The History of Halloween
It is the second most popular holiday in America after Christmas and is once again growing in popularity in the UK, but where does Halloween, with its image of children dressed up as hags or ghouls going trick or treating, originate from?
There are many different versions regarding the beginnings of this tradition however it is mostly agreed by historians and folklorists that the roots of this festival can be traced as far back as 2000 years ago to the Celtic Druids.
The people referred to as the Celts lived across Britain and Europe during the Iron Age. Considered violent barbarians by the Romans they actually had a highly developed social structure and were skilled artists and famers as well as warriors. The Druids were the part of the Celtic elite, the law makers and religious leaders and many of our modern day customs can be traced back to their beliefs and rituals.
Halloween, or Samhain (pronounced soween) to give it its pagan name, on the 31st October, signifies the end of the summer, a time when preparations were made ready for the harsh winter ahead. Suggestions that the names comes from the old Celtic word for summer Samrad, and Fuin, meaning end would tie in with this but an argument has been put forth to say it can also be linked to a Celtic God called Saman, Lord of Death, though no archaeological evidence can be found for this, the most well known Celtic God of the dead being Gwyn Ap Nuad.
The Celts believed that the veil between this world and the otherworld where spirits reside, was thinnest at this time and that the spirits of all those who had died in the previous year would cross over. Offerings of food were left out to honour the passing ancestor spirits or to pacify any returning during this time in case of any ill intent directed towards the living.
As the weather becomes colder and animals are culled ready for winter is it any surprise that the thoughts of these, our ancestors, turned to death and endings rather than the new life that comes with spring and the opposite festival of Beltane or May Day.
The image of the carved pumpkin is very American and again there is some debate on its origins. Some saying it comes from the old belief that the head or skull of a person held their soul or essence and therefore was revered in ancient times, others that images were carved into turnips to scare away any mischievous spirits.
Following the Roman invasion of Britain in the first century AD these Celtic practises were combined with the Roman festivals Feralia, celebrating the Manes or Roman spirits of the dead and for Pomona, the Goddess of Plenty, both of which took place during the winter months. One of Pomona’s symbols was the apple a fruit now commonly associated with witchcraft and may go towards explaining the custom of apple bobbing at Halloween.
Later, this festival was assimilated with the Christian All Saints Day or All Hallows Day on the 1st November, the word Halloween being a corruption of Hallows Eve.
In Medieval England it was believed that the more prayers said for a person, the more likely they were to be received in Heaven. From this comes the custom called ‘souling’ where the poor would travel from village to village on All Soul’s Day, the 2nd of November, asking for ‘soul cakes’ in exchange for prayers. This tradition continued in some parts of Britain right up until the twentieth century and is often thought to be one of the forerunners of the modern day custom of trick or treating, where practical jokes are played out on anyone unwise enough not to provide the treats requested on the night.
Where the custom of dressing up came from is a little more vague but is linked to ancient believes that disguise is one of the best ways to protect against spirit possession. This can also be seen at another major celebration, as is often thought to be the reasons behind the bridal veil.
Of course in modern pagan circles, Samhain is still an important celebration, one of eight sabbats marking the wheel of the year, the beginning of both the Celtic and Wiccan New Year.
So pagan festival or party night, enjoy your celebrations and remember to be kind to any visitors, after all you might never know who you are entertaining.
Showing posts with label paganism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paganism. Show all posts
Monday, 11 October 2010
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Paganism. Religion or Cult?
There are many misconceptions about Pagans and their beliefs, even the origins of the word ‘Pagan’ are confused, some believing it means a ‘country dweller’, others ‘civilian’ as opposed to ‘military’, now though it is commonly an umbrella term to describe anyone that does not follow one of the mainstream religions.
Often mistakenly viewed as a ‘cult’ or ‘fad’, Paganism is now a recognised belief system with approximately 5,000 followers in the UK alone. Although there is no official doctrine there are some core beliefs and values that are held by most Pagans listed below:-
Concepts of the Divine
Probably the most fundamental of these is the recognition of the divine in nature and animism.
Pagans revere the cycle of the seasons, which is regarded as an expression of the divine and a model for spiritual growth and renewal. This is rooted in our history where lives depended on good crops.
The Earth herself is regarded as sacred by many Pagans and deep ecological concerns are characteristic of most followers of paganism. Many pagans are actively involved in conservation.
Gods and or Goddesses may or may not be worshiped. The number, names and nature of these can vary depending particular path followed, however Pagans do not worship the devil which is a Christian concept.
Life after death
Pagans do not share the concept of heaven and hell, however many believe in an afterlife where the soul can go to rest. Most believe in reincarnation or rebirth in some form.
Ethics
Some Pagans have a code of conduct e.g. the Wiccan Rede, depending on the path they follow however most are generally very ethical and believe in personal responsibility for their actions.
Festival and Holidays
Pagans follow the Wheel of the Year, starting at Samhain or Halloween on 31st October. There are 8 major festivals throughout the year, representing the active and dormant states of nature. Historically, each of the festival days was ruled by a governing deity, whether a God or Goddess, the names of these varying on the area and path followed.
Often mistakenly viewed as a ‘cult’ or ‘fad’, Paganism is now a recognised belief system with approximately 5,000 followers in the UK alone. Although there is no official doctrine there are some core beliefs and values that are held by most Pagans listed below:-
Concepts of the Divine
Probably the most fundamental of these is the recognition of the divine in nature and animism.
Pagans revere the cycle of the seasons, which is regarded as an expression of the divine and a model for spiritual growth and renewal. This is rooted in our history where lives depended on good crops.
The Earth herself is regarded as sacred by many Pagans and deep ecological concerns are characteristic of most followers of paganism. Many pagans are actively involved in conservation.
Gods and or Goddesses may or may not be worshiped. The number, names and nature of these can vary depending particular path followed, however Pagans do not worship the devil which is a Christian concept.
Life after death
Pagans do not share the concept of heaven and hell, however many believe in an afterlife where the soul can go to rest. Most believe in reincarnation or rebirth in some form.
Ethics
Some Pagans have a code of conduct e.g. the Wiccan Rede, depending on the path they follow however most are generally very ethical and believe in personal responsibility for their actions.
Festival and Holidays
Pagans follow the Wheel of the Year, starting at Samhain or Halloween on 31st October. There are 8 major festivals throughout the year, representing the active and dormant states of nature. Historically, each of the festival days was ruled by a governing deity, whether a God or Goddess, the names of these varying on the area and path followed.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
The Changeling
The Changeling
Change´ling
n.
1.
One who, or that which, is left or taken in the place of another, as a child exchanged by fairies.
Such, men do changelings call, so changed by fairies' theft.
- Spenser.
The changeling [a substituted writing] never known.
- Shak.
2.
A simpleton; an idiot.
Changelings and fools of heaven, and thence shut out.
Wildly we roam in discontent about.
3.
One apt to change; a waverer.
a.
1.
Taken or left in place of another; changed.
2.
Given to change; inconstant
changeling
noun
(mythology) In British and Irish mythology, an infant of a fairy or sprite that the fairy has secretly exchanged for a human infant.
(colloquial) An infant secretly exchanged with another infant.
When I was young my mother often told me I wasn’t her child but a changeling , a fairy child and that one day, especially if I was badly behaved, the Goblins would come and take me back... I can remember that more than once I packed my teddy and some books and waited at the gate for them to come.
Through my early years I mostly read fairy tales so enjoyed the idea of being one of their children, seeing myself as something magical and special and this has probably lead to my love of mythology and folklore. When I recounted this story recently however, someone said to me that it would be considered child abuse now because ‘changeling’ was another word for a child that was ‘different’, possibly one that was sickly or unwanted and as a result was often neglected or mistreated. Babies whose defects were not obvious at birth but appeared in the first few years could then be explained as not truly human. Determined, as ever, to get to the bottom of this I re-read the stories and tried to find out more about the children that, like myself, were considered to be changelings.
In mythology a changeling was considered to be a child of the fairies that had taken the place of a mortal one, though the reasons for this vary from fairies exchanging one of their own poorly children for a healthy human one, to the protection of the fairy child, general mischief and even to trolls wanting their children to be brought up as humans as it was considered to be the troll equivalent of a finishing school!
Of course when these stories were first told, the image of the fairy was not of the tiny, sweet winged creatures of Disney, but that of a race of human sized supernatural beings with magical powers almost akin to gods, something to be both feared and in awe of.
Although most people associate fairies with the Celtic lands, tales of similar magical creatures can be found the world over, from the Chinese Devas and the Dryads of Ancient Greece to the Elves of Norse mythology.
As Christianity began to replace the old Pagan beliefs, the stories changed to that of unbaptised children being stolen, possibly in a bid to help convert the masses from the old religions.
Some Folklorists believe that the ‘fairy’ stories could have been a supernatural way of explaining the indigenous population being forced into hiding by invaders and that changelings were the way of exchanging their children for the invaders to ensure their survival.
The tests to see whether you have a changeling instead of your own flesh and blood were many and varied and in some cases very cruel. A brew made from Foxgloves, containing digitalis, which can be poisonous, was given to the child in the hope of returning it to its real family. Another way was to try and drown the baby or to place the child on a fire and if it was a changeling, it would leave, climbing up the chimney. At no point however, does it appear that any harm came to the human child when taken unlike the stories of what happened to child left in its place and I shudder to think how many innocent children may have been badly injured or killed in this way.
As these tests were applied to the children who generally looked different or behaved oddly; more recently doctors have concluded that the changeling legend may have developed to explain the differences in children with disabilities such as autism, spina bifida or cystic fibrosis.
Indeed some autistic adults associate themselves with changelings or aliens for this reason and their own feeling of being in a world where they do not belong and of practically not being the same species as the "normal" people around them (taken from Kim Duff, The Role of Changeling Lore in Autistic Culture).
So how did the majestic fairies of old become the Tinkerbelle’s of today and what does any of this have to do with my childhood?
Could the changing religious beliefs have decreased the stature and importance once associated with the ‘fair folk’, making them all but disappear? Do the stories come from an actual event in history? Is there a link with previously unknown disabilities? Possibly, but still it does not answer why mother called me a changeling all those years ago. There was only one way to find out, so I asked her.
Her reply was simple... sometimes I had been a naughty little imp.
Change´ling
n.
1.
One who, or that which, is left or taken in the place of another, as a child exchanged by fairies.
Such, men do changelings call, so changed by fairies' theft.
- Spenser.
The changeling [a substituted writing] never known.
- Shak.
2.
A simpleton; an idiot.
Changelings and fools of heaven, and thence shut out.
Wildly we roam in discontent about.
3.
One apt to change; a waverer.
a.
1.
Taken or left in place of another; changed.
2.
Given to change; inconstant
changeling
noun
(mythology) In British and Irish mythology, an infant of a fairy or sprite that the fairy has secretly exchanged for a human infant.
(colloquial) An infant secretly exchanged with another infant.
When I was young my mother often told me I wasn’t her child but a changeling , a fairy child and that one day, especially if I was badly behaved, the Goblins would come and take me back... I can remember that more than once I packed my teddy and some books and waited at the gate for them to come.
Through my early years I mostly read fairy tales so enjoyed the idea of being one of their children, seeing myself as something magical and special and this has probably lead to my love of mythology and folklore. When I recounted this story recently however, someone said to me that it would be considered child abuse now because ‘changeling’ was another word for a child that was ‘different’, possibly one that was sickly or unwanted and as a result was often neglected or mistreated. Babies whose defects were not obvious at birth but appeared in the first few years could then be explained as not truly human. Determined, as ever, to get to the bottom of this I re-read the stories and tried to find out more about the children that, like myself, were considered to be changelings.
In mythology a changeling was considered to be a child of the fairies that had taken the place of a mortal one, though the reasons for this vary from fairies exchanging one of their own poorly children for a healthy human one, to the protection of the fairy child, general mischief and even to trolls wanting their children to be brought up as humans as it was considered to be the troll equivalent of a finishing school!
Of course when these stories were first told, the image of the fairy was not of the tiny, sweet winged creatures of Disney, but that of a race of human sized supernatural beings with magical powers almost akin to gods, something to be both feared and in awe of.
Although most people associate fairies with the Celtic lands, tales of similar magical creatures can be found the world over, from the Chinese Devas and the Dryads of Ancient Greece to the Elves of Norse mythology.
As Christianity began to replace the old Pagan beliefs, the stories changed to that of unbaptised children being stolen, possibly in a bid to help convert the masses from the old religions.
Some Folklorists believe that the ‘fairy’ stories could have been a supernatural way of explaining the indigenous population being forced into hiding by invaders and that changelings were the way of exchanging their children for the invaders to ensure their survival.
The tests to see whether you have a changeling instead of your own flesh and blood were many and varied and in some cases very cruel. A brew made from Foxgloves, containing digitalis, which can be poisonous, was given to the child in the hope of returning it to its real family. Another way was to try and drown the baby or to place the child on a fire and if it was a changeling, it would leave, climbing up the chimney. At no point however, does it appear that any harm came to the human child when taken unlike the stories of what happened to child left in its place and I shudder to think how many innocent children may have been badly injured or killed in this way.
As these tests were applied to the children who generally looked different or behaved oddly; more recently doctors have concluded that the changeling legend may have developed to explain the differences in children with disabilities such as autism, spina bifida or cystic fibrosis.
Indeed some autistic adults associate themselves with changelings or aliens for this reason and their own feeling of being in a world where they do not belong and of practically not being the same species as the "normal" people around them (taken from Kim Duff, The Role of Changeling Lore in Autistic Culture).
So how did the majestic fairies of old become the Tinkerbelle’s of today and what does any of this have to do with my childhood?
Could the changing religious beliefs have decreased the stature and importance once associated with the ‘fair folk’, making them all but disappear? Do the stories come from an actual event in history? Is there a link with previously unknown disabilities? Possibly, but still it does not answer why mother called me a changeling all those years ago. There was only one way to find out, so I asked her.
Her reply was simple... sometimes I had been a naughty little imp.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
musing on Unicorns
I have always thought that if you put your trust in the Gods they come through for you and this was proved somewhat last night when I was racking my brains for something to write about in this, my first blog...I was having a random conversation with a friend about fancy dress when her daughter said she thought Unicorns were native to Scotland and I was asked about them.
Certainly 2 unicorns were used on the Scottish Coat of Arms, however I wasn't so sure they were actually from Scotland originally, so set out to find out more of this elusive creature of myth and legend.
Records of unicorns date back to ancient Greece and Rome, Cesar wrote about them and they even get a mention in the old testament. It seems they have always been associated with royalty and power, one allegedly being given as a gift to Alexander the Great by Queen Candace of Ethiopia.
So how did the unicorn end up in Scotland? I wonder if it is the symbolism of the unicorn as being practically untamable that ties it in so closely? After all Scotland does have a proud history of not being invaded!
Of course there is another link, it is said that only a virgin can tame a unicorn and that brings us back to the Coats of Arms... Left without issue, Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, named the son of Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland, her heir. Though not quite tamed, this changed Scotland dramtically.
This union of the two countries required a new royal coat of arms combining those of England which featured two lions, and Scotland's two Unicorns. It came to symbolise a reconciliation between the Scottish unicorn and the English lion that the two should share the rule. How well this worked is a matter of debate though.
Lion and one Unicorn
The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town
Certainly 2 unicorns were used on the Scottish Coat of Arms, however I wasn't so sure they were actually from Scotland originally, so set out to find out more of this elusive creature of myth and legend.
Records of unicorns date back to ancient Greece and Rome, Cesar wrote about them and they even get a mention in the old testament. It seems they have always been associated with royalty and power, one allegedly being given as a gift to Alexander the Great by Queen Candace of Ethiopia.
So how did the unicorn end up in Scotland? I wonder if it is the symbolism of the unicorn as being practically untamable that ties it in so closely? After all Scotland does have a proud history of not being invaded!
Of course there is another link, it is said that only a virgin can tame a unicorn and that brings us back to the Coats of Arms... Left without issue, Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, named the son of Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland, her heir. Though not quite tamed, this changed Scotland dramtically.
This union of the two countries required a new royal coat of arms combining those of England which featured two lions, and Scotland's two Unicorns. It came to symbolise a reconciliation between the Scottish unicorn and the English lion that the two should share the rule. How well this worked is a matter of debate though.
Lion and one Unicorn
The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
