Halloween as always been my favorite holiday. I love the crisp air, the smell of apples and fallen leaves, and the chance, for one day out of 365, to be someone more exotic, more glamorous, more interesting than old everyday me. When I became a Wiccan, it also became a religious holiday for me, Samhain, the Celtic New Year, when the walls between the worlds—ours and the next—are thin and we can celebrate those who have passed on. Either way, it was always a very positive time for me. Since we are a coven of two, we usually give out candy in the early part of the evening, then, as midnight approaches, have a small and private Wiccan ritual.
But Halloween is under siege.
Lately, though, the same Christian conservative grinches who can’t bear to share the entire month of December with Americans of other faiths, and who whine about a War on Christmas if a company intelligently uses a more inclusive greeting to the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans who also celebrate holidays around that time—well, they’ve shown themselves to be hypocrites once again. Why and how? WE must celebrate their holidays while they ignore ours, but the reverse is not true. Halloween , according to them, must GO. Over the last few decades, evangelical and fundamentalist Christian leaders have done their damnedest to destroy Halloween, purely secular celebration in 21st century America—because it has pagan origins and thus is Satanic and will lead children who dress up as Jack Sparrow or Sleeping Beauty into Satanic cults where they will kill babies, do drugs, have promiscuous sex, and generally end up in hell.
I know just how dumb and over the top and Laura Mallory-ish their ranting sounds, but they really believe it. And with enormous self-importance they spew their inaccurate venom all over the net and in church bulletins and Chick tracts.
And is wildly inaccurate.
Their usual line of reasoning is that any religion other than Christianity is Satanic,
The Christian Scriptures (New Testament) clearly and repeatedly states that followers of other religions worship demons. One example is 1 Corinthians 10:20-21: "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God..." Most conservative Christians believe that the Bible is inerrant when interpreted literally. Thus, many of them view other world religions as being partly or completely false, and either influenced by Satan or actually controlled by Satan. Thus, they see few differences among Hinduism, Buddhism, Satanism, Wicca, Neopaganism, and hundreds of other religions. All are viewed as involving demon worship that will prevent their followers from
With that in mind, the fact that Halloween or All Hallows Eve (the night before All Saints Day in the Catholic church) shares the day with the old Celtic fest of Samhain, or Celtic New Year, when winter officially begins, seems to really spool them up. ANY pagan influences musty be leeched from the culture (because your kid will end up a murderous Satanist is he reads Harry Potter or goes trick or treating). And they have some very interesting notions on exactly what Samhain (or, who ) is. The name is often claimed to belong the a Celtic Lord of the Dead and the Underworld (a Greek concept, not a Celtic one. This site and this one are typical of the ones making that claim. They all list many Bible verses deploring sorcery and stating that all the fun things like Jack o’Lanterns were done to ward off the evil spirits that would come through the veil that night with Samhain Lord of the Underworld.
How accurate is this?
Not hardly. Was there a Samhain? Yes and no.
YES. He did exist. Many Neopagan and secular sources are probably wrong. As As Isaac Bonewits writes: "Major dictionaries of Celtic Languages don't mention any 'Samhain' deity..." 8 However, there is some evidence that there really was an obscure, little known character named Samain or Sawan who played the role of a very minor hero in Celtic mythology. His main claim to fame was that Balor of the Evil Eye stole his magical cow. His existence is little known, even among Celtic historians. He was a hero, not a god.
NO. Many conservative Christian and secular sources are definitely wrong; there is/was no Celtic God of the Dead. The Great God Samhain appears to have been invented in the 18th century, as a God of the Dead before the ancient Celtic people and their religion were studied by historians and archaeologists.
McBain's Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language says that 'samhuinn' (the Scots Gaelic spelling) means 'summer's end'..." The Celts observed only two seasons of the year: summer and winter. So, Samhain was celebrated at one of the transitions between these seasons.
I have often wondered myself if they have Samhain confused with Sam Hanes, the Lord of the Underwear, worshipped by members of Tightywhitey faith, who fights off the evil demon Froodaloom. His festival involves lots of drinking and dancing naked with underwear on your head. Which is really a whole lot more fun than we Wiccans celebrate Samhain.
Thae Halloween haters like to fill their sites with Biblical quotes about sorcery and the dangers of the Oh-Kult:
1.Samhain celebrated the Celtic New Year and marked the transition from the Celts’ summer goddess to the horned god of the winter solstice.
2.A festival of the dead-the Celts believed that the spirits of the dead and other spirit-beings (demons) were participants in their Samhain (Halloween) celebrations.
- Druids-priests of the Celtic tribes who celebrated Halloween. According to ancient Christian missionaries, human sacrifices were part of their worship.
As the supernatural has become an increasing part of teen-age culture through movies and music, and as interest in occultism has mushroomed among teenagers, a growing number of American teenagers appear to be embracing the morbid, pagan rituals of Halloween year-round.
http://www.geocities.com/...
See that? Halloween will get you into trouble and turn you into a murderous druid offering human sacrifices to your Satanic master. Or Darth Vader.
Problem is, the ONLY evidence for druidic human sacrifice comes from a single and very baised source: Julius Caesar (yup, I got to read this in high school, duringmy three years of Latin; it didn’t improve after translation).
Ritual Killing: Many historians believed that the ancient Druids performed human sacrifices. All of these references can be traced back to the writings of one individual, Julius Caesar. He may well have been prejudiced against the Celts because of their continual warfare with the Romans. In war, the enemy is routinely demonized. Some remains of executions have been found in the archaeological record, but it is not obvious whether the victims were killed during religious rituals or to carry out the sentence of a court. There is one reference to human sacrifice in Celtic literature, but it appears to be a Christian forgery. The ancient Celts might have engaged in ritual killing; certainly other contemporary societies did. Modern Druids, of course, do not.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/...
Julius Caesar's writings on Celtic sacrifices:
He wrote:
"The whole nation of the Gauls is greatly devoted to ritual observances, and for that reason those who are smitten with the more grievous maladies and who are engaged in the perils of battle either sacrifice human victims or vow so to do, employing the druids as ministers for such sacrifices. They believe, in effect, that, unless for a man's life a man's life be paid, the majesty of the immortal gods may not be appeased; and in public, as in private life they observe an ordinance of sacrifices of the same kind. Others use figures of immense size whose limbs, woven out of twigs, they fill with living men and set on fire, and the men perish in a sheet of flame. They believe that the execution of those who have been caught in the act of theft or robbery or some crime is more pleasing to the immortal gods; but when the supply of such fails they resort to the execution even of the innocent."
The author appears to suggest that the general public conducted the sacrifices, whereas the Druids acted as clergy.
However, Julius Caesar apparently never witnessed such a sacrifice or spoke to someone who had. Although there is a great deal of archaeological evidence to support Celtic executions of criminals, there is none that verifies ritual sacrifices.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/...
It is important to remember that Caesar was warring with the ancient Celts, and his writings on them tend to reflect that writing. Think about the Victorian British attitudes toward the inhabitants of India and Africa, and it’s pretty close. He really had a gladius to grind.
My personal favorite person who tried to use Samhain as proof of something was David Berkowitz. As this non-biased pagetells us:
David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam serial killer, converted to conservative Christianity after his trial and incarceration. He has claimed that he was simply a lookout for an evil Satanic cult who actually performed the murders. He further states that "Sam" in "Son of Sam" comes from the name of the Celtic God of the Dead, Samhain, which he pronounced "Sam-hane." His story is suspect because:
He mispronounced Samhain (it’s Sa-van or sow-en, not Sam Hayn)
Samhain is not a Celtic God.
Samhain is not a Satanic deity either.
The police investigators are convinced that he was a lone killer, not a member of a group.
But Goddess help you should a Wiccan dare to write to the owner of one of these sites to correct their factual errors. They will leap downyoru throat with combay boots on as Annie, the website owner does here
Self professed Wiccan, Witches, and Pagans who DON'T agree with me. They sent very hateful email to me. They questioned my motivation for having a page like that. A lot of emails said that I must not be a good Christian if I have such a hateful attitude and don't show "Christian love" to everyone. We still have the privilege of FREE SPEECH here in the United States and we can put up pages with our thoughts and opinions.
It would work much better if Annie hadn’t bothered to include on another page examples of the hateful emails. If this is the worst she could find, the lady is in serious need of therapy because few rational people would consider these missives hateful. But apparently daring to disagree with her is enough to justify her comments, inher mind,a t least.
*Date: Thursday, September 03, 1998 1:22 PM
Subject: halloween and wicca
I do not mean to offend your christian sensibilities, but I was browsing and found your website. Halloween is a pagan festival celebrating our ancestors and relatives who have passed on. It does not consist of animal sacrifice. The only things burnt are some scraps of paper containing bad influences which we wish to rid ourselves of and the wood for a bonfire. The festival also celebrates the final harvest of the year and is the Celtic New Year. I have been involved in Wicca for 8 years now. I do not believe in satan. I believe in taking responsibility for my own mistakes and shortcomings rather than blame them on some conjured up being sitting in hell trying to destroy me. Wiccans are not out looking for converts. We do not go door to door
trying to spread dogma. We respect Christians and only wish for the same treatment. Please do not spread ignorance about our holidays. Take the time to educate yourself rather than spreading ignorant assumptions.
Thanks, F.*
Or this one
*Subject: Your web page
I truly do not wish to be angry with you, but I do wish to inform you of the true meaning of Samhain (Halloween). First, I'd like to begin with the meaning of the religion of Wicca. Known as the Old Religion, it is thousands of years older than the religion of Christianity, though, no less viable. Wiccans believe in a Goddess and a God, who are actually just male and female aspects of each other. Despite popular belief propogated by the Christian church in the 12th century, Wiccans do not worship Satan and, in fact, do not even believe in the exsistance of the "ultimate evil". The two main tennants of the Wiccan religion are "If it harms NONE, do what thou wilt" and "Anything you send out comes back to you three fold". Sounds a bit like the Christian Golden Rule, doesn't it? Most Wiccans believe in reincarnation, where, when we die, we go to Summerland to replenish our souls, review our actions in the previous life, and go onto the next life, should we desire. Summerland is open to everyone, good and evil alike, and there is no place for eternal damnation. The Wiccan deities are not that cruel. When we do wrong, we are punished in this life, and given a chance to change their ways in the next.
Now, onto the holiday of Samhain. Samhai is the Wiccan New Year where the veil between between the worlds is the thinnest. It is a time to gain wisdom from those who came before us (NOT demons) and to honor them. It is a time of joy, celebration and feasting.
A word to the wise: Anyone who is doing anything to harm people, including themselves is NOT a Wiccan. They are simply misguided people who are using the day as an excuse to be cruel to others.
Please, I beg of you, read and reread what I have written here. I am not at all asking you to become a member of my faith, but I am asking you to pray to your God and ask him the meaning of his words: "Do not judge, lest ye be judged". What you have been told about Wiccans are wrong.
A few parting words: "What is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular" --Unknown. "If you want to know me, look inside your heart." - Tao Te Ching "If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living." --Gail Sheehy ................
Thank you, Tara*
Tara cannot spell, but she was certainly respectful. Annie took enormous umbrage at having her own scripture quoted back at her. SHE is entitled to freedom of sppech, but people who write to correct her claims are hate-filled.
And then there’s this one
*Hi Annie, I have to tell you that I don't agree with everything (in fact, not alot) on your web page. I am a Witch and I know what Halloween (we call it Samhain) means to me in my faith. It's not about evil, Satan, exalting death or anything negative.
I know, you look at the stores during the Halloween holiday and all you see is skeletons, rubber rats and all sort of nasties. Well, that's commercialization for you. When you go into a store at Christmas time, you see very little which accurately celebrates the birth of Christ. It's unfortunate that holidays which are very Holy often get draped in such superficiality.
I know there is a verse in the Bible (Ex 22:18, I believe, having read the Bible twice) that states "Suffer not a Witch to live". I noticed you have a link to the page which lists this verse among others which condemns Witchcraft.
Do you believe that verse, Annie? Do you believe that God would direct someone to kill me because of how I worship God?
I don't wish to change your mind, Annie. And I like the over-all positive slant you put on your page with the inspirational quotations from the Bible and so on.
I just wanted to mention to you the weight and the sadness associated with that verse.
God is love, Annie. I think we both agree on that. So, why would God wish me dead?
Blessed be, Rev. S. W.*
And one last missive:
Date: Thursday, November 06, 1997 8:00 PM
Dear Annie, Hello I just saw your webpage, I thought it was quite nice- but there is only one thing... Some things on your page just arent true, you shouldn't put other religions down, It seems like you are putting down other religions and that just isnt right, remember always. "Love is the law no matter what religion"
Please remember that there are many other religions in the world and you just can't change that. We all understand that you have your right too be your religion, and we have ours. Biogotry is really getting bad these days please don't help it. I'm sorry if you take this letter offencive, it truly wasn't ment to be. I am just stating my fealings, please concider taking off the "hate religion remarks" Thankyou, and blessed be === W.
Those were evidently the worst examples she could dredge of Wiccan "hate". I saw some disgruntlement for having their faith dissed, and a certain eye-rolling at her myriad errors, but NO ONE wished her ill and no one disrespected Christianity. They even thanbked her for reading their emails.
Frankly, I think Annie, who links to the strongly dominionist group Campus Crusade for Christ, would regard anything but instant conversion to her version of Christianity (I doubt the Episcopal church or Catholicism or UCC would do) as proof of the hatefulness of others.
Wednesday is Halloween. We’ll hit the Mall to admire the kids ad Black Benjamin and Red-Gartered Gillian, in full piratical glory, and return home to do a ritual. I plan on including a request for some opened minds and hearts by next Samhain. I have little hope it will happen, because, I have concluded that the Halloween haters are pretty much opposed to anything fun, from Halloween to dancing to rock music to alcohol (despite the fact that Jesus’ first public miracle was changing water into wine, which indicates to moi that he didn’t ahev a problem with alcohol) to rock music—and believe firmly that any religion but theirs (and maybe only their sect of it) is a path to damnation.
So I say to the Christian Right:
Don’t think drinking and dancing are acceptable? Don’t drink and dance. Leave the rest of us alone. Think rock music (even Christian rock) is the work of the devil? Don’t listen to it. Leave the rest of us alone. Thinks Harry Potter is a plot by Wiccans to seduce your children into the EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-Villllllllls if the Oh-Kult? Censor for your children and not everyone else’s. Leave the rest of us alone. Think any religion but yours is devil worship? Preach that in your churches. But respect the separation of church and state which says I have a much right as one of "them Satanic Wiccan Types" (as my BiL would phrase it so colorfully) as you do to practice my faith in this country—the first amendment does not apply only to Christians but to anyone who lives in this country. And leave the rest of us a lone.
LEAVE THE REST OF US ALONE.
If you want us to respect your faith, start respecting ours.