| HAPPY NEW YEAR |
Subject: HAPPY NEW YEAR by GRIS on 2013/11/1 0:45:42 THE SUN IS DOWN SO IT'S THE ANCIENT CELTIC NEW YEARS DAY, SAMHAIN. OUR HEADHUNTING ANCESTORS CONSIDERED THE DAY TO START WITH THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, TO TO THEM THIS IS ALREADY 1 NOVEMBER. ON THIS NIGHT THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD WERE SAID TO BE FREE TO RETURN TO THE MUNDANE WORLD, SO AT THE NEW YEARS FEAST PLACES WERE SET FOR RECENTLY DECEASED FAMILY MEMBERS, AS THEY WERE THOUGHT THE MOST LIKELY TO RETURN. SAMHAIN WAS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE FOUR MAJOR HOLIDAYS. POPE GREGORY, RIGHTFULLY CALLED GREAT, ADVOCATED KEEPING THE PAGAN HOLIDAYS THAT EVERYONE WAS USED TO AND JUST RE-BRANDING THEM CHRISTIAN. SO SAMHAIN, A SORT OF CELTIC DAY OF THE DEAD, BECAME ALL SAINTS OR ALL SOULS OR ALL HALLOWS DAY AND TONIGHT IS ALL HALLOWS EVE. AND THUS WE HAVE HALLOWEEN. IT IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE OLD CELTIC HOLIDAYS WIDELY CELEBRATED IN THIS COUNTRY, ALTHOUGH IN EUROPE MAY DAY STILL GETS LOTS OF ATTENTION. |
