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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 14231
[Culture]
Date Posted:
10/30/2005
12:07:51 am EDT
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An Ancient Tradition Descends With Dusk
Author: David Weber Source: OhmyNews International (S. Korea)
Title: AN ANCIENT TRADITION DESCENDS WITH DUSK
Once again the emissaries of the otherworld -- goblins, witches, ghosts and ghouls -- will throng the streets to bring chaos to order.
Halloween, known as Samhain (or "Sow-en" for the Gaelic-minded) to the ancient Celts of northern Europe, was a time when the boundaries between this world and the next were weakened and beings could cross over to this world. Bonfires were lit on hilltops to keep evil spirits at bay and hideously distorted masks were worn to protect its wearer from the mischief of these otherworldly travelers.
This is one of the oldest observed holidays we have, even if it has been stripped of its original sentiments. The symbolic gestures are still there and enacted and therefore the ancient custom of Halloween is still very much alive, if however in another sense.
The modern form of Halloween comes more or less directly from Ireland, one of the last refuges of the Celtic people. Samhain, however, was once observed from Switzerland to Spain to Ireland when the Celts roamed these areas nearly 3,000 years ago.
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