day of the dead?

anyone have any consiracy theor-ish related stories or information about the religious holiday called "day of the dead" or "dia de los muertos"?


[edit on 16-10-2004 by krossfyter]

Halloween should be pronounced Halo-Ween------Angels Day. Some angels are demons because they have rebelled against what created them. Wouldn't halloween be a perfect night for something crazy to happen. Just a couple days away from election.....Who would ever expect anything crazy and absurd to happen on halloween............lots of kids running around....Geeee....I wonder. I have a wierd feeling (simply a premonition) that the cops are planning something for halloween.

Originally posted by HEYOKA
Halloween should be pronounced Halo-Ween------Angels Day.

And where did you get this from? I pronounce it

Samhain (Sow een)

Originally posted by LadyV

Originally posted by HEYOKA
Halloween should be pronounced Halo-Ween------Angels Day.

And where did you get this from? I pronounce it

Samhain (Sow een)

I thought it was sow-en, from Celtic Ireland 5th century BC. Summer ended on October 31. Sowen was the start of the Celtic new year.

Halloween, All hallows Eve. The night before the Catholic celebration of the Saints, All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day.

Halloween commemorates the great flood as described in Genesis 7:2, as celebrated in Egypt as the festival of the dead.

The Festival found it's way to Ireland via Tamar (daughter of King Zedekiah of Judah (c.586BC)) who fled to Ireland with the prophet Jerimiah and the holy relic Jacobs pillow (Genesis 28:18) to escape the persecution of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and subsequently married the Irish King Eochaid.

Samhain Lore (October 31st)


Samhain, (pronounced SOW-in, SAH-vin, or SAM-hayne) means "End of Summer", and is the third and final Harvest. The dark winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat.

It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two "spirit-nights" each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort.

Originally the "Feast of the Dead" was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the "wandering dead". Today a lot of practitioners still carry out that tradition. Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who were lost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos. The Wee Folke became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool the Nature spirits.

This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person's fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.

Various other names for this Greater Sabbat are Third Harvest, Samana, Day of the Dead, Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic), Vigil of Saman, Shadowfest (Strega), and Samhuinn. Also known as All Hallow's Eve, (that day actually falls on November 7th), and Martinmas (that is celebrated November 11th), Samhain is now generally considered the Witch's New Year.

Symbolism of Samhain:
Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death.

Symbols of Samhain:
Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, Besoms.

Herbs of Samhain:
Mugwort, Allspice, Broom, Catnip, Deadly Nightshade, Mandrake, Oak leaves, Sage and Straw.

Foods of Samhain:
Turnips, Apples, Gourds, Nuts, Mulled Wines, Beef, Pork, Poultry.

Incense of Samhain:
Heliotrope, Mint, Nutmeg.

Colors of Samhain:
Black, Orange, White, Silver, Gold.

Stones of Samhain:
All Black Stones, preferably jet or obsidian.

www.wicca.com...

Originally posted by Flange Gasket
Halloween commemorates the great flood as described in Genesis 7:2

Um, you got that from where?

That's a new one on me.

Misfit

Black Sabbath, is what some satanist call it.
Catholic's tend to call it, or us to call it all saints day.

Claiming this was the day, people were let out of purgatory.

Originally posted by krossfyter
anyone have any consiracy theor-ish related stories or information about the religious holiday called "day of the dead" or "dia de los muertos"?


[edit on 16-10-2004 by krossfyter]

Actually the question is about the Mexican Festival Dia De Los Muertos. It is a multi day holiday to honor the dead. Here's a good link on the history of the Day of The Dead.

From The History Channel
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
www.historychannel.com...//www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/main.html



The History Channel will do a piece on the History of this holiday. It should be good!
The History of Halloween on the History channel Oct. 31st 7PM 6 central