Many of today's hallowe'en traditions date back to then. To comemorate the end of the summer and the harvets the celts built huge bonfires and wore costumes of animal skins and heads. They thought the presece of som many other-worldly spirits made it easier for their priests to predict the future. After the festival, they re-lit their own hearth fires, which were extinguished earlier in the day, from the sacred bonfire to protect them through the winter.
After the Romans conquered most of the Celtic lands, two of their festivals were combined into the Samhain festival. These were "Feralia" - when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead and then they had a day to celebrate the goddess of fruit and trees "Pomona". The symbol of Pomona was the apple and the traditional hallowe'en game of "bobbing" for apples probably comes from the time when this festival was incorporated into the Samhain festival.
In later times, as Christianity spread throughout the world, many of the old Celtic festivals were "rebranded" to use a modern jargon into Christian Festivals. In the 7th Century Pope Boniface VI designated Novemver 1st as a day to honour all saints and martyrs. In the Roman Catholic Faith, this is now know as "All Hallow's Day". (From middle English meaning all saints day). The night before became known as All Hallow's Eve, subsequently shortened to Hallowe'en.
Our current tradition of "Trick-or-Treating" probably dates back to an ancient english practice. During the All Hallows parades and festivities, poor people would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the families dead. This was encouraged by the Christian church as a replacement for leaving out food and wine for roaming spirits. Modern pumpkin lanterns are thought to stem from an ancient Celtic tradition of placing their ancestors skulls outside the door to protect them from roaming spirits.
In the Celtic calendar Samhain was officially the start of the new year. It was a time of deliberate misrule - rather like the Roman festival "Saturnalia". The cattle were brough in form the fields and even "Na Fianna" - Irelands warrior elite, gave up battle until "Bealtain". (pronounced 'Be-owl-ten') In the Irish Language Bealtaine (promounced 'Be-owl-ten-a') is the month of May. Bealtain marked the start of the summer pastoral season.
For many, the last bank holiday of the year before Christmas, signals the start of the wet, cold, miserable and dark time of the year before spring and summer. Many people feel a little gloomy and down as the long bright days of summer yield to long dark evenings and chilly days. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a depressive mood disorder that can affect people at this time of the year. The onset of autumn and winter bring a low mood and a general lack of energy. It's harder to get out of bed in the morning and even more difficult to gear yourself up for taking your normal regular walks and exercise.
For many, this is a time of reviewing the year that is ending. The approach of Christmas and all the commercial expense and worry that it brings can add to the gloom. In the current economic climate this will be more of a worry for people than in recent years. In Ireland, over 170,000 people have joined the ranks of the unemployed. While money is tighter, then demands on us to provide for our family's doesn't decrease. Even before Hallowe'en was celebrated, the shops and TV Channels are advertising the latest "must have's" for Christmas.
The only growth industry being reported in the Irish media is the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). More and more people are flocking to use this service as financial pressures mount. All of this stress can add to the low mood that you are feeling at this time of the year. So how do we change it?
Treatment for SAD can take a number of forms. SAD is, by it's nature, a depressive disorder or episode. Anyone who is experiencing this should consult their GP. Your doctor can treat it in a number ofways. He may prescribe medication of an anti depressive nature. A lot of people benefit from this, especially if the symptoms are severe. There is also "light therapy" (phototherapy), where you sit a few fet away from special lights designed to have the same effect as natural sunlight. Because it mimic's natural light, this therap appears to have an effect on the brains chemistry that is linked to mood and there are very few known side-effects.
Psychotherpay is another option to treat SAD. It can help you identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviours that may be making you feel worse. A qualified psychotherapist can offer you options that you may not have explored. You may have put your low mood down to "winter blues", but with a litle help, you don't have to live with these feelings through the winter.
To revert back to the points made at the begining, this time of the year for the celts was the begining of the new year. A lot of people are currently "waiting for this year to be over". Well in the Celtic Calendar, it is. So maybe it's time to make aome "new year's resolutions". You can make those changes in yourself and your life that you have been thinking about. There are a number of low cost counselling options available to help you through these tough times.
The holiday season is approaching and if you start to make those changes now, you can be in a much better place to celebrate with your family and friends. To quote the late Irish author, John O'Donoghue from his poem "For A New Begining":
"In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This begining has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge."
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