..:Halloween:..

No...I'm not blogging about what costume i've choosen to wear to a Halloween party....no parties for me....but anyways,...Happy Halloween to all!

Just a little history lesson about Halloween....

Halloween goes way back to an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. The Celts celebrated their new year on Nov 1, which marked the end of summer and harvest, and the beginning of winter, a time often associated with death.

The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the worlds of the dead and living merged, and the ghosts of the dead would return to earth. (Very much like the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival). So on the night of Oct 31, they would wear costumes and build huge bonfires to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to Celtic deities.

By the 800s, Christianity's influence had spread to Celtic lands. In the seventh century, the Pope designated Nov 1 as All Saints' Day to honour saints and martyrs. It was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (in Middle English). Oct 31, the night before, began to be known as All-hallows Eve, and eventually, Halloween.

And that's why I'm going to church tomorrow for All Saint's Day mass...hah!