The final week of October, the week of Halloween! Halloween falls on 31st October. This celebration can also be called Hallowe’en or All Halloween which means All Hallows’ Eve / All Saints’ Eve. It is held on the eve of Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. Everybody knows that. But did you know that Celts believed Samhain was a time when the wall between our world and the paranormal world was porous and spirits could get through? Because of this belief, it was common for the Celts to wear costumes and masks during the festival to ward off or befuddle any evil spirits. Did you also know the origin of Jack-O-Lanterns? The origin of Jack-O-Lanterns comes from a Celtic folk tale of a stingy farmer named Jack who would constantly play tricks on the devil. The devil responded by forcing him to wander purgatory with only a burning lump of coal from hell. Jack took the coal and made a lantern from a turnip, using it to guide his lost soul. The myth was brought over by Irish families fleeing the potato famine in the 1800s, and since turnips were hard to come by in the U.S., America's pumpkins were used as a substitute to guide lost souls and keep evil spirits like "Jack of the Lantern" away. The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman.” In fact, wiccanwere highly respected people at one time. According to popular belief, witches held one of their two main meetings, or sabbats, on Halloween night. - Melissa
1 Comment
Dr A
11/15/2016 11:58:05 pm
Trust the Irish! We are so inventive and resourceful.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Yis News ClubEvery Thursday, our club posts updates, student creations, news, and more. Be sure to spread the word! ArchivesCategories |