THE REAL HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN BEGINS WITH SAMHAIN!
The blog you are about to read was researched, organized, and laid out with information that may be offensive to some readers. The analysis compiled here was not gathered out of judgment, malice or grievance toward any group or person. The information gathered here was intended for research and discovery purposes only.
What Exactly Were The Samhain Festivals,
All-Hallow Eve (Mass)
and Alfablot (Blot)?
Many traditions we follow today originated from dark and secretive roots . One such seemingly harmless celebration is Halloween. A day people dress up, party, give candy to small children, and watch scary movies all night.
Did you know: Many Halloween traditions such as wearing costumes, carving pumpkins and telling scary stories, originated from an ancient festival called, Samhain?
Yes, unfortunately it’s all true.
Even the tradition of carving pumpkins was practiced by ancient Celts centuries ago. Though, they did not carve scary faces into pumpkins, they used turnips instead.
Eventually, Halloween, the day we currently associate with ghost, witches and goblins was commemorated into the Christian Church as Allhallowtide?
I repeat, Halloween, the day many associate with all things dark, is currently a celebration that many Christian sects traditionally celebrate as, “All- Hallows Eve”?
Allhallowtide is a time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all faithful departed Christians.
Ezekiel 22: 26- 29 “’Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can’t tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there’s no difference between right and wrong. They’re contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level.
According to, “History.com” the first night of Samhain (Halloween), October 31st, became All Hallows Day/Evening, the night before saints were venerated. That name eventually morphed into Halloween, and it became the time when Christians could turn the supernatural symbolism and rituals of Samhain into spooky fun.”
Samhain (was pronounced SAH-win)
Okay, Trick or Treating – it seems harmless enough, but it is said to have derived from ancient Irish and Scottish practices. It was
performed in the nights leading to All Saints’ Day, and according to Wikipedia, it evolved from a tradition whereby people impersonated the spirits, or the souls of the dead, and received offerings on their behalf.
In Ireland, people practiced a tradition called mumming.
This involved putting on costumes, going door to door and
singing songs to the dead.
Halloween becomes a Holy Day!
Halloween is sometimes spelled Hallowe’en, reflecting the fact that it’s name comes from a shortening of Allhallows Even. Allhallows is another name for a Christian holiday known as All Saints’ Day.
Did you know: in Allhallows Even- even actually means the same thing as eve—which is the evening or day before a holiday; according to Dictionary.com
Mark 7:7-9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
Black and Orange – The traditional colors of the holiday also traces back to the Celtic festival of Samhain.
Today, the term ‘Celtic’ generally refers to the languages and cultures of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany; also called the Celtic nations.
For the Celts, black represented the “death” of summer;
while orange symbolized the Autumn harvest Season.
Celts believed that on the night before the new year October 30th, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
This all began with a collection of Indo-European people who were originally from Anatolia (Turkey) and Central Europe, later known as Celts. They became the Gauls, the Britons, the Gaels of Britain and Ireland, the Boii, Celtiberians, Gallaeci, and Picts.
All Hallows Eve and All Saints’ Day celebrations were also called, All Hallows or All-Hallowmas (from Middle English)
Al Halow-Messe meaning All Saints Day (traditionally celebrated November 1st), with the night before (the eve) being celebrated on October 31st.
1st Corinthians 10:21 Brethren, do not participate in any activity at the table of demons because it is forbidden.
In the past
According to the Druid tradition, which included the ancient festival of Samhain (Gaelic). It meant the transition into the new year. For them, it marked the end of the fall harvest and the beginning of winter. Celtic people believed that during this time, spirits walked the earth. Later, Christian missionaries introduced All Souls’ Day, November 2nd, in addition to October 31st and November 1st, which aided in perpetuating the idea of the living coming into contact with the dead around the same time of year.
Who were the Druids?
The Druids were a religious and social order that flourished from the 4th century BC to the 2nd century AD. Their religious traditions can, however, be traced back to at least 3000 BC. They mainly occupied the Island of Britain, Ireland, and parts of northern Gaul (modern day France).
Druids were members of a high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. They were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lore-keepers, even medical and political advisors. While they were reported to have been literate, it appears there is no written documentation revealing their secrets. It was said that they were forbidden to record their knowledge. What little we do know came from other cultures such as the Greeks and Romans.
The Druids (the high priest of the ancient Celts) were said to use a wide range of spells and incantations, as well as sacred sites and natural phenomena, to perform their magic rituals.
Jubilees 22:16 -18 And do thou, my son Jacob, remember my words, And observe the commandments of Abraham, thy father: Separate thyself from the nations, And eat not with them: And do not according to their works, And become not their associate;
For their works are unclean, And all their ways are a Pollution and an abomination and uncleanness. 17) They offer their sacrifices to the dead And they worship evil spirits, And they eat over the graves, And all their works are vanity and nothingness. 18) They have no heart to understand And their eyes do not see what their works are,
Samhain– welcomed in the Fall harvest and ushered in the “dark half of the year.”
The Druids celebrated this change in season with the Samhain (or Samhuinn) festival on October 31st and November 1st. Samhain meant “time of the little sun” or “end of the warm season.”
The period of time that began at Halloween, Celtics believed, was the dark half of two seasons. The dark half would begin with the arrival of Samhain. It was greeted with a festival that marked the first day of the Celtic year and celebrated the transition between the real world and the Other-world.
The Druid religion or Celtic spirituality, was practiced by ancient Celts from the far north. They celebrated “Samhain,” as an ancient festival. Today we celebrate it as Halloween. Some say, however, that these ancient tribes worshiped Samhain as the, “lord of darkness.” During this time they (the Celts) populated most of Ireland and many areas around Europe.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Today Allhallowtide is a universal Christian celebration beginning on October 31st. It has become a three day celebration to commemorate the dead. Beginning on October 31st, “Allhallowtide,” followed by November 1st, “All Saints Day,” And ending with November 2nd “All Souls Day” a day used to pray for souls trapped in the fires of purgatory.
Catholicism teaches that all who die in God’s grace and friendship are still imperfect and must undergo a process of purification after death. A process the Catholic Church refers to as purgatory, “so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter into the joy of heaven.
Traditionally In the past, the night before Samhain was called All-Hallows Eve, eventually becoming Halloween. During this time, many believed that the veil which separated the living and the dead, merged in a way that allowed the dead to enter into the physical plain. Another custom records that in order to protect themselves, and to prevent, recently deceased, disembodied spirits from recognizing enemies who were still among the living, they wore costumes to disguise their identities.
According to Irish mythology, Samhain (like Bealtaine it’s opposite) was a time when the doorways between the worlds (living and the dead) were opened, allowing supernatural beings, and the souls of the dead to roam among us.
Bealtaine
Bealtaine was a celebration which in the Celtic language, defined, “the fires of Bel!” The first day which they referred to as “May Beltane,” or “Bel may,” referred to the Celtic sun god.
Universally observed by the Christian church on October 31st, this has become a vigil where worshipers prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day. After the services, there are usually festivities and entertainment, followed by a visit to the cemetery where flowers and candles are often placed in preparation for All Saints Day, November 1st (the feast day). It is followed by ‘All Soul Day,’ which they celebrate the following day on November 2nd. These days hold special importance within the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church and Evangelical Lutheran Churches.
Alfablot
The álfablót (or the Elven sacrifice) is a pagan Scandinavian sacrifice to the elves towards the end of autumn, when the crops had been harvested and the animals were most fat. Unlike the great blots at Uppsala and Mære, the álfablót was a local celebration at the homesteads that was mainly administered by the woman of the household. Nothing is known about the particular rites because they were surrounded by secrecy and strangers were not welcome to the homesteads during the celebrations.
However, since the elves were collective powers with a close connection to ancestors and fertility, it is possible that the álfablót involved ancestor worship and the life force of the family. It also appears that Odin was implied and that the master of the household was called Ǫlvir when administering the rites. The first element of Ǫlvir means “beer”, which was an important element in Norse pagan sacrifices
Deuteronomy 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Hallowmas was later established by Pope Gregory III (731- 741)
becoming an obligation throughout the Frankish (French) Empire made by Louis the Pious in 835 CE.
Adilo of Cluny, the fifth Benedictine Abbot, who held this post for almost 54 years, implemented the famous day of the year used to pray for the dead believed to be in purgatory. The day observed currently as “All Souls Day” November 2nd.
Today this Triduum (three day celebration) consist of All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. Celebrated October 31st thru November 2nd Since the late 20th century Celtic Neo pagans and even Wiccans observe Samhain.
In Catholicism, a Triduum is a period of three days which mark a significant event.
1st Timothy 4: 1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
According to Old English, hallow means holy and tide means time or season
On the other side,
Bealtaine (Gaelic), a Summer festival for the living was
celebrated on May 1st, while Samhain was a festival which essentially
celebrated the dead, held on October 31st.
Bealtaine also a Druid or Celtic god, whose name meant
the ‘fires of Bel,’ was celebrated in recognition of summer
and the fertility of the coming year. The festival was
commemorated by bonfires, maypoles, dancing and
performing fertility rituals. Bealtaine pronounced
beel-too-win, the Celtic god of fire and light (Belenos)
meant bright or shinning, and was the Celtic sun god. (Bel,
Beli, Belinus)
Did you know: Bel, also known as Baal, was a prominent male deity worshiped in the ancient near East, particularly during the time of the Old Testament. The name Bel during that time meant “lord” or “master” in various Semitic languages, namely the Babylonian and Assyrian tongue.
The cult of Belenus at one time, stretched from the Italian Peninsula to the British Isles
Jubilees 22 :18
And how they err in saying to a piece of wood (the cross): ‘Thou art my god,’ And to stone : ‘Thou art my lord and thou art my deliverer,’ [And they have no heart]
The significance of the maypole dance is to celebrate or encourage fertility. The tree or pole can be considered a phallic or masculine symbol. The flowers and ribbons can be considered beautiful and feminine symbols.
According to Julius Caesar, after Rome invaded Gaul (modern France) the emperor noted the groups (the Druids) interest in astronomy,
education, and valor. He also mention how they often
sacrificed fellow Gauls to gain the favor of their gods by
using wicker men stuffed with live men and set on fire.
Pliny the Elder wrote of the Druids, “To murder a man
was to do the act of highest devoutness, ”he wrote, “and to eat his flesh was to secure the highest blessings of health.
Tacitus even described a battle in Wales in which the
Druids “[covered] their alters with the blood of captives and
[consulted] their deities through human entrails.”
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Leviticus 19:26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
Ancient ruins of a Druid temple
The Druids were members of the learned class among the
ancient Celts. They acted as priests, teachers and judges.
The earliest known records of Druids come from the third
century BCE. which states that they once lived in ancient Britain, Ireland and France.
According to Britannica: Roman writers also stated that the Druids offered human sacrifices for those who were gravely sick or in danger of death in battle. Huge wickerwork images were filled with living men and then burned; although the Druids preferred to sacrifice criminals, they would choose innocent victims if necessary.
In Catholic theology, November 1st commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. In Methodist theology, All Saints Day revolves around “giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints,” it including those who are “famous or obscure”.
According to the Catholic Apostate Center, On November 2nd of each year, Catholics observe the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, also known as All Souls Day. We are encouraged to pray for the dead and to remember our loved ones who have gone before us. Our prayers for these souls assist in expediting the “process of purification.” The Church recognizes that few people achieve perfection in this life (after all, we are human!), and therefore, go to the grave with remaining traces of sinfulness; a period of purification is necessary to prepare the soul to join God.
Did you know: that many witches and pagans celebrate the Spanish holiday of Día de los Muertos, especially those interested in ancestral veneration. The dates align closely with Samhain and also marks the end of the harvest and the honoring of the dead; creating a very interesting cultural parallel.
Ephesians 5: 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
