Samhain

In a previous post I mentioned Samhain holiday. I thought I would expand on that a little in today’s post’
Samhain is also known as Halloween, Ancestor Night, Feast of the Dead, All Hallows Eve, Hallowmass, Samana, Samonuos, The Feast of Dam-fuim, Geimhreadh, Shadow fest (Strega), Matinmas or Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic)

Samhain (Sow-in) marked the beginning of the old Celtic new year and many Celtic Pagans still observe Samhain as the renewal of the Wheel of the Year.

This was the night that the old God died, returning to the Land of the Dead to await rebirth at Yule, and a time when the Crone Goddess would go into morning for her lost son/consort, leaving her people in temporary darkness.

As in days long past, Celtic Pagans believe that the veil between the world of the living and that of the dead is at its thinnest on this night allowing the spirits of our departed loved ones walk the earth to visit family and friends and join in the ritual celebrations. This makes Samhain a prime night for any type spirit contact rituals.
The feeding of the dead is a widespread practice, even in modern Celtic lands. In Brittany and Ireland food is always left out for these spirit travelers, and candles are placed in the windows to guide them on their way. These appear to be the origins of the modern Halloween customs of jack o’ lanterns and trick or treat.

For many Samhain represents the New year and is a time for making resolutions.

Colors: Orange and Black

Monster Trivia & Folklore

• Signs of a werewolf are a unibrow, hairy palms, tattoos, and a long middle finger
• Vampires are mythical beings (in-spite of what Twilight fans may tell you) who defy death by sucking the blood of humans.
• To this day, there are vampire clubs and societies with people claiming to be real vampires.
• In 1962 the Count Dracula Society was founded.
• There really are so-called vampire bats, but they’re not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.
• Many people still believe that gargoyles were created by medieval architects and stone carvers to ward off evil spirits.
• The real life Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia was also known as Dracula and Vlad the Impaler may be the model for the fictional Dracula.
• Victor Frankenstein was based on a real person: Johann Konrad Dippel, a physician and mad scientist obsessed with creating life through scientific means. His birthplace? Castle Frankenstein, near Darmstadt, Germany

Halloween Trivia & Fun Facts

I missed posting this yesterday (Halloween) but felt it was still worth sharing.
I can't take credit for this because I pulled it off other websites. I like Halloween but I am not that well versed!

Because of the unknown, Halloween is one of the most captivating holidays, often celebrated by both adults and children. The element of surprise makes it fun and unpredictable. Enlighten yourself with Halloween trivia  and fun facts to enjoy the holiday even more. Take the trivia and make a quiz for your next party.

Halloween Holiday Trivia

• Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall Harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
• Jack O' Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits  and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
• Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!
• Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance  and tell fortunes.
• Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
• The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
• Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
• The #1 chocolate candy bar for trick or treaters is Snickers!
• Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being first.
• Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess for fruit trees.
• Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiar who protected their powers.

More to come...I think I will stay with this theme for the rest of the week while everyone munches on their  Halloween candy.