Joshua Dowidat

Halloween: A little history and the name

Hello Everyone,

Well it is that time of year. Of course I know everyone will probably be too busy today and tonight to really get a chance to read this segment about Halloween but here it is anyways.

The Name-Halloween:

Halloween, or as some call it Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve. Why, you might ask. Well although the origins of the celebration go back very far and along different paths the name Halloween pretty much is the celebration of the dead. In the name Halloween it refers to saints. This is because the saint’s or “hallows” that they are also referred to as are celebrated on this day and their passing. Hence Halloween. It is also the start of the Allhallowtide which is a three day celebration in the Western Christian’s heritage of three days observing saints.

Origins:

Well just because the name has a different origin Continue reading →

Samhain: A Festival, a Tradition

Hello Everyone,

Since I have been mentioning it in several of the last blogs I thought I would share a little information about Samhain. As many people know, because they have heard it before or read some of my previous posts, Samhain has a lot of relevance to Halloween. A topic I have been focusing on this month.

What is Samhain?

Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and celebrating the beginning of the darker half of the year. It is traditionally celebrated from sunset of October 31st to the sunset of November 1st. This marks a Gaelic day in full cycle.

It is one of the four seasonal Gaelic festivals that also include Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. All of which celebrate or mark the beginning or ends of seasons in the Gaelic cycles. Samhain just happens to fall on Halloween or Continue reading →