The Origins of Halloween

Nothing Evil in My Site. Just plain simple Halloween Talk!

This history of Halloween and where did all begin? Halloween has different names: All Hallow Eve, All Saints’ eve Sambain and Hallowed End. The traditions of Halloween such as trick or treating, Soul and barn-brack bread the pumpkin, and the black cats.

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The origins of Halloween began in the Catholic Church due corruptions of All Hallows eve. Pope Gregory IV standardized the date of All Saints day of All Hallows Day, on November 1, [837]. The first Halloween day fell on November 1. However in the 5th century B.C. in Celt Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The Holiday was call Samhain. Night Pre-Christian Celts had an autumn festival, Samhain means end of summer, a pastoral and agricultural fire festival or feast, when the dead revisited the mortal word, and large communal bonfires would hence be lit to ward off evil spirits. tricks on mankind and cause panic and destruction. They had to appeased, so country folk would give the Druids food as they visited their homes

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And in the 9th Century

In the 9th custom called souling called on November 2, All souls day, early Christmas would walk around from Village to Village begging for Soul cake made out of Square pieces of bread with currents. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer even by a strangers could expedites a soul’s passage to heaven.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is a special cake that was eaten on All Hallows Eve:

Barn Brack recipe
ingredients

1/2 oz (15 g) fresh yeast or 2 tsp dried

10 fl oz (275 ml) warm milk1 cup (4 oz)

110 g strong plain flour (bread flour)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 stick (2 oz) 50 g butter, softened

2 1/2 cup (275 g) bread flour

1/4 cup (4 tbsp) 50 g caster sugar (superfine granulated)

3/4 cup (110 g) sultanas (golden raisins)

2 oz (50 g) candied peel (candied fruit), chopped

1 tbsp sugar, melted in 2 tbsp water method
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1. Mix the yeast, warm milk and the strong plain flour into a large mixing bowl and leave for 3/4 - 1 hour until bubbling.

2. Add the butter and egg to the sponge mix, then add the flour and the rest of the ingredients. Mix to a dough.

3. Knead the dough on a floured work surface untill smooth. Cover and leave to rise for about 1 hour.

4. Knead the dough again.

5. To shape, bring the edges of the dough to the centre. Turn the dough so that the bottom becomes smooth. Turn upside down and roll out to 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) thick. Place on a baking sheet (greased), and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (300°C) gas mark

7. The result should be golden brown and sound hollow when the bottom is tapped.7. Cool on a wire rack.

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The Pumpkin was discovered in 1584, after a French Explorer, Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region and he reported seeing “gros melons “ It was translated to pompions which has since evolved into the modern pumpkin. The pumpkin has been growing in North America for 5000 years and indigenous to the western hemisphere. A pumpkin is a fruit and related to the Squash [Gord] family.

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Halloween is also the Holiday for black cats: In the UK, black cats were believed to bring good luck, but in North America, the opposite superstition took hold. The association of the Celtic Druids with witchcraft ensured that witches and cats became two of the most enduring Halloween symbols and gave rise to a number of superstitions surrounding black cats in the New World. To this day, there are people who continue to associate black cats with evil.

Now does this look like an evil Kitty.
By Jeannette K. Rook