Halloween Nail Designs Biography
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Halloween
or Hallowe'en a contraction of "All Hallows'Evening") also known as
All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of
countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All
Hallows' Day. It initiates the triduum of Hallowmas, the time in the
liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints
(hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers. According
to many academic scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a Christianized feast
initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, with possible pagan
roots, particularly theGaelic Samhain. Other academic scholars maintain
that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian
roots.
Typical
festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related
"guising"), attending costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into
jack-o'-lanterns, lightingbonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted
attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror
films. Because many Western Christian denominations encourage, although
no longer require, abstinence from meat on All Hallows' Eve, the
tradition of eating certain vegetarian foods for this vigil day
developed, including the consumption of apples, colcannon, cider, potato
pancakes, and soul cakes. Today's Halloween customs are thought to have
been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking
countries, some of which have pagan roots, and others which may be
rooted in Celtic Christianity. Indeed, Jack Santino, an academic
folklorist, writes that "the sacred and the religious are a fundamental
context for understanding Halloween in Northern Ireland, but there as
throughout Ireland an uneasy truce exists between customs and beliefs
associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that
were Irish before Christianity arrived". Historian Nicholas Rogers,
exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists
have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of
fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it
is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain", which comes
from the Old Irish for "summer's end". Samhain was the first and most
important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and
was celebrated inIreland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It was held on
or about 31 October – 1 November and kindred festivals were held at the
same time of year by the Brittonic Celts; for example Calan Gaeaf (in
Wales), Kalan Gwav (in Cornwall) and Kalan Goañv (in Brittany).
Samhain
and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh
literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic
Halloween customs up until the 19th century, and are still the Gaelic
and Welsh names for Halloween. Samhain/Calan Gaeaf marked the end of the
harvest season and beginning of winter or the 'darker half' of the
year. LikeBeltane/Calan Mai, it was seen as a liminal time, when the
spirits or fairies (the Aos Sí) could more easily come into our world
and were particularly active. Most scholars see the Aos Sí as "degraded
versions of ancient gods [...] whose power remained active in the
people's minds even after they had been officially replaced by later
religious beliefs". The Aos Sí were both respected and feared, with
individuals often invoking the protection of God when approaching their
dwellings. At Samhain, it was believed that the Aos Síneeded to be
propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the
winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left
for the Aos The souls of the dead were also said to revisit their
homes. Places were set at the dinner table or by the fire to welcome
them. The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night or
day of the year seems to have ancient origins and is found in many
cultures throughout the world. In 19th century Ireland, "candles would
be lit and prayers formally offered for the souls of the dead. After
this the eating, drinking, and games would begin". Throughout the Gaelic
and Welsh regions, the household festivities included rituals and games
intended to divine one's future, especially regarding death and
marriage. Nuts and apples were often used in these divination rituals.
Special bonfires were lit and there were rituals involving them. Their
flames, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective and cleansing
powers, and were also used for divination. It is suggested that the
fires were a kind of imitative or sympathetic magic – they mimicked the
Sun, helping the "powers of growth" and holding
back the decay and darkness of winter. Christian minister Eddie J. Smith
suggests that the bonfires were also used to scare witches of "their
awaiting punishment in hell".
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