Modern Halloween as we know it today is just that - a modernly invented ‘holiday’ combining elements of an earlier American tradition called “Hell Night”, along with a healthy dose of good old “Hollywood” thrown in for good measure. Virtually _all_ American customs associated with Halloween originated right around the 1920’s - 1930’s or so. While there are some vestigial elements from pre-Christian religions in some of the customs (the "apple" traditions - bobbing for apples for example, but that's from the Romans, not the Celts) , the modern costumes, the blood, the gore, the reveling in death and destruction, the candy, even ‘trick or treat’ itself, dates no earlier than 1900’s America. In short, it’s a relatively new phenomenon and represents a mix of cultures, capitalism, and accommodation. Many people seem to associate modern Halloween with three things: The old Celtic New Year’s celebration of Samhain (in asserting that most of Halloween’s customs can be traced to Samhain celebrations); Satanism (asserting that Halloween’s origins are Satanic as evidenced by the many Satanists who use this day to promote their beliefs); and All Saints Day (asserting that the early church established the holiday to “Christianize” Samhain). Upon a more critical examination however, these associations fall more into the categories of wishful thinking and urban legend than actual historical fact. It's simply not a holiday that has close ties to the ancient past, nor does it have some ‘pagan’ antecedent, nor is a continuation of several ancient customs, as some would have one believe. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of researching the various origins, traditions, and, ‘assumed truths’ about Halloween, is sifting through all the data and separating historical _fact_ from historical ‘myth’, ‘(urban) legend’, and fiction. What we find, is that the origin of most Halloween traditions/beliefs comes from latter (historical fiction), rather than the former (historical fact). All three holidays, Halloween, All Saint’s Day, and Samhain share a common date and perhaps a “feeling”, but that’s really about it. Indeed, so much of Halloween “feels” Pagan that attempts to connect those things to ancient Samhain simply “feels right”.
Thanks for sharing your point of view. Every tradition and celebration has deep roots into the depths of human behaviors and beliefs, changing its shape within time. Modern Halloween is a kind of sign of the times ;)
Spanish version available here: ruclips.net/video/mDqCytCgy_8/видео.html
Did you know what is the origin of Halloween? What do you think about the heathen/catholic and, finally, desacralised relation?
Modern Halloween as we know it today is just that - a modernly invented ‘holiday’ combining elements of an earlier American tradition called “Hell Night”, along with a healthy dose of good old “Hollywood” thrown in for good measure. Virtually _all_ American customs associated with Halloween originated right around the 1920’s - 1930’s or so. While there are some vestigial elements from pre-Christian religions in some of the customs (the "apple" traditions - bobbing for apples for example, but that's from the Romans, not the Celts) , the modern costumes, the blood, the gore, the reveling in death and destruction, the candy, even ‘trick or treat’ itself, dates no earlier than 1900’s America. In short, it’s a relatively new phenomenon and represents a mix of cultures, capitalism, and accommodation.
Many people seem to associate modern Halloween with three things: The old Celtic New Year’s celebration of Samhain (in asserting that most of Halloween’s customs can be traced to Samhain celebrations); Satanism (asserting that Halloween’s origins are Satanic as evidenced by the many Satanists who use this day to promote their beliefs); and All Saints Day (asserting that the early church established the holiday to “Christianize” Samhain). Upon a more critical examination however, these associations fall more into the categories of wishful thinking and urban legend than actual historical fact.
It's simply not a holiday that has close ties to the ancient past, nor does it have some ‘pagan’ antecedent, nor is a continuation of several ancient customs, as some would have one believe.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of researching the various origins, traditions, and, ‘assumed truths’ about Halloween, is sifting through all the data and separating historical _fact_ from historical ‘myth’, ‘(urban) legend’, and fiction. What we find, is that the origin of most Halloween traditions/beliefs comes from latter (historical fiction), rather than the former (historical fact).
All three holidays, Halloween, All Saint’s Day, and Samhain share a common date and perhaps a “feeling”, but that’s really about it. Indeed, so much of Halloween “feels” Pagan that attempts to connect those things to ancient Samhain simply “feels right”.
Thanks for sharing your point of view. Every tradition and celebration has deep roots into the depths of human behaviors and beliefs, changing its shape within time. Modern Halloween is a kind of sign of the times ;)