The Role of Celtic Druids in Halloween Pagan Rituals

All Hallow's Eve, also known as Halloween, is a celebration that originated from ancient Celtic pagan rituals. The festival was celebrated on the night of October 31st, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was believed that during this time, the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to wander the earth. One of the main rituals practiced during All Hallow's Eve was the lighting of bonfires. These fires were meant to ward off evil spirits and provide protection for the coming winter months. People would also dress up in costumes made from animal skins and wear masks to disguise themselves from the roaming spirits.

That was genius branding, because it really isn’t like any other sauce. The list of ingredients on the back of the bottle includes chile powder, dehydrated garlic, and ginger, but I can taste a wider spice spectrum—cumin perhaps, asafetida, even amchur. It’s sort of like Heinz tomato ketchup and Indian saunth (a sweet tamarind chutney used for chaat) had a baby that somehow also bore resemblance to a Thai sweet chile dipping sauce.

The list of ingredients on the back of the bottle includes chile powder, dehydrated garlic, and ginger, but I can taste a wider spice spectrum cumin perhaps, asafetida, even amchur. The second request, once again, was not accepted though included an asseration of legal rights towards Maggi trademark and the use of the mark in the business context must have been aligned with current IP law.

People would also dress up in costumes made from animal skins and wear masks to disguise themselves from the roaming spirits. Another significant ritual was the carving of Jack-o'-lanterns. Originally, turnips and potatoes were hollowed out and carved with terrifying faces to frighten away evil spirits.

This Nostalgic Tomato Sauce Will Always Have a Place in My Pantry

On Maggi Hot & Sweet, one of the most consistent food relationships of my life.

Six years ago I arrived in New York from India. I carried with me: far too many clothes, an envelope full of medicines (and a list of matching ailments in my mother’s fastidious writing), five kinds of lentils, four chhonk essentials, and a bottle of Maggi Hot & Sweet wrapped in three layers of T-shirts.

“Who in their right mind carries a glass bottle of ketchup to the U.S.?” my father had asked when I was still packing. “The customs guys will kick you out before you even enter.” Side note: My father panics every time I carry anything out of the ordinary on an international flight. However, even he was persuaded to bring me a stovetop pressure cooker in his suitcase once.

I made it through customs, but three weeks later, as I absent-mindedly reached for the bottle, it fell to the ground and shattered.

For you to understand my devastation, I need to tell you this: Maggi Hot & Sweet has consistently been one of the most important food relationships in my life. The school-lunch omelet sandwiches, the sneak-out-of-bed late-night chips, the road-trip dhaba chow mein, and the date-night sesame shrimp toasts all had one thing in common.

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“in the early 90's, paired with cloyingly sweet Nescafe instant coffee Maggi memory #2. Tamarina tamarind sauce - I've been guilty of hoarding 1/2 a dozen bottles when it disappeared off the desi store shelves for a couple of weeks.”

Maggi Hot & Sweet isn’t technically an Indian sauce, although it was made for Indians. It came to us via the Swiss company, Maggi, a maker of bouillon cubes and instant soups that dates back to the late 19th century. Some decades after being acquired by Nestlé in 1947, the company arrived in India, and by 1983 had launched the runaway success that was its instant noodles.

One of Maggi’s early products was another rich tomato ketchup with a very distinctive tangy taste. “Take the best qualities of ketchup—salt, umami, the equilibrium of flavors—then enhance them tenfold, and you have Maggi (tomato) ketchup,” describes Priya Krishna, food writer and author of Indian-ish, in an ode to another Indian culinary quirk: the ketchup sandwich.

For me, however, the even bigger coup was the subsequent launch of its variant: the Hot & Sweet Tomato Chilli sauce. It was ketchup, but tangier, sweeter, spicier, and bolder. Much bolder. For people struggling to place a finger on the exact flavor, the company had a canny explanation: "It’s different.” Their commercials ran—and still do—with the same hit messaging.

That was genius branding, because it really isn’t like any other sauce. The list of ingredients on the back of the bottle includes chile powder, dehydrated garlic, and ginger, but I can taste a wider spice spectrum—cumin perhaps, asafetida, even amchur. It’s sort of like Heinz tomato ketchup and Indian saunth (a sweet tamarind chutney used for chaat) had a baby that somehow also bore resemblance to a Thai sweet chile dipping sauce.

So, is it a sauce or a ketchup?

The thing to understand is that most times, Indians will use the words “sauce” and “ketchup” interchangeably. And in this case, it makes complete sense because Maggi Hot & Sweet is, in fact, both condiment to serve with and sauce to cook with.

My partner-in-palate and fellow writer in New York, Iva Dixit, uses it to cook her mother's recipe for dry chile paneer, into which she recommends emptying no less than half a bottle! “It's the only tomato sauce I use—I’ll add it to anything that needs sauce, and even things that don’t,” she says.

In fact, there's very little that Maggi Hot & Sweet doesn’t make better. There are days when I’ll coax a few drops out of the bottle with my finger—and lick it clean. It’s the quickest fix for the sinking feeling of homesickness that strikes unannounced.

Later, pumpkins became a popular choice for this tradition. These carved lanterns were placed outside homes to guide the spirits of loved ones and ward off any malevolent entities. Divination was a common practice during All Hallow's Eve as well. People would engage in various forms of fortune-telling to gain insights into their future or connect with the spirit world. This included activities such as apple bobbing, where participants would try to bite into apples floating in water with their hands tied behind their backs. The first person to catch an apple was said to have a future filled with love. During the Christianization of Celtic regions, All Hallow's Eve was eventually incorporated into the holiday we now know as Halloween. Many of the original pagan rituals and traditions persisted, but they were given new meanings within a Christian context. For example, bonfires were associated with the light of Christ, and costumes became representations of saints, angels, and demons. In modern times, Halloween has become a widely celebrated holiday around the world. People of all ages participate in costume parties, trick-or-treating, and haunted attractions. The holiday has evolved to include elements of fantasy, scares, and fun, but its roots in ancient pagan rituals are still acknowledged and celebrated by some..

Reviews for "Pagan Divination: Fortune-telling Practices on Halloween"

1. Karen - 1 star - I was really disappointed with the All Hallow Eve pagan rituals. I went in with an open mind, hoping to learn something new, but I found the whole experience to be bizarre and unsettling. The rituals were nonsensical and didn't make any sense to me. I felt uncomfortable participating and ended up leaving early. Definitely not something I would recommend.

2. John - 2 stars - The All Hallow Eve pagan rituals were not what I expected at all. I found them to be quite boring and repetitive. It seemed like the organizers didn't put much effort into planning engaging and meaningful ceremonies. Furthermore, the atmosphere lacked energy and excitement. Overall, it felt like a waste of time and money.

3. Jessica - 2.5 stars - I attended the All Hallow Eve pagan rituals with high hopes, but unfortunately, I left feeling underwhelmed. The rituals were disorganized and lacked coherence. There was no clear structure or explanation of what was happening, which made it difficult to follow along. Additionally, the participants seemed more interested in socializing than in practicing the rituals. I wouldn't recommend this event to those looking for a genuine spiritual experience.

4. David - 1 star - The All Hallow Eve pagan rituals were a complete joke. It felt like a bunch of people just dressing up and playing pretend. There was no depth or meaning to any of it. I expected a more insightful and profound experience, but instead, it was just a silly and superficial gathering. I would advise anyone interested in pagan rituals to seek out more authentic and reputable events.

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