Origin of Halloween

The name "Halloween" derives from Hallowe'en, a variation for "All Hallow's Eve," called as such because it is the day before the Catholic celebrated All Saints day. "Hallow" being defined as something sacred or holy, while "een" is a shorten version for evening. Halloween was   referred to as All Saints' Eve, after the reinterpretation by christian missionaries of northern european pagan traditions (as was Christmas and Easter, also originally pagan celebration days).  Halloween, as part of modern day celebrations, is known as the Day of the Dead, for Wiccans and other pagan worshippers, whereas it's religious conotations have become more subtle as a secular celebration within the major western societies.  Originally Halloween was refered to as Samhain (pronounced: sow-en), an ancient celtic pagan festival of the dead.  The Celts (pronounced: Kelts) lived more than 2,000 years ago in what is now Great Britain, Ireland, and France. It is considered the most significant day of the Celtic year, with their new year beginning on November 1.  In the Celtic belief system, transitions of time such as between one day and the next, and especially from one year to the next where it was seen to have the most significance in it's influence. This was the time when the borders between the natural & supernatural worlds were at its thinnest, and the dead could communicate with the living. The feast of Samhain was a time where the normal order in the universe was suspended. with the barriers between the realms being temporarily removed (MacCane, Celtic Mythology, p. 127).  The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og, however, sometimes it was believed that they would go live with the fairies in mounds, called sidhe (pronounced: shee), in the Irish and Scottish countryside.  The Celts believed in gods, giants, monsters, witches, spirits, and elves, and were considered  dangerous, as they were often considered hostile and menacing, being resentful of humans taking over lands they thought were theirs. On the night of Samhain, fairies would trick humans to become lost in the fairy mounds, where they would be trapped forever. Divination practices were associated with Samhain, particularly regarding marriage, weather, and the coming fortunes for the year. Ducking for apples was a marriage divination. The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be. In Scotland , people would place stones or nuts in the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night. Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be destined to die during the coming year.Halloween is filled with different kinds of pagan characters, black cats were believed by the Druids to be evil spirits, friends of witches, and even witches themselves. Some witches are worshipers of the spirits of the earth. They believe that the whole earth is the giver of life and has power to give and take away life from humans. Scary masks were worn by the Celts to scare away evil spirits. The jack-o-lantern was used for the same purpose, although a turnip was originally used. At the Druid Festival for Samhain, involved bon fires used for sacrifices of animals and crop, the orange and black colors characteristic of the celebration are derived from the orange flames glowing in the dark.    What does the bible (New Living Translation) say about the things mentioned above? Deu 18:13, "But you must be blameless before the Lord your God."  Deu 18:14, "The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things."Deu 18:10-11, "For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft,or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead."  1Co 10:21-22, "You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than He is?"  2Ki 21:5-6, "He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger."Eph. 5:11, "Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them."  Rom. 13:12, "The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living."  If you recognize that we are spiritual beings, in physical bodies, then the above information will serve to remind us the decision we have to make in returning the Love, Our Father has provided us, as stated in John 3:16-17. Our society increasingly places an emphasis on those things which are of darkness, deception, death, the very things which go against what Our God desires for us. May this serve for you to seek your Creator's Good Will and Plans for your life.  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11 God bless you!