by TresHappy 38 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
<Tink I didn't realize your the same age as my daugtershe will be 21 the end of this month
awesome!! i didn't realize you're about a year younger than my lovely mom. people can't believe she has a daughter my age, they always think we are sisters; i bet you get that all the time, too :)
Cute Costume!
Sheesh!! So, you couldn't earn your living writing for the newspaper... according to those ol' fuddie-duddies. *rolls eyes*
Regards,
Jim TX
Ok
Halloween or Samhain is derived from ancient practices which marked the end of summer. See details here about the real origins of halloween: http://www.neopagan.net/Halloween-Origins.html also check out the other articles about halloween myths and lies on the same website (www.neopagan.net). This article talks about why we have skeletons and ghouls at halloween and why we trick or treat.
Someone said something about girls being chopped up - well that has NOTHING to do with halloween, people who chop girls up are crazy sick people. Don't you realise that you are insinuating that Pagans and those who observe Samhain in ritual are sickos? Well we are not and I resent all this scaremongering and misinformation. Anyone who has ever performed any sort of blood sacrifice involving animals or humans is certainly in the minority and should be jailed for it. That is simply not what pagans do. Its like me saying that *every single* priest is a rapist.
Mizpah. why don't you learn about something before coming out with that bulls**t about witches circles. I am a witch and I do "circles" all year round. I celebrate the seasonal festivals and Samhain is just one of them.
What is halloween? It is a holiday derived from an ancient festival. The way we celebrate halloween does not involve trick or treating and does not involve dressing as a skeleton. We have ritual in which we remember and honour our dead loved ones and welcome them to feast with us. We are reminded of the cycle of life and death. It is the end of summer, the beginning of winter and symbolically Samhain reflects the dark nights and long winter to come.
Another thing - Christmas is just as pagan as Halloween. So is Easter, Valentines, all the rest. They're all derived from pagan observances so I don't see why halloween would be any different.
Sirona
Now now.....calm down sirona
Take it easy gal....it was just a quick comment reflecting on some movies. I'm sure nobody was chopped up in her neiborhood.
I used to not like halloween when I first left the dubs and became a christian. The churches also give you a guilt trip with the witches and ghost element.
Today....with religion aside......I see no harm in it. Why? Go ask a little kid what halloween is all about. Any kid. It's a time for children primarily to have fun........and they do. Anyone who thinks a kid will prosper badly if they participate will find that harm can come from almost anything you do in life. All holidays we now have are for having fun, without pagan connotations in the minds of participants. What's the problem?
Gumby
Sirona,
Re pagans. People don't realise that the word comes from the Latin paganus, which means country-dwellers. They were nature worshippers who regarded the Earth as their mother. They clung on to their beliefs despite persecution from the church, who, BTW, were so fearful of them that they actually re-invented the word for villager - vilain - to mean something wicked. Now the term villain is something to be feared.
Englishman. (And a touch of Da Vinci code)
It was my first Halloween in 25 years (yikes) And I must tell you it was so much fun!!!! I went as a lady vampire and laughed non stop. 25 years, what a waste. So happy I cant express it.
I agree with Gumby. As long as your motives are simply to have fun, then I don't see a problem. However, I think people who enjoy the holidays inadvertently pressure those who are uncomfortable celebrating them. I believe that people who don't want to participate, regardless of the reason, should have a right not to do so too.
Thanks englishman,
People don't realise that the word comes from the Latin paganus, which means country-dwellers.
Yes. People don't realise a lot about pagans in the old days and they certainly don't know that much about modern day pagans. I refer to those who follow pagan type belief systems. Perhaps I should be more specific and say that modern day wicca celebration of Samhain is not evil and certainly does not involve hurting anyone.
Blessed be! ;)
Sirona
Sirona:
Being a professed witch, I can't understand your sensitivity about the "occult" celebration of Halloween. Samhein was a celebration of the Celts who thought the spirits of the dead returned to earth to visit relatives and friends on October 31st. ("Occult: l. pertaining to, or dealing with or knowledgeable in supernatural influences, agencies or phenomona." American Heritage Dictionary) Some historians note that Celts often dressed in grotesque costumes to ward off the evil spirits of witches, faeries and demons on that particular night. (So evidently even some pagans had a dim view of witches.) If true, it seems strange that witches would even choose this night to celebrate.
Regardless of how hard followers of Wicca try to project a different image today, the origins are based in the occult.
I love Halloween I find there are some people who are spooky all the time about demons and stuff, most people could care less about the history of Halloween. When you see little kids dressed like Barny you know it can't be all about incantations.
