[Northkeep] Halloween

[Jennifer Carlson]

Actually, Halloween is a Christian holiday.  Yes, it was plonked on top of the time of year of the old Samhain celebrations, but Halloween itself is not just a thinly-disguised remnant of an earlier practice.  "Halloween" means "Eve of Hallows," specifically "All Hallows," or All Saints Day, which is November 1.  The eve of a Christian celebration was the day before that celebration.  Likewise, Christmas Eve, which you could call "Chisteen" if you wanted, is the day before Christ's Mass, or Christmas.
 
Halloween trick-or-treating comes from the English tradition of ritual begging - typically youths going door to door on a holy day begging for food or gifts.  This is also done on St. Stephen's Day (December 26) on which boys went begging from door to door, carrying either a dead wren or a caged living one.  There is argument that traditional Christmas caroling fits this mold: groups going door to door entertaining, with the expectation of being invited in for refreshments.
 
In the United States, largely in modern times, a blending of harvest festivals and commercialization have layered on the newer traditions of associating Halloween with ghosts, the devil, dressing up, and mischief.  "Devil's Night" (Halloween Eve, October 30) in cities such as Detroit have taken this to an extreme.
 
Samhain (pronounced sow-ween) and Halloween occur at the same time, but they are two different events, with different purposes.
 
In servicio,
 
 
Talana
Marry an anthropologist, it rubs off on you