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How did Halloween become associated with the living dead?
Why do we celebrate Easter as a time when eggs are delivered by rabbits? What events happened in the natural world that gave rise to our holidays?
The ancients saw themselves as participants of a Great Mystery and the things that took place in nature did not place human beings on the sidelines.At the root of any holiday, we can trace the natural phenomena that gave rise to our ancient beliefs.
2000 years ago, people watched the stars in the same way that we watch television. We might laugh at our ancient myths, but televisionshapes our beliefs in much the same way. In addition to being resurrection vehicles for kings, the Egyptians built their pyramids as ancient observatories. Observing the precise placement of the Dog Star, Sirius coincided with the annual inundation of the Nile. As an agricultural community, they could predict with great accuracy when to plant and harvest by watching the movement of the stars.
On the winter solstice of December 21, many ancient civilizations noticed how the sun appeared to be reborn. On this day, the shortest day of the year seems to switch course and gives way to longer days. They celebrated it as a time when the sun was born. The ancients worshipedthe return of the sun by decorating world trees with celestial orbs. Coincidentally, this is the period of Christmas festivals, whichcelebrate the birth of a son. It is also interesting that while they celebrate how the sun will return, the root of this festival celebrates how the sun returns every year.
At the end of winter, many ancient cultures observed what appeared to be a rabbit living on the moon. This coincided with a time when wild birds would lay their eggs. The ancients celebratedthis renewal aspect of nature by worshiping the symbolic lunar rabbit or goddess Eastre. This coincides with the the celebration of Easter. Weexchange eggs from a time when we honoredthe resurrection or rebirth occurring in the natural world.This was no mysterious resurrection, but the rebirth of life that was witnessedall over the earth.
The ancient Norse celebratedthe onslaught of winteras a time they called the Great Hunt . Odin the Wild Huntsman led Thor, the God of Thunder along with his snorting hounds and horses through the skies overhead to tug the last remaining greenery from the earth. Townspeople would leave gifts of food out for the flying host and his train of horses who flew over overhead to gather the disembodied souls of the dead. Influencing our Halloween and Yule time traditions, many of our festivals have much older roots than religion.During winter, the ancients also celebrated the life force that appeared to rejuvenate the sleeping seeds beneath the snow. Odin as the Flying Host who flew overhead inspired thetradition where gifts are delivered tothe townsfolk below.
During autumn, the natural world appears to die away. This was an important time to in these ancient agricultural communities however, because what was done in earnest during this season laid the proper foundation for a springtime to come. The ancients found comfort observing how in nature,everything that appears to die away issomehow reborn. The harvest festivals of ancient times also coincided with a time of honoring the dead. In the Great Mystery, it appeared thatautumn brought life and death together....inone sliver of time...just once each year.As the earth opens to receive the seeds where the past andfuture will lead to new life, perhaps they believed their wishes could reach their departed loved ones. Mimicking this life/death/life pattern of nature has become our Halloween.
The snake worshiping cults of antiquity honored the cyclical regeneration symbolized in the way that the snake sheds and renews its skin. They honored abundant fertility goddessesand earth deities so that their crops might find favor in the coming spring. In ancient times, it was the things of the earth that brought them inspiration. Nature offers this message of hope and renewal to anyone who wouldobserve its ways. This Halloween, may the seeds of your greatest dreams grow into an abundant tomorrow.
Kari Brown is the author of books and articles, which present nature as the ultimate teacher of balance, wellness and success. She is the founder of GreenPlanetBlueOcean an environmental organization, and is a life coach and dream analyst. Her books include: Nothing Bad Happens in Life: Creating Success Through the Tao of Nature, The Mind's Mirror: Dream Translation Guide, The Mythology of Sleep: Awaken Destiny and The Tao te Ching: The Poetry of Nature. Explore the many ways that Nature is a Teacher, or browse the internet's most down to earth dream dictionary, the oracle-i-ching and other inspirational resources at http://www.wayoftao.com.
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