Halloween, celebrated on October 31st every year, is a holiday with ancient origins. It originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. The Celts believed that on this night, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to walk the earth. During Samhain, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming spirits. They would also leave out offerings of food and drink to appease the spirits and ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming year. Divination and fortune-telling were also common practices during this time, as people sought to gain insight into the future and connect with the spirit world.
Those searching for a definitive history about the celebration or information about its rites or rituals are better off looking in the social anthropology section of their library.
However, he provides an excellent summary of the little known history of Halloween beatings, police harrassment, and arrests across Canada over the past 100 years. In this colorful history, Nicholas Rogers takes a lively, entertaining look at the cultural origins and development of one of the most popular holidays of the year.
Divination and fortune-telling were also common practices during this time, as people sought to gain insight into the future and connect with the spirit world. When Christianity spread to the Celtic lands in the 9th century, the church attempted to replace Samhain with the Christian holiday of All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day. The night before, October 31st, became known as All Hallows' Eve, which eventually evolved into Halloween.
Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
B&W photos and illustrations throughout. The author traces Halloween as it emerged from the Celtic festival of Samhain (summer's end), picked up elements of the Christian Hallowtide, arrived in North America as an Irish and Scottish festival, and evolved into an unofficial but large-scale holiday by the early 20th century. He shows how Halloween remains, at its core, a night of inversion, when social norms are turned upside down, and a temporary freedom of expression reigns supreme. Wear at edges, stickers on back cover, reading creases, rubbed, 3 black lines on bottom endpages. Size: 5 " x 8". Seller Inventory # 010464
Title: Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night
Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York, NY
Publication Date: 2002
Binding: Soft Cover
Condition: Very Good Minus
Edition: First Trade Paperback
Book Type: TRADE PAPERBACK
About this title
Synopsis:Boasting a rich, complex history rooted in Celtic and Christian ritual, Halloween has evolved from ethnic celebration to a blend of street festival, fright night, and vast commercial enterprise. In this colorful history, Nicholas Rogers takes a lively, entertaining look at the cultural origins and development of one of the most popular holidays of the year.
Drawing on a fascinating array of sources, from classical history to Hollywood films, Rogers traces Halloween as it emerged from the Celtic festival of Samhain (summer's end), picked up elements of the Christian Hallowtide (All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day), arrived in North America as an Irish and Scottish festival, and evolved into an unofficial but large-scale holiday by the early 20th century. He examines the 1970s and '80s phenomena of Halloween sadism (razor blades in apples) and inner-city violence (arson in Detroit), as well as the immense influence of the horror film genre on the reinvention of Halloween as a terror-fest. Throughout his vivid account, Rogers shows how Halloween remains, at its core, a night of inversion, when social norms are turned upside down, and a temporary freedom of expression reigns supreme. He examines how this very license has prompted censure by the religious Right, occasional outrage from law enforcement officials, and appropriation by Left-leaning political groups.
Engagingly written and based on extensive research, Halloween is the definitive history of the most bewitching day of the year, illuminating the intricate history and shifting cultural forces behind this enduring trick-or-treat holiday.
Nicholas Rogers is Professor of History at York University. He is the co-author of Eighteenth-Century English Society: Shuttles and Swords (OUP) and the author of Crowds, Culture, and Politics in Georgian Britain (OUP), for which he received the 1999 Wallace K. Ferguson Prize of the Canadian Historical Association for the best book on non-Canadian history.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York, NY
Over time, Halloween transformed from a spiritual and religious observance into a more secular holiday focused on fun and entertainment. Immigrants from Ireland and Scotland brought their Halloween traditions to America in the 19th century, where they blended with other cultural influences to create the modern-day Halloween celebrations we know today. Costumes and trick-or-treating became popular in the early 20th century, and Halloween parties became a common way to celebrate the holiday. Today, Halloween is known for its festive decorations, haunted attractions, costume parties, and of course, the classic tradition of trick-or-treating. While the original pagan rituals and beliefs may have faded, Halloween still retains some of its ancient roots, with themes of death, spirits, and the supernatural remaining prevalent. Despite its evolution, Halloween continues to be a night of excitement and revelry, where people of all ages can embrace their inner ghouls and goblins, and indulge in some spooky fun..
Reviews for "Halloween: From Harvest Festival to Fright Night – Shedding Light on its Beginnings"
- Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Halloween from pagan ritual to party night". I was hoping for a insightful and in-depth look at the history and cultural significance of Halloween, but instead, I found the book to be shallow and poorly researched. The author seemed more interested in making jokes and marketing the commercial side of Halloween than providing any real historical context. It felt more like a cheap marketing ploy than an informative book.
- John - 1 star - I cannot recommend "Halloween from pagan ritual to party night" at all. The book is incredibly misleading and provides very little factual information about the origins and evolution of Halloween. It mostly focuses on personal anecdotes and opinions of the author, rather than presenting any substantial research or analysis. It feels like a wasted opportunity to learn something meaningful about a fascinating holiday.
- Emily - 2 stars - Unfortunately, "Halloween from pagan ritual to party night" fell short of my expectations. The book lacked depth and failed to go beyond the surface-level information about Halloween that most people already know. It felt repetitive and unoriginal, offering nothing new or thought-provoking. I was hoping for a more scholarly approach, but instead, it felt like a generic and uninspired overview of Halloween.