Post by gluttony on Sept 27, 2009 10:24:54 GMT -8
The ancient Celts believed that on October 31st, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops . Other spirits and supernatural entities were also allowed to pass between the worlds to socialise with humans and it was the time of the year when ancestors and other departed souls were especially honoured.
Traditional Halloween festivals frequently involved bonfires, into which the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown, and costumes and masks being worn at Halloween goes back to the Celtic traditions of attempting to copy the evil spirits or placate them. Usually the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white On All Hallows’ eve, the ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their window sill to represent the departed and quite often a meal was prepared of favourite foods of the family's and community's beloved dead, a place set for them at the table, and traditional songs, poetry and dances performed to entertain them
Throughout the centuries, Pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry of celebrations from October 31 through November 5, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and revel in its mystery.
(Click the pic for the link)
Traditional Halloween festivals frequently involved bonfires, into which the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown, and costumes and masks being worn at Halloween goes back to the Celtic traditions of attempting to copy the evil spirits or placate them. Usually the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white On All Hallows’ eve, the ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their window sill to represent the departed and quite often a meal was prepared of favourite foods of the family's and community's beloved dead, a place set for them at the table, and traditional songs, poetry and dances performed to entertain them
Throughout the centuries, Pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry of celebrations from October 31 through November 5, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and revel in its mystery.
So come, walk through the veil between the worlds and revel in the mystery of the dark. Don your mask and honour the dead by celebrating their life. Dance into the Night…
(Click the pic for the link)