The ancient Celtic (Irish/Scottish/Welsh) festival called Samhain is
considered by most historians and scholars to be the predecessor of what is
now Halloween. Samhain was the New Year's Day of the pagan Celts. It was
also the Day of the Dead, a time when it was believed that the souls of
those who had died during the year were allowed access into the "land of the
dead". Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain continue
to be practiced today on the 31st of October. Most notable of these customs
are the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink (now candy) to
masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires. Elements of this
festival were incorporated into the Christian festival of All Hallow's Eve,
or Hallow-Even, the night preceding All Saint's (Hallows') Day. It is the
glossing of the name Hallow- Even that has given us the name of Halloween.
Until recent times in some parts of Europe, it was believed that on this
night the dead walked amongst them, and that witches and warlocks flew in
their midst. In preparation for this, bonfires were built to ward off these
malevolent spirits.

By the 19th century, witches' pranks were replaced by children's tricks. The
spirits of Samhain, once believed to be wild and powerful, were now
recognized as being evil. Devout Christians began rejecting this festival.
They had discovered that the so-called gods, goddesses, and other spiritual
beings of the pagan religions, were diabolical deceptions. The spiritual
forces that people experienced during this festival were indeed real, but
they were manifestations of the devil that misled people toward the worship
of false idols. Thus, they rejected the customs associated with Halloween,
including all representations of ghosts, vampires, and human skeletons -
symbols of the dead - and of the devil and other malevolent and evil
creatures. It must also be noted that, to this day, many Satan-worshippers
consider the evening of October 31st to be their most sacred. And many
devout Christians today continue to distance themselves from this pagan
festival.


posted by Muhammad at 3:31 AM