Little Known Facts About Halloween Plants and such..........

I know the day after Halloween is all saints day. I think that Halloween orginally was just a festival of celebration or maybe an offering before All Saints Day. That is some very interesting Halloween trivia Sparks. That would be of great interest on Gather. They like to have sophisticated postings on there and that would work really well.

Aren't u the smart one i'm empressed. I don't know a thing about it other than the kids trick or treat & i love seeing the little ones.

Well, Canadian Gardening Magazine is guilty of somewhat shallow research. The variety of sage called Salvia divinorum is NOT tradionally associated with Hallowe'en because it comes from the New World and was certainly not known to the Celts or the Romans!

The common sage (Salvia officianalis) has long been associated with wisdom (our common name comes from the same Latin root as the word meaning 'wisdom') but, though excellent as a cooking herb with pork, sausages and so on and recommended as a herb tea to both promote clarity of thought and good memory, it doesn't have any association with Samhain or the later Christian transmogrification of the festival as All Souls' or All Saints' Day.

Apart from that rather glaring error, however, most of what they say is reasonably accurate!

'Hallowe'en' (notice the apostrophe) means 'the evening - or the day before - All Hallows Day' (or 'All Saint's Day' in modern parlance). As with other Christian festvals, such as Christmas and Easter, it was actually a 'sanctification' of much older pagan celebrations. It was much more celebrated in the Celtic parts of the British Isles than it was in England and the 'Halloween' tradition in the United States probably originated much more with Irish settlers than it did with the English.

I am English and, in my childhood in Cambridgeshire, very little notice was taken of it. There was certainly no 'Trick or Treat' on that night, though my mother held that it was not a night to be abroad alone and organised 'Hallowe'en' games for us (and our friends). The kind of games we played were 'Bob Apple', 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey' and 'Flour Pudding' (where a candy or a coin was placed in the bottom of a pudding basin which was then filled with dry, compacted flour and turned out onto a large plate. People would then take turns to cut a slice from the 'flour pie' until the goodie fell. The person who finally caused the demise of the sweet or coin either had to pay a forfeit or got a 'booby prize'. There were other forfeit games, too, though none of them were specifically associated with Hallowe'en.

In our part of Eastern England, the only 'Trick or Treat' tradition that I knew of was associated with Plough Monday (the first Monday after Twelfth Night or Epiphany - January 6th), when groups of farm labourers would go about the village with a plough asking for money. If you were a skin-flint and gave them nothing, your doorstep was liable to be ploughed up!

We also knew of the custom of peeling an apple in one continuous strip (it had to be continuous, otherwise the magic was broken) and throwing the peel over one's left shoulder.

I've got nothing. But great read, thanks!

Very interesting post that I enjoyed reading. I did not know about the apple bobbing but knew about th peeling of the apple. Despite having an Irish mother we did nothing to celebrate this night apart from gong to Church as it was called Old
souls Night. Or that might have been the next day. Graves in cemetaries were blessed too. That is all I remember. Of course, kids in the U>k> now celebrate Halloween but it was just another day when I was a child. Out here the kids get dressed up now and go trick or treating but whdn I first came to JA ths was not done. Reminds me that I have to get candy.

Cool information, I'll have to come back to this one again...

Thnkas for this info very interesting!.
to me its just a night for kids to trick or treat and I can see how cute some of them are.
Some are ghoulish but then not scarey for they go with different themes from movies!

Garlic repels fire ants, thats all I know as for the orgins of halloween they I thought it originated from Ireland

Here is a great article on Halloweenie that some may find educational and interesting...

ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN By Don Wildgrube

For centuries before recorded history, ancient people gathered at special holy
paces, eight times a year to celebrate the changes in the seasons. These people
were the common folk – hunter, farmers, craftsmen, artists, tradesmen and their
families. The celebration at the height of fall, the beginning of winter, was
called SAMHAIN, pronounced Sow-en, by the Kelts. We know it as Halloween.

At the Samhain gathering, several things were celebrated and certain activities
were done. One thing celebrated was the final harvest. Legumes, peas and beans
were picked and dried. The last fruits, berries and vegetables were harvested
before the killing frost would make them inedible. The herdsmen decided which of
their cattle, sheep, pigs and goats that they could keep throughout the winter
and which had to be culled out. Both protected space and fodder were limited.
The animals that were culled out were butchered and salted, dried or smoked to
be used during the long winter months. Some of the meat was used for the
feasting as well as the stores from the last, to make room for the fresh, new
produce.

These people lived directly with nature and were aware that most animals
hibernated now, and the hunt may be poor. They saw the vegetation dying and all
of their world making ready to sleep and rest under the blanket of winter's
snows, to await the return of spring. This season has so much to do with death,
that it evolved into a time for reverence for all that had died. At the
feasting, places were set for loved ones that passed over. Sometimes images or
other representative items were used. These meals were called "dumb suppers", a
memorial dinner to quietly remember these loved ones. Sometimes people wore
costumes representing these people or their totem animals. Religious ceremonies
asked the "Keeper of the Gates" to the Underworld or to the "Summerland" (where
the dead rested), to open the gates for a while so the spirits of the departed
could be reunited with the living. The Lord of the Underworld had many names,
one was Samhain, hence the name of the celebration.

The Lord Samhain, or the Priest that represented him, wore a robe make of animal
skin, with the hooves draped over his shoulders and the animals horns on his
head. Late the Christian missionaries called him Satan or the Devil,
corresponding to a negative force in their mythology.

When the invading Christian missionary forces invaded the Northern European
lands, the followers of the Old Ways had to hide and worship in secret. Now
instead of openly going to these memorial feasts, they had to hide in dark
hooded cloaks and carry hollowed out gourds or turnips, candle inside, with
openings for the light to shine out. These primitive flashlights were called
"Jack-O-Lanterns", the lanterns of "Jack", another name for the Lord of Death.

Rumors were spread by the conquerors. Rumors that spirits or "Hob Goblins" (Hob
is another such name) would play tricks on them unless they were given a treat.

Today the followers of the Old Religion still meet on "Halloween" to celebrate
the change in the season, to prepare for winter, not by butchering unless they
live on a farm, but many still can vegetables or make symbolic offerings of
grain in a burning cauldron, praying for a peaceful rest for the Earth and the
fruitful resurrection of all nature in spring.

Although the conquering religion dominated the Northern European world, they
adopted the idea of the memorial for the dead in "All Saints Day/All Souls Day"
and although the meaning of some of the customs were lost for a while, we still
light pumpkin "Jack-O-Lanterns", still dress up in costume, still play the part
of "Hob" when we "trick or treat". Our old ways are still alive, celebrated in
fun and reverence. So enjoy our collective holiday, but please remember the
sacredness of it too.

Thanks for all this information and posting, since after reading all the responses, I have read a well of information.

I like all that folklore and history from the past,,

BUT, I don't like hallowe'en in the slightest. partypooper comes to mind, right?
Yes,BUT--To ME it is commercialization of long gone times for the pure selfish sake of MONEY in the tills and a time here to bother and threaten neighbours and damage property AND litter all over the place.. because it isn't the normal 'where YOU live' folk who go our with their little dressed up cute children, it is the ones HERE whose parents don't care OR know where their kids are who are running about over all you own and pestering, setting fires and throwing eggs..AND they holler 'trick or treat'( in Swedish, of course) The whole thing is fairly new here and the may well have read about such on the Internet or hear about the ancient history at school and decide to mix everything and get rewards or have a chance to damage property since it is therfore their right!!

I have spoken with the local police and nothing happens because that would mean we prejudiced against immigrants I tried to reason with the kids and also have talked to parents.. the kids just put that ski-mask over their faces and tell me to F:O: and talking with parents turns them into people who suddenly are being discriminated against...and they just pick the country where they are from as their backup! grrrrr..

They cannot get past the fact that they are people with the same rights as others, not MORE rights. They cannot see that we are NOT out to abuse them, just because they were used to that in their own wartorn cuntries
I want this &¤ DAY,, gone from present day Sweden. One more reason for people to display their anger for us who have never done anything in anger to them.. because they can! Becuase they are angry and becuase we sit back afraid to say anything and then get abused.. USCH!

Gonna take a walk!