Vol. 8, No. 8, 1991

Articles on the Occult

Rick Branch

What is the history behind the holiday of Halloween? "The observances connected with Halloween are believed to have originated among the ancient Druids, who believed that on the evening, Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits" (Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, 1979, Vol. 12, p. 152).

In the periodical Natural History, a brief overview of Samhain is provided. "The holiday had its beginning in a pre-Christian festival of the dead celebrated by the Celtic people of England, Ireland and Scotland. . .The festival observed at this time, called Samhain (pronoun­ced SAH-WEEN), was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. At this crease in time might not the spirits of generations departed find it appropriate to mingle with the living?. . .the Celts practiced an elaborate religion through their priestly caste, the Druids" (October, 1983, pp. 43-44).

Samhain was the time when the physical and spiritual realms were, according to the Druid priests, very closely linked. Anne Ross speaks of Samhain as a time when "malevolent beings used to come forth from the cave (of Cruachan) and devastate the land" (Pagan Celtic Britain, p. 122).

The feast of Samhain, which took place on November 1, is described by MacCane as order suspended. "During this interval the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs" (Celtic Mythology, p. 127).

Ward Rutherford explains that "the Celtic festival of the dead, Samain (was) an occasion marked by burning human offerings" (The Druids and their Heritage, p. 24). In Richard Cavendish's book The Black Arts, he states, "In the eighth century All Saints' Day was moved to November 1 or Samhain from its original date, May 13, which in Roman times had been a day dedicated to the Lemures, malevolent gods which drank human blood" (p. 334). It would seem, not simply from the sources cited above, but also from a variety of other sources that Samhain has been immersed in the blood of human sacrifice.

In a section entitled Human Sacrifice, Lewis Spencer writes, "We are informed by Keating that the Irish Druids on the eve of Samhain burned their victims in the holy fire" (The History and Origins of Druidism, p. 105). Spencer further suggests, "human sacrifice was a frequent and common element in their religious procedure. No sacrifice might be carried out except in the presence of a Druid" (Ibid, p. 104).

The festival of Samhain, while being an ancient practice, is not confined to the centuries of the past. In a book published in 1986 is stated, "Another organization with a history of indoor gathering is the church and School of Wicca. Since the late 1970's, they have held an annual Samhain Seminar, with worship, rituals and guest speakers. "Approximately 40,000 students have taken some part in their course of study" (Drawing Down the Moon, Margot Adler, p. 423).

It is important to know the historic background of holidays. While almost every major holiday has been tainted with some form of paganism, none are so deeply immersed in the occult as is Halloween.