THE TRUE MEANING..........

HALLOWEEN

Now when we get geared up for hallowee, we look for the costumes and buy sweets to hand out to the cute childrean all dressed up when they knock on our doors. We carve out the pumpkins and make everything as spooky as we possibly can. We have commercialised all our major holidays and Halloween is no different. When we have our big parties or send our children out knocking on doors begging for candy, we are just following what we have been told is the right thing, like sheep. We have either forgotten or have never been educated on the true meaning of halloween.

Halloween has been known by many different names over the centuries. The first name was Samhain (sow-an or sow-in) which derived from the Old Irish Samuin meaning "summer's end". Samhain was the first and by far the most important of the four quater days in the medievil Irish and Scottish calendar, and falling on the last day of Autumn, it was time to take stock and prepare for the cold winters ahead. Samhain was the time of year when the physical and supernatural wolds were the closest and magical things could happen, you could feel the power. The Gaels built huge bonfires and invoked the help of the gods through animal and perhaps human sacrifice, these bonfires were symbolically regenerative and were meant to ward off the spirits.

The Celts believed that the normal laws of space and time were held in abeyance during this time, allowing a special window where the spirit world could intermingle with the living. It was a night when the dead could cross the veils and return to the land of the living to celebrate with their family, or clan. As such, the great burial mounds of Ireland were lit up with torches lining the walls, so the spirits of the dead could find their way.

Out of this ancient tradition comes one of our most famous icons of the holiday: the Jack-o-lantern. Originating from Irish folkfore, the Jack-o-lantern was used as a light for the lost soul of Jack, a notorious trickster, stuck between worlds. Jack is said to have tricked the devil into a trunk of a tree and by carving an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, he trapped the devil there. His pranks denied him access to Heaven, and having angered the devil also to Hell, so Jack was a lost soul, trapped between worlds. As a consolation, the devil gave him a sole ember to light his way through the darkness between worlds.

Originally in Ireland turnips were carved out and candles placed inside as lanterns lit to help guide Jack’s lost spirit back home. Hence the term: Jack-o-lanterns. Later, when immigrants came to the new world, pumpkins were more readily available, and so the carved pumpkins carrying a lit candle served me function.

With christian influences Samhain became All Hallow's Eve, the night before All Saints day. These became a time for honouring the saints and praying for the recently departed who had yet to reach heaven. By the end of the 12th century they had become days of holy obligation across Europe and involved such traditions as ringing bells for the souls in purgatory and "souling", the custom of baking bread or soul cakes for "all crysten [ christened ] souls". It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints Day, and All Hallow's Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving onto the next world. To avoid being recognised by a soul, Christians would wear masques and costumes to disguise themselves, following the lighted candles set by others to guide their travel for worship the next day. Today, this practice has been perpetuated through trick-or-treating.

Halloween lost its true meaning a very long time ago, now it is about scary monsters and candy, lollies sweets or treats. This day has lost it's true meaning along the way, maybe it's time to start re educating ourselves and those we love, or we can simply keep on being sheep.