Today is Halloween!
Did you know that Halloween's origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which was held on November 1 in contemporary calendars.
It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits.
With the Celts celebrating a Nov. 1 new year, it made sense to celebrate Oct. 31. Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 as a time to honor saints, hence All Saints Day, which would incorporate the Celts Samhain tradition.
The night before Nov. 1 became known as All Hallows' Eve and eventually Halloween... a religious holiday honoring Christian martyrs.
Some Christian feel concerned about the modern celebration of Halloween because they feel it trivializes – or celebrates – paganism, the occult, or other practices and cultural phenomena deemed incompatible with their beliefs.
Some churches embrace Halloween as a community outreach opportunity.
For example, in the late '90s, churches began organizing trunk-or-treat to offer a safe Halloween experience with darker themes removed.
However you choose to celebrate or not, I'm wishing everyone a wonderful day! 🎃
Nana
Comments