Black People : The History of HalloweenHow an ancient Celtic harvest festival became ‘Spooky Season.’

[Clyde C Coger Jr]

...
... Samhain, a three-day ancient Celtic pagan festival.

The History of Halloween​

How an ancient Celtic harvest festival became ‘Spooky Season.’​

The History of Halloween

How an ancient Celtic harvest festival became ‘Spooky Season.’

getpocket.com

For the Celts, who lived during the Iron Age in what is now Ireland, Scotland, the U.K. and other parts of Northern Europe, Samhain (meaning literally, in modern Irish, “summer’s end”) marked the end of summer and kicked off the Celtic new year. Ushering in a new year signaled a time of both death and rebirth, something that was doubly symbolic because it coincided with the end of a bountiful harvest season and the beginning of a cold and dark winter season that would present plenty of challenges.

Explore the ancient (and not-so-ancient) origins of Halloween traditions, including the surprisingly sultry history of bobbing for apples, the devilish legend behind the Jack-o-Lantern, and why everybody loves rewatching Hocus Pocus.
Image by ImagePatch/Getty Images

​

Pocket Collections

• Alex Dalenberg

...

 

[Clyde C Coger Jr]

...

What Is Samhain? What to Know About the Ancient Pagan Festival That Came Before Halloween​

How Halloween Traditions Are Rooted in the Ancient Pagan Festival of Samhain

Here's what you need to know

time.com

According to historian Nicholas Rogers, author of Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, Samhain was a “time of stock-taking and perhaps sacrifice” — including probably animal sacrifice — during which “pastoral communities [prepared] to survive the winter.”

​

For the Celts, who lived during the Iron Age in what is now Ireland, Scotland, the U.K. and other parts of Northern Europe, Samhain (meaning literally, in modern Irish, “summer’s end”) marked the end of summer and kicked off the Celtic new year. Ushering in a new year signaled a time of both death and rebirth, something that was doubly symbolic because it coincided with the end of a bountiful harvest season and the beginning of a cold and dark winter season that would present plenty of challenges.

...