All Saints Day, Halloween, Samhain

The picture is from last year. This year I have not been to the grave of my father and grandmother in Germany.

Up to now, I did not especially like Halloween, because I don't like everything having to do with horror. I never watch horror films and honestly, I don't understand why people so much like those films. Why would I put pictures in my head, that frighten me, reminding me in real life even if there is no danger? The subconcious does not make the difference between real and imagined. So why putting more crap in there, than already is? I don't get it. I even close my ears, when creepy music comes on.

Do you love Halloween? Did you go to a graveyeard to honor your ancestors?

So I don't like Halloween, but when it comes to the origini, Samhain, it's a different story. Look it up in Wikipedia. It's quite interesting .

"Samhain was one of the four main festivals of the Gaelic calendar, marking the end of the harvest and beginning of winter..

Samhain was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could more easily be crossed. This meant the 'spirits' or 'fairies', could more easily come into our world.

The dead were also honoured at Samhain. The beginning of winter may have been seen as the most fitting time to do so, as it was a time of 'dying' in nature. The souls of the dead were thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Places were set at the dinner table and by the fire to welcome them. The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night of the year and must be appeased seems to have ancient origins and is found in many cultures throughout the world. "

#halloween #samhain #allsaints #rituals #otherworld #spirit