ceremony—and on a day when no one else was celebrating—were easy targets for persecution. But if a Christian rite was staged on the same day as a long-observed heathen one, and if the two modes of worship were not glaringly different, then the new converts might live to make other converts.
Flying under the radar, as it were. The pagan tradition had its biggest celebration on May Day, which was all about fertility and young pagan couples going off into the woods together to "collect flowers," and good stuff like that. This is where we get the symbols of Easter eggs and the Easter bunny; rabbits and eggs=ancient fertility symbols.

Christmas is a fun one. The Western traditions have all kinds of traditions mashed together. As far as the speculated historic date of Christ's birth, most historians and theologians believe it to have been sometime in the spring, as Pen mentioned. This is because the story has the shepherds sleeping in the fields with the sheep. The only reason to do this would be if it were lambing time, in the spring. As far as the census goes, there is as yet no historical evidence of such an event having occurred. Here I'll quote Panati again, because it's a pretty cool story:

It is important to note that for two centuries after Christ's birth, no one knew, and few people cared, exactly when he was born ... Christ was divine, and his natural birth was deliberately played down ... the Church even announced that it was sinful to contemplate observing Christ's birthday "as though He were a King Pharaoh."
...

Several renegade theologians, however, attempted to pinpoint the Nativity and came up with a confusion of dates: January 1, January 6, March 25, and May 20. The latter eventually became a favored date [because of the shepherd thing]. What finally forced the issue, and compelled the Church to legitimize a December 25 date, was the burgeoning popularity of Christianity's major rival religion, Mithraism.

On December 25, pagan Romans, still in the majority, celebrated Natalis Solis Invicti, "Birthday of the Invincible Sun God," Mithras. ... By A.D.274, Mithraism was so popular with the masses that Emperor Aurelian proclaimed it the official state religion. In the early 300's, the cult seriously jeopardized Christianity, and for a time it was unclear which faith would emerge victorious.
...

Thus, to offer converts an occasion in which to be pridefully celebratory, the Church officially recognized Christ's birth. And to offer head-on competition to the sun-worshipers' feast, the Church located the Nativity on December 25.
The origin of Santa is a somewhat straightforward one. The legend is indeed based on Saint Nicholas, whose date of death is believed to be December 6, 342. He was the patron saint of sailors, and because of his generosity and love of children, he also became the patron saint of children. Though elsewhere in Europe during the Protestant Reformation he became the secular "Father Christmas," and no longer gave gifts to children, the Dutch retained the tradition of St. Nicholas (Sint Nikolass). The children would leave wooden shoes filled with hay by the fireside for his donkey, in which they would find small gifts on the morning of December 6. When Dutch ships settled in America, Sint Nikolass' name evolved into "Sinterklass," and when the British claimed New Amsterdam and re-named it New York, "Sinterklass" became "Santa Claus."

Though until the 19th century, St. Nick was usually depicted as a tall, thin, dignified bishop (in red and white bishop's robes, complete with pointy hat and staff), the illustrator for the Harper's Weekly magazine, Thomas Nass, created the pot-bellied, red-cheeked, pipe-smoking Santa in 1863. This, in turn, was an image based on the poem "The Night Before Christmas" by Dr. Clement Clark Moore, written in 1822. Moore first introduced the traditions of reindeer, chimney-descending, stockings, and all the rest, in this one poem (although they were undoubtedly already in place in the Moore family and elsewhere before being written down).

Two last, very cool details Panati has to offer, concerning the term "Xmas" and the Christmas tree:

The familiar abbreviation for Christmas originated with the Greeks. X is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Xristos. By the sixteenth century, "Xmas" was popular throughout Europe. Whereas early Christians had understood that the term merely was Greek for "Christ's mass," later Christians, unfamiliar with the Greek reference, mistook the X as a sign of disrespect, an attempt by heathen to rid Christmas of its central meaning. For several hundred years, Christians disapproved of the use of the term. Some still do.
...

The custom of a Christmas tree, undecorated, is believed to have begun in Germany, in the first half of the 700's.

The earliest story relates how British monk and missionary St. Boniface ... was preaching a sermon on the Nativity to a tribe of Germanic Druids outside the town of Geismar. To convince the idolators that the oak tree was not sacred and inviolable, the "Apostle of Germany" felled one on the spot. Toppling, it crushed every shrub in its path except for a small fir sapling ... [L]egend has it that Boniface, attempting to win converts, interpreted the fir's survival as a miracle, concluding, "Let this be called the tree of the Christ Child." Subsequent Christmases in Germany were celebrated by planting fir saplings.
...

It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the sixteenth-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening ... he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
Don't know if this is true, the tree one, since I'd always heard that evergreens were part of pagan winter-solstice celebrations, but an interesting story. I do know that for years, Christmas celebrations were made illegal by the puritan Protestants of America, as was Easter. It wasn't until the 19th century, when European traditions reached America with the immigrants, that we finally "lightened up," so to speak.

And thank goodness we did! :banana::santasmil

P.S. Everyone buy the Panati book! Hehe It's just about the coolest thing ever. I highly recommend it. :nod:

[ChuckBukowski]

That was very interesting, thanks Emily. Anybody have any info on the Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox influences on Christmas?

[Pendragon]

An Addendum to my Halloween post:

HALLOWEEN

It is the spookiest day of the year - Halloween. Each year, most areas of North America and sections of Western Europe celebrate Halloween on the evening of October. 31. Symbolically, the holiday is associated with the haunted domain of the supernatural, death and other spooky demons. However, Halloween has roots that trace all the way back to the ancient cultures. Some of the customs we commonly associate with the holiday, such as Jack-O-Lanterns and bobbing for apples, can be traced back in time to the ancient Romans and Celtic cultures of Eastern and Western Europe.
Primarily, the customs associated with Halloween have been derived from the beliefs of the druids, the Celtic priests of ancient Gaul and Britain. Many of the ancient peoples in Western Europe would celebrate the end of the harvest season with a holiday in late autumn. The most important of these holidays to later influence Halloween customs was the Samhain, which was celebrated by the Celts of Western and Central Europe in the first millennium BC. The Samhain, which occurred on October 31, also marked the beginning of a new year in the ancient Celtic calendar. According to Celtic pagan religion, the druids believed that witches, demons, and spirits roamed the earth on the eve of November 1, which is known as All Saints' Day - a holy day in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. The holiday honors Christian saints and was established by the Catholic Church in the 9th century. The ancient druids used to lite bon fires to ward off evil spirits. In order to protect themselves from the devilish tricks of the evil spirits, the druids would appease the spirits by offering them treats. The druids would also disguise themselves in costumes so the spirits would think that the druids belonged to their own company. This is where the custom of wearing costumes on Halloween, as well as trick-or-treating originated.

When the Romans conquered and later incorporated the Celtic lands into the Roman Empire in the first century AD, the Romans adopted many Celtic traditions, including their religious observances. In Britain, the Romans blended the local Samhain customs with their own pagan harvest festival honoring the goddess of fruit trees, leading some to believe that the game of bobbing for apples derives from the blending these two customs.
As the Roman Empire expanded, so did the customs associated with Samhain. In fact, the holiday was only abandoned in the Middle Ages, when people began converting to Christianity. In fact, Pope Gregory IV sought to replace the pagan-like Samhain with the religious custom of All Saints' Day, followed by All Souls' Day, on Nov.2. All Souls' Day celebrates purifying the spirit of the dead, which is more similar to Halloween. This holiday, which rapidly became popular in France, as well as many of the Samhain customs spread rapidly throughout Europe.
Originally, Halloween was commonly celebrated as a religious holiday meant to scare evil spirits away. People used to dress up as goblins, witches, and ghosts in order to celebrate All Saints' Day without a visit from the evil spirits.
In the United States, the first instance of a Halloween celebration was recorded in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921. New York began celebrating the holiday in 1923 and Los Angeles caught on in 1925.
Other customs associated with Halloween that can be traced back in time include the Jack-O-Lantern. Irish children used to carve out potatoes or turnips and light them for their Halloween gatherings. The commemorated Jack was an wicked Irish villain unwanted by either heaven or hell. Jack wondered the world endlessly looking for a place to rest. Once in America, the Irish began to use pumpkins to celebrate Halloween with a Jack-O-Lantern because pumpkins were easier to carve and could be found in abundance.
The autumn leaves, cornstalks, apples and nuts which are associated with the Halloween season are reminders of the druid's autumn festival in honor of the harvest.

Halloween: is it for you? All Hallows Eve is the evening of October 31st. Religiously, it is the vigil of Hallowmas or All Saints Day, which falls on November 1st and is observed by Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. Many Latin countries still celebrate it as a religious event while other countries such as the United States, Ireland, and Great Britain celebrate it from a different festive perspective.
Popular beliefs trace this day to the Roman harvest festival of Pomona and to Druidism. The ancient Celts called this day Samhain (pronounced Sow-wan), which meant the end of summer (nowadays, with our year divided into four parts, it means the end of autumn), the beginning of winter, and the Celtic New year. In Ireland this festival is Samhein the Feast of the Sun. In ancient Ireland the Druids sacrificed to the gods by burning victims in wicker cages and it was believed to be the best time to communicate with the dead. Many believed that on the eve of this holiday the dead walked amongst the living. The holiday of Feralia was observed by the Romans and thought to bring peace to the dead.

Sacrifices and prayers were made to honor the dead and for lost souls. In the 7th century Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saint's Day, replacing the pagan festival of the dead; this was celebrated on May 12th. Later, Gregory III moved this holiday to November 1st.
In Folklore, many customs are associated with the pagan observance of this holiday:
· Souls of the dead wandering
· Witches
· Spirits
· Devils
· Supernatural powers
· A time to rid your life of faults by writing them down and tossing them in a fire.
· Bonfires on hilltops with a dance performed
· Cakes baked as offerings for the dead
Halloween came to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. Adaptations flourished over the years, and Halloween began to take on many facets, mostly evil and having to do with Satan, witches and ghosts. Churches believed that the gods and goddesses of traditional religions were evil fallacies and images of the devil. The Christian church has long believed that all things associated with Halloween are evil.

On October 31st, children from the British Isles, Canada and the United States of America dress up for Halloween. This is a day of fun and merriment but it was not always so. Halloween comes from a corruption of the words 'all hallow even.' All Hallow’s day is All Saint’s day, which is traditionally celebrated on the 1st of November and the Irish Celts celebrated their new year on the 31st of October.
The Irish Celts believed that on 31st of October, spirits wander the earth in search of new bodies to possess. This led to the belief that if the homes were made inhospitable, spirits were less likely to enter them. So they would extinguish all fires that are burning in the house, candles, fireplace, and the stove. They would also try to make themselves physically undesirable by dressing in costumes and making their faces to look ugly. Like many other old cultures, the Celts believed that spirits are afraid of loud noises. So in their hideous make up and costumes, the Celts would parade around the street, generally making as much noise as possible. This was probably part of the new year’s revelry as well.

This custom would later incorporate another tradition from Europe. On All Souls day, Christians would go door to door begging for “soul cakes.” It was believed that the souls of the day would remain in a state of limbo for a long time before going to heaven. The only way to speed up this process was through prayers said on their behalf. So for each soul cake received, the person promised to say a prayer for the benefactor’s dead relatives. This custom was called “soulling”.
When Irish immigrants hit the shores of America, they brought along their tradition of Halloween. This custom of dressing up evolved from a new year’s celebration and Celtic superstition to what it is today

Source: The Internet

[emily655321]

Cool, Pen. That's very comprehensive. :D Thanks.

Well, we've got the Western traditions ironed out and validated and all, how about other cultural holidays? I'll bring it back to Psycheinaboat's original post:

Since we have members from so many beliefs and backgrounds, I wondered what many of you thought about Christians, and possibly people of other faiths, celebrating holidays rooted in very different beliefs.

I am in the U.S. and there has been some debate about holidays like Christimas, Halloween, and Easter that have very pagan roots being so popular among Christians. Some of you may know of other holidays, perhaps in other countries, that bring up issues like this.
I know someone mentioned that there are ancient cultural traditions incorporated into modern Islamic holidays in their country. I'd like to learn about the history and traditions of holidays in other countries. :nod: Anyone got any?