Irish Ghost Stories
Irish Ghost Stories
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 Irish Ghost Stories By Patrick Byrne  US $1.99
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 Irish Ghost Stories By Padraic OFarrell US $1.99
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 The Wordsworth Collection of Irish Ghost Stories NEW US $25.34
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 Irish Ghost Stories NEW by R Ed Gray US $16.09
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 MARY COUGHLAN SPOOKY IRISH STORIES CD SUNDAY WORLD IRELAND 2010 HALLOWEEN GHOST US $.99
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The History of Celtic Halloween
The Halloween custom has come a long way from its origins in Celtic Ireland, transforming from people celebrating a serious Pagan holiday into a fun, kid-friendly holiday. The history of the Halloween custom probably won't end until the holiday itself dies out -- and that isn't going to happen anytime soon.
The ancient origins of the Halloween custom originates from 2,000 years ago, from a sacred Celtic festival called Samhain. Samhain was an important festival in Celtic culture, celebrating the end of a year, and representing the final harvest for farmers. Since Samhain signified the end of a year, Celts also associated it with human death. They believed that on the night of October 31st the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year travelled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables during this occasion. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were considered to be in attendance, ghosts, fairies, and demons.
The Celts also believed halloween made it easier for Druids to make predictions about the future.
Christianity had spread into Celtic territory by the 800s. In an attempt to eradicate Samhain, Pope Boniface IV made November 1 All Saints' Day, making the Celtic festival a church-approved holiday. All Saints' Day was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas, and the night before All Saints' Day was called All-hallows Eve. In the year 1000 the Catholic Church made November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was very similar to Samhain because they also lit huge bonfires. Christians would usually light big bonfires, dressed up in Halloween costumes (such as a saint or devil) and have parades, honoring the dead. During the celebrations, poorer residents begged for food. Families would give these residents soul cakes, a type of pastry -- but only if they prayed for their family's dead relatives. The church encouraged families to do this instead of leaving out food during the night. The church wanted to curb non-residents from entering the city and taking advantage of the free food. These were the origins of trick-or-treating.
When Europeans immigrated to colonial America in the 1700s they brought the tradition of Samhain-inspired Halloween. Halloween wasn't celebrated openly at first because Christians believed it was a pagan holiday, but it was openly celebrated in Maryland. The meshing of different ethnic groups, including the Native Americans, created a new form of Halloween, closely matching modern America's version of Halloween. The first official celebrations included public events celebrating the last harvest, where people would tell stories of the dead, read each other's fortunes, and dance. Halloween didn't truly become a holiday until the 1800s, when an influx of immigrants moved to America.
The celtic custom of Halloween surged into American tradition in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine, transforming into today's version of this popular holiday. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates. The custom of "trick or treating" is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called "Souling". On November 2, "All Souls Day", early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.
These were the origins of modern America's trick-or-treating tradition.All-hallows Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day were celebrated for many centuries, collectively called Hallowmas. This holiday eventually turned into what we know today as Halloween. Happy Halloween!
About the Author
I am involved with a web-site that provides information about Flower Essences. Ever wondered what your Celtic Tree Astrology Sign is? Also, go here if you want some lovely (and free!) Screensavers of Happy Animals, Beautiful Flowers, etc.
My hobbies/pastimes/life include Astrology, Music, Reading, Sport, Cycling, Chocolate, My cat and a love for animals...our equals.
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Irish Ghost Stories (Hardcover) $16.36 A collection of frightening tales from the Emerald Isle includes stories by Bram Stoker, W. B. Yeats, Patrick Kennedy and many more and features specters, haunted houses, banshees, and ominous death warnings. |
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Ghost Stories $8.99 Ghost Stories |
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True Irish Ghost Stories $13.85 There is something so natural, and at the same time so unnatural, in seeing a door open when we know that there is no one on the other side of it, or in hearing the sound of footsteps, and feeling that it cannot be attributed to the feet of a mortal. These simple yet compelling narratives provide amazing descriptions of poltergeists and banshees, spiritfilled houses, deathbed scenes, and uncanny fore warnings of death. Author: Seymour, John D. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 132 Publication Date: 2010/10/24 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.31 inches |
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Real Irish Ghost Stories $23.76 No Synopsis Available |
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Twilight And Ghost Stories $8.99 Twilight And Ghost Stories |
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Ghost Stories - Volume 2 $15.99 Ghost Stories - Volume 2 |
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My Ghost Stories $14.99 My Ghost Stories |
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Ghost Stories - Volume 1 $15.99 Ghost Stories - Volume 1 |
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Ghost Stories - Volume 3 $15.99 Ghost Stories - Volume 3 |
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Ghost Stories - Volume 4 $15.99 Ghost Stories - Volume 4 |
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The Irish Spirit Cookbook $24.95 This book combines Ireland's favorite dishes with a touch of ale, stout, cider or whiskey, creating such terrific new flavors as Jameson Irish Whiskey Cake, Chops in Locke's, and more. Also includes stories about food and drink traditions, as well as photographs. USA. 9 x 8 x 1/4. Paperback, 159 pages. |
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True Irish Ghost Stories by Seymour, John [Paperback] $24.64 Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Author: Seymour, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 304 Publication Date: 2011/07/11 Language: English Dimensions: 8.50 x 5.51 x 0.68 inches |
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Three Ghost Stories $2.99 A collection of three ghost stories by Charles Dickens. |
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Classic Ghost Stories (Unabridged) $6.99 Ghost stories continue to be a popular audiobook genre, and this group of four stories brings together some of the best.... |
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Classic Ghost Stories $6.99 Three classic Ghost stories originally recorded for radio in the 1930s and performed by Inner Sanctum.... |
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Charles Dickens: Ghost Stories $5.59 Dickens wrote a number of short ghost stories or included sections in novels about ghosts.... |
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Great Ghost Stories $5.15 A collection of classic ghost stories features the writings of Charles Dickens, Bram Stoker, Amelia Edwards, Ambrose Bierce, and M.R. James |
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New Irish Short Stories $13.11 The latest in the acclaimed Best New Irish Short Stories collections. |
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GHOST STORIES SEMESTER 3:JUNIOR JITTE BY GHOST STORIES (DVD) $30.15 Artist: GHOST STORIES Genre: Anime Rating: UN Release Date: 14FEB2006 |
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