[MR] history of Halloween links

[SNSpies at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/20/2004 11:56:05 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
aoife-links-request at scatoday.net writes:

This  week's Links list is about Halloween and it's origins. I think it 
important to  note that several of these Halloween pages have tricky effects for 
opening  themselves, so they load much more lsowly, but it is mildly 
entertaining to  wait for the effect. Other neat-scary items abounding this Halloween are 
the  political masks of the Presidential candidates  
(http://www.politicalmasks.com/). The Horror! For those with young ones,  rather than the below sites 
I reccomend The Teacher's Lounge--Happy Halloween  
(http://members.tripod.com/~MESword/hween.html) where everything you'll find  is politically correct, 
non-threatening and packed with appropriate halloween  fun.

As always, I am presenting this information but it's up to you to  decide on 
it's validity. The first site presents some complelling arguments  about 
currently held beliefs about Halloween. Int he end, you are the only one  who can 
decide what you believe, however.

Have a terrific  day!

Cheers

Aoife

Riverouge
Endless  Hills
Aethelmearc

Halloween: Myths, Monsters and Devils By W. J.  Bethancourt 
http://www.illusions.com/halloween/hallows.htm
Although  copy-protected, and thus not quoted here, this is NOT a religious 
article, but  rather one that sets out to provide us with real history 
pertaining to  Halloween. It spends a fair amount of time de-bunking modern spurrious  
religious beliefs about the origins of halloween, but does present both sides 
 of the story.

History Channel: The History of  Halloween
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/
(Site  excerpt) To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, 
where  the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the 
Celtic  deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically 
consisting  of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. 
When  the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had 
 extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect  
them during the coming winter. 

Holidayspot's History of  Halloween
http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/history.htm
Despite  this connection with the Roman Church, the American version of 
Halloween Day  celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic 
fire  festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and 
 Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow. In  
Ireland the festival was known as Samhein, or La Samon, the Feast of the  Sun.
In Scotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's  Nos 
Galen-gaeof (that is, the Night of the Winter Calends. According to the  Irish 
English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society: "Samhain, All  
Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing  the close 
of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till  May, during 
which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered.

History and  Customs of Halloween
http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm
(Site  Excerpt) The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in 
the  first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of 
the  other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to 
honor  Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the  
apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for  
apples on Halloween.

Neo-pagan's Halloween  History
http://www.neopagan.net/Halloween-Origins.html
(Site Excerpt)  Samhain or "Samhuinn" is pronounced "sow-" (as in female pig) 
"-en" (with the  neutral vowel sound) - not "Sam Hain" - because "mh" in the 
middle of an Irish  word is a "w" sound (don't ask me why, it's just Irish). 

Halloween  Art, Clip art, Backgrounds, and  Effects
http://www.halloweenalliance.com/halloween-art-images.html


History  of the Jack-o-lantern
http://members.aol.com/ezpumpkin/jack.htm
(Site  Excerpt) On all Hallow's eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, 
rutabagas,  gourds, potatoes and beets and placed a light in them to ward off evil 
spirits  and keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original Jack O'Lanterns.  

History of  Trick-or-Treat
http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/trick_or_treat.htm
(Site  Excerpt) Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, ii, 370, states that in parts of 
Count  Waterford: 'Hallow E'en is called oidhche na h-aimléise, "The night of  
mischief or con". It was a custom which survives still in places -- for the  
"boys" to assemble in gangs, and, headed by a few horn-blowers who were always  
selected for their strength of lungs, to visit all the farmers' houses in the  
district and levy a sort of blackmail, good humouredly asked for, and as  
cheerfully given. They afterward met at some point of rendezvous, and in merry  
revelry celebrated the festival of Samhain in their own way. When the distant  
winding of the horns was heard, the bean a' tigh [woman of the house] got  
prepared for their reception, and also for the money or builín (white bread)  to 
be handed to them through the half-opened door.