(Oct. 31)
The name means 'Allhallows even' or the eve of All Saints' Day, but the reason for the spooky traditions associated with this night is that the next day, November 1, was the Celtic festival of Samhain. This was the autumn equivalent of *Beltane in the spring. On the eve of this important day, the beginning of winter, the spirits of the pagan dead were much in evidence. They were the reason for the church enlisting all the saints to try and pre-empt the occasion for Christianity. For children this was 'mischief night', when pranks could be blamed on the spirits. This custom, surviving in northern England, travelled in the past to the USA and has recently returned to these shores with the American refinement of 'trick or treat'. The importance of Hallowe'en has over the years been much reduced in Britain, partly because of the proximity of *Guy Fawkes Night.
The name means 'Allhallows even' or the eve of All Saints' Day, but the reason for the spooky traditions associated with this night is that the next day, November 1, was the Celtic festival of Samhain. This was the autumn equivalent of *Beltane in the spring. On the eve of this important day, the beginning of winter, the spirits of the pagan dead were much in evidence. They were the reason for the church enlisting all the saints to try and pre-empt the occasion for Christianity. For children this was 'mischief night', when pranks could be blamed on the spirits. This custom, surviving in northern England, travelled in the past to the USA and has recently returned to these shores with the American refinement of 'trick or treat'. The importance of Hallowe'en has over the years been much reduced in Britain, partly because of the proximity of *Guy Fawkes Night.
