Faith Filled Family Magazine October 2016 | Page 45

lows’ Day” was before All Saints
Day, Nov. 1st.
Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
Over 2,000 years ago Ireland,
the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new
year on November 1. This day
marked the end of summer and
the harvest, and the beginning of
the dark, cold winter- a time of
year that was often associated
with human death.
On the night of October 31st,
it was believed that the boundary between the worlds of the
living and the dead became
blurred and that the ghosts of
the dead returned to earth. For
the celebration, the Celts wore

“Halloween
dates
back to the ancient
Celtic
festival
of
Samhain. Over 2,000
years ago Ireland,
the United Kingdom
and northern France,
celebrated their new
year on November
1. This day marked
the end of summer
and the harvest, and
the beginning of the
dark, cold winter- a
time of year that was
often associated with
human death.”

costumes, typically consisting
of animal heads and skins. By
43 A.D., the Roman Empire had
conquered the majority of Celtic
territory. They then combined
the two festivals of Roman origin
with the Celtic celebration, Feralia, a day in late October when
the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the
dead.
The second was a day to honor
Pomona, the Roman goddess of
fruit and trees.
In 1000 A.D., the church would
make November 2 All Souls’
Day, a day to honor the dead.
It is widely believed today that
the church was attempting to
replace the Celtic festival of the