Fiendish Friday Finds on ArtFire - Halloween

Hope you don't get too scared with this special Halloween edition of Fiendish Friday Finds!  I know, I know . . . I usually call it "Fabulous Friday Finds" but want to get into the spirit (pun intended) of things!  What fun I had in tracking down all sorts of spooky, ghoulish Halloween items.  But before the 13 chosen items are all shared, I thought I would explore a bit about the beginnings of Halloween, how it came to be the fun "holiday" we all love.

The history of Halloween is not an entirely clear one, but many historians believe it started with the Celts who lived on the British Isles and in some parts of Europe.  The Celts believed the souls of the departed visited Earth on the last day of October, and, to honor the souls, celebrated a festival called Samhain.  Samhain is nearly halfway between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year.  

Trickster raven leather mask hand sculpted by Erin of Eirewolf 

Between 55 BC - 43 AD, the Roman Empire conquered the Celts.  As what happens with many conquering peoples, some of the traditions and customs of the conquered people were taken in and adapted as their own. This included Samhain which was combined by the Romans with one of their own festivals.  The idea that souls of the dead visited Earth on the last day of October spread far and wide since the Roman Empire controlled a huge section of the known world at that time.  

Wooden Jack O'Lantern puzzle and Halloween decor of Scott of BerksireBowls

How did the name "Halloween" come about?  In the 8th century, the Roman Catholic Church designated November 1 to be All Saints' Day.  November 1 was picked to honor all the saints who did not already have a day named in their honor in the church calendar.   The mass celebrated on November 1 was called "All Hallow Mass", which meant "mass of the all hallowed (saintly people)".  The day soon became known as "All Hallows' Day".   Later, the night before All Hallows' Day became known as  "Allhallowe'en", meaning the "evening before All Hallows' Day".  The name somewhere along the line became shortened to what we know now as "Halloween".

Limited edition large felted hoodoo voodoo doll with wooden coffin and pins by Kristina of RollingHeadsandFriends

So why do people dress up as vampires, ghosts, goblins and other scary (or not so scary) creatures?  People believed centuries ago that many of the spirits that roamed the Earth on All Hallow's Eve were evil and intended harm to those still alive.  If the living appeared scary, the souls of the dead would leave them alone.  It was also a custom to carry food and leave it at the edge of a village with the hope that if spirits would start eating the food, they would forget to raid the village.  

I hope you enjoyed this very short history of Halloween.  Now I hope you enjoy the rest of the Fabulous Friday Halloween Finds:

Original "Local Color" pen and ink illustration of a sugar skull with flowers by Amy-Elyse of  amyelyseneer

Tiny Goth skulls and blood drop handmade earrings by Jennifer of NightOwlJewelry

Spooky mummy handcrafted Halloween card by Lisa of cardsbylibe