by mali mish

A Short History of Halloween and Tocobaga Indians

Halloween is an evening celebrated by people of all faiths especially children dressed up as ghosts and skeletons. Halloween is a historical celebration held in evening and night of the 31st October every year. When talking about history, a unique tribe of Native American people lived in the vicinity of Tampa Bay in Florida called the Tocobaga Indians.

The history of Halloween has a lot of meaning Halloween which has been almost lost as we celebrate our modern version but its roots are still well known making a great story for children before they set off on their mission to frighten and entertain.

The Tocobaga Indians were actually a maritime tribe who survived on fish and whatever they could hunt in the locality or trade with distant tribes. They were a highly developed tribe with a social structure based around chiefdoms with institutionalized social inequality between various classes which were similar to the caste system of other cultures like the medieval Europe and Hindu India.

The legend of Haloween comes from thousands of years ago. The Celtic people of Western Europe particularly the British Isles and Western France believed that on the last day of summer, the barriers between the living world and the kingdom of the dead would open allowing spirits and saints to pass among the living. Evil spirits would scare people from door to door and unlucky person who was caught would be taken back to the kingdom of the dead. It was a terrifying night and people lighted great fires and offered sacrifices calm down the evil spirits until the barriers had closed again the next day.

A symbol of Halloween is a hollowed out pumpkin carved into a scary face with a candle lit inside giving it a scary look. This pumpkin is known as Jack o’ lantern. This was a favorite tradition that started in USA spreading to other parts of the world. Halloween changed in the 19th and 20th centuries from a religious celebration to an annual holiday.

The Tocobagan Indians were the most peaceful tribe although their society did practice slavery and a person generally remained in their caste with little chance to improve to a higher status. They were highly structured and always built around a central plaza which would feature the pyramidal mound in larger settlements upon which the chief’s house and the village temple would be built.

The Tocobaga was a dominant Indian tribe in the Tampa Bay area. However, they disappeared from the history in 18th century. Their archeological remains were found and a Tocobaga Indian mound is situated in Florida’s Philippe Park which is a National Historic Landmark known as the Safety Harbor Site.

Filed in History Of Halloween on Thursday, August 18, 2011 · 19th And 20th Centuries, 31st October, Caste System, Chiefdoms, Evil Spirits, halloween, Halloween Pumpkin, Haloween, Hindu India, History, History Of Halloween, Hollowed, Indians, Jack O Lantern, Last Day Of Summer, Medieval Europe, Mish, Scary Face, Short, Social Inequality, Tocobaga, Tocobaga Indians, Unlucky Person, Western France, World Halloween · No Comments »

Halloween ? It’s English Celtic History

I am a great fan of English Traditions and British history and the English story of Halloween. The festival of “All Hallows Eve” or the more ancient named “Samhain” celebrates the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”, and is sometimes regarded as the “Celtic Briton’s New Year”. Halloween and other pagan festivals were celebrated by the Celtic Briton and Irish Tribes 2,000 years ago and over the centuries the festivals were renamed by the Catholic Church.

The ancient Celtic Britons believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family’s ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces. Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to die around us.

This is a good time for us to look at wrapping up the old and preparing for the new in our lives. Think about the things you did in the last twelve months. Have you left anything unresolved? If so, now is the time to wrap things up. Once you’ve gotten all that unfinished stuff cleared away, and out of your life, then you can begin looking towards the next year.

Another common practice was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.

The name ‘Halloween’ and many of its present-day traditions derive from the Old English mists of time.

Halloween is not celebrated in all countries and regions of the world, and among those that do the traditions and importance of the celebration vary significantly. When the English first arrived in Colonial America and the many other countries of the Commonwealth they brought with them the “All Hallows Eve” Celebration with the associated traditions ( Like Apple Dipping and Pumpkins ). During the following centuries we English had started to lose the traditions of Halloween ( Except by the Traditional Pagan followers ) until wartime Britain, when many American GI’s based in England re-introduced the Halloween Celebrations to us British.

Halloween in the United States has had a significant impact on how the holiday is observed in other nations. This larger American influence, particularly in iconic and commercial elements, has extended to places such as South America, Europe, to Japan under the auspices of the Japanese Biscuit Association, and other parts of East Asia.

Please visit my Funny Animal Art Prints Collection @ http://www.fabprints.com

My other website is called Directory of British Icons: http://fabprints.webs.com

The Chinese call Britain ‘The Island of Hero’s’ which I think sums up what we British are all about. We British are inquisitive and competitive and are always looking over the horizon to the next adventure and discovery.

Copyright © 2010 Paul Hussey. All Rights Reserved.

Related Spirit Store Halloween Articles

Filed in Spirit Store Halloween on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 · Celtic, English, halloween, History, It's · No Comments »

Halloween & Christianity: Candy in Place of Sacrifices – the History of Halloween

Samhain: Halloween’s Origins

The Celts were an ancient Irish people group that practiced the feast of Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). During this autumnal period, the Celtic priests, also known as druids, would perform sacrifices to pagan gods. It was believed that the undead would rise from the grave during Samhain and cause destruction across the countryside. To appease these spirits, the druids would make their way from home to home looking for crop, animal, and even human sacrifices. They would wear ghastly costumes to resemble the undead spirits. This ancient ritual is where we get the “treat” part of the popular “trick-or-treat” custom. Today we hand out candy instead of sacrifices.

All Saints Day: Halloween Grows Up

When Christianity came to the Celtic regions, the church attempted to overcome these pagan rituals. Rather than putting an end to Samhain altogether, they introduced Christian imagery into the pagan rituals. Pope Boniface IV announced All Saint’s Day in the seventh century. Instead of worshipping false gods with Samhain sacrifices, this would be a day to honor famous saints and martyrs. October 31st, the night before All Saint’s Day became All Hallow’s Eve (hallow meaning “saint”). Many of the pagan rituals unfortunately lingered. At this time, another local custom was integrated into this jumble of pagan and Christian traditions. Mischief Night was a night during which children were allowed to perform all kinds of pranks and tomfoolery without the threat of severe punishment. This is where the “trick” in “trick-or-treat” comes from.

The Irish Immigration: Halloween is Americanized

These customs remained unique to Ireland until the mass-exodus that occurred from Ireland during the Potato Famine. The Irish people, descendants of the Celts, brought many of the customs to American shores. One in particular, the practice of carving turnips or beets into lanterns to represent undead souls underwent an interesting evolution. Unable to locate a good supply of turnips and beets, the Irish found a substitute in pumpkins. This is where we get the popular jack-o-lantern. Bobbing for apples, black cats, witches and more grew out of Samhain in one way or another. As Halloween becomes more unique to our American culture, its roots in Samhain have been largely forgotten.

Christians and Halloween: How Should We Respond?

There are many things to consider when discussing the value of participating in this holiday. First, it’s important to realize that many of the holidays we celebrate, even Christmas and Easter, have roots in pagan celebrations. Christmas and Easter, the most sacred of Christian festivities are based on the pagan feast of Saturnalia and the birth of the false god Ishtar, respectively. Should the fact that people once worshipped pagan deities on the same days as what we now worship our Lord affect our ability to enjoy these customs? It’s something to think about, homeschoolers.

One more thing. Just because your homeschool family does not choose to participate in Halloween for any reason other than just to have some fun doesn’t mean that there are those out there who have much more deviant purposes for the holiday. Satanists, witches, and warlocks do exist and they view Halloween as their most sacred day. This is why we read about twisted acts of animal sacrifices and other deviant behaviors the day after Halloween. It’s important that whatever your homeschool family chooses to do that you put safety first.

As Christian homeschoolers, I believe we have the opportunity to use Halloween as a tool to reach the lost. Please consider this Bible verse:

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” -Genesis 50:20

Can we turn this weapon of Satan against him and use it for the glory of our Lord? Cannot God take what the Evil One meant for harm and turn it into good? The Bible teaches us that through the redemptive power of Christ’s death, we have power over Satan’s tricks. I encourage homeschoolers everywhere to think of ways to reach the lost during the season of Halloween.

Male Spartan Cheerleader Top Offers
Our Plus Size Male Spartan Cheerleader Costume features a top with printed logo and pants. This is the officially licensed Plus Size Male Spartan Cheerleader Costume from SNL.

Windy City Novelties	$ 31.50 + $ 8.25 shipping
Costume Discounters	$ 28.97 + $ 7.99 shipping
TRENDY HALLOWEEN	$ 29.78 + $ 0.00 shipping
Costumes4Less.com®	$ 33.95 + $ 5.95 shipping
eBay	$ 34.99 + $ 0.00 shipping

Related Spirit Halloween Articles

Filed in Spirit Halloween on Sunday, October 10, 2010 · Candy, Christianity, halloween, History, place, Sacrifices · No Comments »

The History of Halloween ? or ? What is Samhain?

Samhain, pronounced sow-wen, is a Celtic word meaning “summer’s end.” It is also the Irish Gaelic word for the month of November. Samhain is the last of three harvest festivals in the Celtic year, and it is the Celtic New Year. The Celts only recognized two seasons: summer, and winter. So, with the last harvest, the summer ends, and the cold, dark, dangerous days of winter begin. Any food that was not brought in from the fields by the end of the day on October 31, Samhain, was left in the fields and not eaten. It was considered to belong to the fairy folk at that point, and would make anyone sick who tried to eat it.

The food in the storerooms by this time was all the food you were going to get between this first day of winter and the coming spring. It had to last through the cold, dark winter months. Starvation was always a possibility. Livestock was slaughtered at this time, both to preserve meat for the winter months, and to cull the herd. With fewer animals to feed, the ones that were left would have a better chance of survival until spring. This is one reason why death and the dead are associated with this day.

Facing the long, deadly winter, unsure of your food supply, with no central heating, you would have to brave the elements and the dangers of the forest to gather all the wood you would need to keep yourself warm. With the days getting shorter and shorter, you would start wondering if the sun was ever going to come back. The wild animals would get hungrier and more aggressive as the winter got harder for everyone. All made this day, marking the beginning of the winter season, one of fear and danger. But it was also a day of celebration, akin to the American Thanksgiving — thanking the gods for the blessings of a bountiful harvest.

To the Celts, “between” times and places were very important. At these points, the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, and communication between the fairy realm, the land of the dead, and the human world is much easier. “Between” places include doorways between one room and another, or between inside and outside; or the seashore, marking the meeting of earth and sea. “Between” times include dusk and dawn, marking the transitions from night to day, and day to night; and in more recent centuries, midnight, representing the transition between one calendar day and the next.

The transitions between seasons are even more important “between” times. The transition from winter to summer at Beltaine (May 1), and the transition from summer to winter at Samhain, were the two most important days of the Celtic year; but Samhain was the most important, because it also marked the transition from one year to the next. Ergo, it is at this time that the veil between the worlds is thinnest, and communication between the world of the living and the world of our deceased ancestors, the fairy folk, and other spirits is easiest. This is also a good night for divination for that reason.

At this harvest celebration, when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest, one’s ancestors are therefore honored and venerated. Hospitality was very important to the ancient Celts. They would leave food out on their hearth, or out on their front step, as an offering to the spirits of their ancestors, whom they believed would visit them on this night. Offerings of food or milk were also left out for the fairies, and some Wiccans today invite fairy beings into their homes to share their hospitality with them for the winter. The Celts also extended this hospitality to wandering travelers and beggars, because Celts considered it very bad luck to withhold hospitality from anyone in need.

But the thinness of the veil between the worlds also allowed more dangerous spirits to wander into the human realm, so Samhain was also a time of fear and foreboding. These two ideas influenced our modern custom of “trick or treating” at Halloween (our modern name for Samhain). Today, wandering beggars in the form of children, dress up as horrible spirits that go from door to door begging for food, and threatening pranks if they are not appeased. That is a very recent tradition, however, invented in America.[1]

The carved pumpkins we call jack-o’-lanterns also have their root in ancient hospitality. The Celts did not have pumpkins in the Old World, as we have here in America; pumpkin is a New World fruit. So rather than carving pumpkins, the Celts used turnips and gourds. They hollowed out the inside, and put candles in them to create a lantern. Then they would set a light out each evening to let any wandering strangers know that hospitality was available at that particular home. However, to frighten away the evil spirits that might also be out wandering, these home owners would take the precaution to carve ugly faces into the lanterns, to scare anything nasty away.

Many ancient pagan holidays, including those of the Celts, were adapted by the Christian church in an attempt to convert pagans to Christianity. Many of the traditions of Yule, such as the decorated evergreen tree, became the traditions of Christmas. Many of the traditions of the spring equinox, such as decorating eggs, became customs of Easter. And many practices of Samhain became the traditions of Halloween.[2]

“Hallow” means “sacred.” For example, “hallowed ground” means a place that has been blessed and is appropriate for burial. The suffix “-een” is short for “evening,” the night before a holiday. Halloween, like our New Year’s Eve, is therefore the celebration before the actual holiday, in this case November 1, dubbed “All Saints Day” by the Catholic Church. Halloween is also known as “All Souls Day,” following the tradition that this is a time to celebrate the dead and commemorate them.

There are several misconceptions and outright lies that are spread by religious fundamentalists about Samhain every year, in an attempt to get Halloween banned. The first is that the holiday is of Druidic origin; the Druids were a priestly class of the Celts, but they were a very late manifestation of the Celtic religion. The Celts were practicing their religion for thousands of years before the priestly class of the Druids developed.

Another misconception is that the ancient Romans adopted Samhain and added their traditions to it; however, the traditions of Halloween, as we know them, have come down to us from Ireland. Ireland was never conquered by the Romans. Samhain was also celebrated by the Picts in Scotland, but the Picts were never conquered by the Romans, either. The only territory in the British Isles that the Romans successfully conquered was England.

Another error is that Samhain is pronounced Sam Hane and is the name of a Celtic god of the dead. The Celts had no god of the dead.[3] Samhain is also not pronounced that way, it is pronounced “Sow-ween,” due to the odd way Irish Gaelic ended up being spelled when written in English letters. There is a very minor character in Celtic mythology that has a name with a similar spelling, but he has nothing to do with death or with that particular holiday.

Some people also claim that at this holiday the souls of the dead were supposed to move into the bodies of animals if they had been “sinful,” and that human sacrifice was practiced. The Celts did not believe in sin, nor in reincarnation or the transmigration of souls. The Celts also did not practice human sacrifice, with the exception of the execution of criminals, which we still practice in America today.

Halloween in America is now a completely secular holiday. Though it still maintains some of its harvest festival roots, there is no longer any religious or spiritual significance to the practices of bobbing for apples, trick or treating, and dressing up in costume.

Samhain, however, is still observed by Wiccans and other Pagans for its spiritual significance in the Wheel of the Year, the cycle of holidays that mark transition points in the natural solar cycle.

[1] Because Samhain represented the transition between years, it could not belong to one year or the next. Since time did not technically exist during this period, other societal rules were suspended as well, creating the necessary atmosphere to allow people to vent frustrations, often by playing practical jokes on each other. This may be the precursor to the pranks practiced at Halloween today.

[2] A lot of the associations of Halloween, from black cats to dressing up in costumes, to witches, are more associated with Germanic tradition and Walpurgisnacht, which is associated with May Day, rather than the Celtic tradition or Samhain.

[3] A couple of sources list Gwynn ap Nudd as a British god of the dead, and Arawn as a Welsh god of the dead, but there is no Irish equivalent.

***

For Part II of this article, “A Subtle Samhain Celebration -or-What to Do If You Don’t Live Alone” visit www.careandfeedingofspirits.com. Part II provides instructions for how to take advantage of this season to contact deceased loved ones on the other side of the veil of death, as well as other subtle ways to mark the holiday. But hurry! It will only be available through October 31, 2008. After that it will go back into the vaults.

Have a blessed Samhain, and a happy Halloween!

BB,

Vivienne

Bibliography

Isaac Bonewitz, “The Real Origins of Halloween,” version 4.5, © 1997 and 2002, http://www.neopagan.net/halloween-origins-text.html, downloaded 9/19/03.

“Halloween Errors and Lies, or What Fundamentalist Christians Don’t Want You to Know,” version 4.4, © 1997, 2002; http://www.neopagan.net/halloween-lies.html, 9/19/03.

B.A. Robinson, “the Myth of Samhain, Celtic God of the Dead,” © 1998-2001 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, last updated 10/19/01,

Filed in Spirit Halloween on Saturday, October 2, 2010 · American Thanksgiving, Bountiful Harvest, Celtic New Year, Celtic Word, Celts, Dangerous Days, Dark Winter, Days Of Winter, Deadly Winter, Fairy Folk, First Day Of Winter, Gaelic Word, halloween, Harvest Festivals, History, History Of Halloween, Month Of November, Samhain, Summer Ends, Wild Animals, Winter Season, Word Meaning · No Comments »

Filed in halloween on Saturday, October 31, 2009 · costumes, halloween, History · No Comments »