So I hope the New Year has been good for you so far!? Halloween – All Hallows Eve -? is actually far older than just being the Eve of All Saints Day, and then All Souls Day on November 2.
In Celtic pre-history, this was New Year’s Day – the beginning of the new year, with all that went with that, in terms of reviewing the year past and preparing for the future turn of the wheel through the seasons.? This was also the first day of winter in those ancient calendars, which is why the Winter Solstice, December 21, was called Midwinter.
Because, quite literally, it was mid-winter.? That has always made sense to me – since if you want winter from its first hint to the first hints of spring – that’s November 1 to February 1.
This is also, as seen by the Celts, the time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, so that we can more easily experience and talk with those who have left the planet, and they can come check out what’s going on back here.? Which is where all the ghosts and goblins come from.
And why the Catholic Church rigged the whole thing as All Saints Day, to make us quit paying attention to all those pagan beliefs.
That hasn’t worked too well, praise be.? These more natural beliefs are much more fun, much more pleasant, and make much more sense than the beliefs the patriarchy would like us to have about the world around us and how it works.? Especially the ‘pagan’ truth that we don’t need to have a mediator / priest / minister standing between us and our god.