Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow’s Eve. Hallow E’en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. A night of glowing jack-o’-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and séances and tarot card readings. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld and the Faerie Realm is at its thinnest. A “spirit nightâ€. This was the one night when the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living, to celebrate with their family. The Wee Folke became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool the Nature spirits.
"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog"
"Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing""For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and babble""Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and caldron bubble"William Shakespeare
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Witches would gather on this night, arriving on broomsticks to celebrate All Hallow's Eve. Superstitions told of witches casting spells on unsuspecting people, transform themselves into different forms and causing other magical mischief.
The black cat has long been associated with witches. Many superstitions have evolved about cats. It was believed that witches could change into cats. Some people also believed that cats were the spirits of the dead.
The tradition of The Banshee, which goes back to the early eight centery, is currently alive and well in various parts of Ireland. Many people have described the "Terrible Wail" of the Banshee. She is said to wail at or before the death of a faimly member. The word is also used to denote a sort of demon or a woman of the fairy folk.
Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the jack-o’-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night. A scary face was carved into gourds, and lit by candle. These glowing lanterns were used to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. They were also set on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household.
The Irish brought Halloween to America in the 1840's although the custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have its origins in a ninth-century European custom called souling. On All Souls Day, The poor would go begging for "soul cakes" made of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they promised to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. It was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, would expedite a soul's admittance into heaven.
Over time the custom changed and children became the beggars. As they went from house to house they would be given apples, buns, and money and other treats to insure that the ghosts or goblins didn't play tricks.
There are many beliefs and superstitions regarding vampires that date back to medieval Europe. The vampire is thought to be of Slavic origin. They are believed to be evil spirits that have been refused entry into another world after death because of some unsuitable behavior. They must drink the blood of the living in order to sustain themselves. These mythical characters live in cemeteries and only leave their gravesite at night. They do not have a real identity and therefore do not cast a shadow or a reflection in a mirror. Vampires are also know to be able to transform themselves into anamils. The most common being the ~BAT~
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Ghosts are the apparitions of the dead, the spirit or soul of a person who has remained on Earth after death. Some say ghosts are a surviving emotional memory of someone who has died traumatically and tragically but is unaware he/she is dead. These apparitions can return to the place they died or places they inhabited during life.~Divination and Fortune Telling~
From the earliest stages of civilization people have used various means of divination to communicate with the supernatural. Divination is most often practiced as a means of foretelling the future, and sometimes the past. It is a practices used by witches, wizards, medicine men, sorcerers, and shamans. These groups of persons are often called diviners, and are specially trained in the practice and interpretation of their divinatory skills.
Since the mid-1960s, there has been an immense increase in the popularity of divination, or fortune telling, among people all over the globe. Popular methods of divination are: astrology, tarot cards, palm reading psychic consultations, mediums and ouija boards~
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It was said that to meet a witch you had to put your clothes on wrong side out and you had to walk backwards on Halloween night. Then at midnight you would see a witch.
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The Skeleton Dance
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