The Witch-O-Ween

While modern day Halloween practices in the United States seem simple enough and include trick or treating, carved pumpkins, dressing in costume and holding parties, Halloween actually has very complicated and ancient roots which are still disputed over today. World religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Paganism and Wicca have all combined forces to make this a major holiday which is nothing but fun for some, yet extremely controversial for others.

Although the Celts passed along information and tradition orally, thereby leaving no written proof, they are generally thought of as the original creators of Halloween (around 800 B.C.). However, they referred to this time of year as Samhain (pronounced Sahm-hayn). This was, in essence, their New Year celebration which also marked their final harvest before the harsh conditions of winter set in.

Following the Jewish tradition, Christians observe many holy days from sundown until sundown. The term Halloween comes from an abbreviated Catholic saying known previously as “All Hallows’ Eve,” better known as All Saints Day (during which the dead are honored), which now falls on the same calendar date as the Pagan holiday Samhain, October 31st.

Celtic tradition states that turning points, times when things change from one state to another, had magical properties. Samhain marked the biggest turning point of the year, both a change in the weather as well as a shift in everyday life. The Celts believed this magical time opened up a sort of connection to the dead whose souls had passed through the ultimate turning point, the shift from life to death. They believed the world of the living was closest to the world of the dead at the time of Samhain, and that the spirits of the dead could travel amongst the living. A lot of the activities in the Samhain festival were connected to this belief, and many of those practices evolved into modern-day Halloween traditions.

Today, witches are an integral symbol of Halloween. The term “witch” is widely misunderstood and is defined by the dictionary as either, a woman claiming or popularly believed to possess magical powers and practice sorcery, or a believer or follower of Wicca; a Wiccan. Male Wiccans are known as Warlocks. Practitioners of the Wiccan religion consider this holiday to be their Sabbath. They believe this is a day to commune with and remember the dead and is also a day to celebrate the eternal cycle of reincarnation. Wiccans feel that on this special night, the separation between spiritual and physical realities is the thinnest and least guarded. In fact, the dead souls are thought to return to a witch’s cauldron at this time through a dimensional opening, only to be reborn once again into another lifetime. They believe those who have necromantic talents can more easily speak to and commune with the dead at this time. On Samhain, they also wear somber and dark colored garments, similar to funeral garb in order to show respect for their lost loved ones.

Witches believe it is a time of endings, both of relationships and bad situations. Additionally, it is the time when one can see a glimmer of hope for their own future. There are many concepts attached to this holiday, as any other, but truly no matter what you believe in, it is a time of remembrance for our ancestors and all those who have gone before us.