World History
The History of Halloween. Happy Halloween! This has always been my favorite holiday. I thought this year I would find a good Halloween history site. I found one and it is at the History Channel site.
This site was created to help support a TV program of the same name. It includes information on the origins of Halloween, spooky recipes, facts about pumpkins, and some creepy video clips.
From the site:
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
- Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity A variety of modern sectarian and special interest groups, from New Age cults to Irish nationalists to feminists to independent Christians, claim Celtic roots for their drive and inspiration. With so many competing claims it is difficult...
- Happy May Day
Today is May Day. Through much of history, this has been a mostly benevolent holiday celebrating pagan traditions or those who labor. However, in the 20th century, May Day became a Communist spectacle where the military might of communist nations was...
- Groundhog Day: The Forgotten Holiday
Today is February 2nd. That means in the United States and Canada, this is Groundhog Day. However, looking at the local paper and the news channels, there is little if any coverage of this holiday. What is wrong? Why do we have such a lack of respect...
- Nennius, British Historian
Nennius, British Historian - Short biography of the 9th-century Celtic historian describing his works and comparing him to an Anglo-Saxon counterpart, the Venerable Bede. From the site: In the ninth century AD a celtic monk, fearful that the history of...
- From Art And Tools Came Human Origins
From Art and Tools Came Human Origins. Larry Barham reports in British Archaeology that evidence of modern human behaviour 200,000 years old may have been found in Africa. From the site: Until fairly recently, modern humans were thought to have emerged...
World History
The History of Halloween
The History of Halloween. Happy Halloween! This has always been my favorite holiday. I thought this year I would find a good Halloween history site. I found one and it is at the History Channel site.
This site was created to help support a TV program of the same name. It includes information on the origins of Halloween, spooky recipes, facts about pumpkins, and some creepy video clips.
From the site:
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
- Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity A variety of modern sectarian and special interest groups, from New Age cults to Irish nationalists to feminists to independent Christians, claim Celtic roots for their drive and inspiration. With so many competing claims it is difficult...
- Happy May Day
Today is May Day. Through much of history, this has been a mostly benevolent holiday celebrating pagan traditions or those who labor. However, in the 20th century, May Day became a Communist spectacle where the military might of communist nations was...
- Groundhog Day: The Forgotten Holiday
Today is February 2nd. That means in the United States and Canada, this is Groundhog Day. However, looking at the local paper and the news channels, there is little if any coverage of this holiday. What is wrong? Why do we have such a lack of respect...
- Nennius, British Historian
Nennius, British Historian - Short biography of the 9th-century Celtic historian describing his works and comparing him to an Anglo-Saxon counterpart, the Venerable Bede. From the site: In the ninth century AD a celtic monk, fearful that the history of...
- From Art And Tools Came Human Origins
From Art and Tools Came Human Origins. Larry Barham reports in British Archaeology that evidence of modern human behaviour 200,000 years old may have been found in Africa. From the site: Until fairly recently, modern humans were thought to have emerged...