October 31, 2005
Halloween
THE ORIGIN OF "TRICK OR TREAT"
THE ORIGIN OF "BOBBING FOR APPLES"
Romans honored the dead with a festival called Feralia in late October. It honored Pomona, their goddess of fruit trees who was often pictured wearing a crown of apples. During this festival, they ran races and played games to honor the "Apple Queen" and used omens such as apple parings thrown over the shoulder or nuts burned in the fire in order to predict the future concerning their marital prospects. When the Romans conquered the Celts, they combined local Samhain customs with their own pagan harvest festival. Bobbing for apples was derived from this blended pagan celebration.
THE ORIGIN OF THE "BLACK CAT"
First of all cats are very spiritual animals. Out of all the animals, the cat can sense the presence of spirits, both good and bad. But the all black cat holds a high significance to the witches and Satanists. The black cat, they believe has special powers. To them they believe the black cat represents incarnated humans, malevolent spirits, or the "familiars" of witches. This is why that many black cats are in danger around Halloween. If you have a black cat, do not let them roam the streets at night, keep them inside. Also the local SPCA's won't even let anyone adopt a black cat around Halloween time, in fear of the cat might be harmed.
THE ORIGIN OF THE COLORS: "ORANGE AND BLACK"
The colors orange and black can be traced back to the occult. They were connected to the commemorative masses for the dead, which were held in November. The unbleached beeswax candles used in the various ceremonies were orange. The ceremonial caskets were covered in black cloths. And let's not forget the modern-day "Jack O' Lanterns" orange in color.
THE ORIGIN OF THE "COSTUMES" ON HALLOWEEN
The huge fires atop the "sacred" hilltops in which the Druids sacrificed animals and humans derived their name from the skeletons of those who died in them. The words "bone" and "fire" formed the word "bonfire." The orange flames lit up the black night, thus the "official" colors of Halloween. As these pagan worshipers danced around and jumped through the fire, they wore disguises of animal-head masks and animal-skin costumes. The head of each household was given live embers to start a new fire on his hearth which would last until the next autumn. It was believed this fire would protect their homes from danger throughout the year.
Source: Rumela's Web
