Posts Tagged ‘dance of the dead’
Halloween 2009
October 30th, 2009 | 
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Samhain (Scots Gaelic: Samhuinn) literally means “summer’s end.” In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween is known as Oíche Shamhna, while in Wales it is Nos Calan Gaeaf. With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints’ Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven.
Samhain is an ancient festival with roots as far back as ancient Egypt. Celebrations aligned with the end of the harvest, shorter days and coming of winter, have long been in existence in various cultures. The circle of birth, death and rebirth has been linked to the seasons and the harvest in many cultures.
In addition to its agricultural significance, the ancient Celts saw Samhain as a very spiritual time. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All Hallows Eve, All Saints' Day, All Souls Day, ancient Egypt, apple, Autumnal Equinox, Basil, Beansidhe, black, Camphor, carnelian, Christianity, Clove, Crystals, dance of the dead, forecasting the future, Frankincense, ghosts, goblins, Good Luck, green candle, Halloween, Hallowmas, Harpies, Heaven, Hollantide, incense, jet, Magic, Medusa, mint, myrrh, Nos Calan Gaeaf, November, Oíche Shamhna, obsidian, October, onyx, orange, pooka, purgatory, sage, Samhuinn, skeletons, Winter Solstice, Wood rose, ylang ylang | 
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