Halloween is labeled as a pagan holiday. Now we have gone from labeling people to labeling holidays, great.
In any event, before I get into the defintion of the word "pagan" and where it is derived from I would like to give a brief history of halloween.
Halloween originates from a tradition that was practiced some two thousand years ago by the Gaelic people. The Gaelics also refered to as Celts or ancient Celtics lived in Ireland, France and the United Kingdom. This historic group of people held an ancient celtic festival called Samhain. This festival marked the end of their harvest season.
They also believed that the 31st of October marked a time where the realms of the living and dead would overlap. The Ancient Celtics believed that the evil spirits that could enter their realm would wreak havoc and damage their much needed crops. To prevent this from happening they lit bon-fires, wore mask and costumes to mimic and appease these evil spirits but the masks and costumes were not worn in an attempt to praise nor idolize these spirits.
When the Roman Catholic empire took over parts of the Celtic lands they labeled these practices as pagan because it did not agree with their practices. Oddly enough they did not ban the Celtic belief but incorporated it into their own believe system. "By the 9th century the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday." All Souls Day was celebrated in the same fashion as the Samhain festival and slowy over time became known as All Hallows Eve. Eventually this celebration became known as Halloween.
Ironically there were some ancient Christians who celebrated their own version of Halloween, which is now viewed by many Christians as a pagan holiday.
Pagan or Paganism is identified as something or a practice seperate from christianity and in OPPOSITION to Christ. The term also classifies religions that were viewed as polytheistic or indigenous. Furthermore these classifications were developed during a time of religous intolerance and oppression.
The word pagan is derived from the Latin word Pagnus, which simply put means a "country dweller" or "villager". Today the term is a negative phrase associated with being a sinner and opposed to christ and the various Christian faiths.
In any event, before I get into the defintion of the word "pagan" and where it is derived from I would like to give a brief history of halloween.
Halloween originates from a tradition that was practiced some two thousand years ago by the Gaelic people. The Gaelics also refered to as Celts or ancient Celtics lived in Ireland, France and the United Kingdom. This historic group of people held an ancient celtic festival called Samhain. This festival marked the end of their harvest season.
They also believed that the 31st of October marked a time where the realms of the living and dead would overlap. The Ancient Celtics believed that the evil spirits that could enter their realm would wreak havoc and damage their much needed crops. To prevent this from happening they lit bon-fires, wore mask and costumes to mimic and appease these evil spirits but the masks and costumes were not worn in an attempt to praise nor idolize these spirits.
When the Roman Catholic empire took over parts of the Celtic lands they labeled these practices as pagan because it did not agree with their practices. Oddly enough they did not ban the Celtic belief but incorporated it into their own believe system. "By the 9th century the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday." All Souls Day was celebrated in the same fashion as the Samhain festival and slowy over time became known as All Hallows Eve. Eventually this celebration became known as Halloween.
Ironically there were some ancient Christians who celebrated their own version of Halloween, which is now viewed by many Christians as a pagan holiday.
Pagan or Paganism is identified as something or a practice seperate from christianity and in OPPOSITION to Christ. The term also classifies religions that were viewed as polytheistic or indigenous. Furthermore these classifications were developed during a time of religous intolerance and oppression.
The word pagan is derived from the Latin word Pagnus, which simply put means a "country dweller" or "villager". Today the term is a negative phrase associated with being a sinner and opposed to christ and the various Christian faiths.
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