Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year

Description

One of humanity's most enduring myths is that the dead, on certain nights of the year, can leave the Other World and move freely about the land of the living. Every year on October 31, when the children of the world parade through the streets dressed as monsters, skeletons, and witches, they reenact a sacred ceremony whose roots extend to the dawn of time. By receiving gifts of sweets from strangers, the children establish, on a symbolic plane that exceeds their understanding, a fraternal exchange between the visible world and the invisible world. Author Jean Markale meticulously examines the rituals and ceremonies of ancient festivities on this holiday and shows how they still shape the customs of today's celebration. During the night of Samhain, the Celtic precursor of today's holiday, the borders between life and death were no longer regarded as insurmountable barriers. Two-way traffic was temporarily permitted between this world and the Other World, and the wealth and wisdom of the sidhe, or fairy folk, were available to the intrepid individuals who dared to enter their realm. Markale enriches our understanding of how the transition from the light to the dark half of the year was a moment in which time stopped and allowed the participants in the week-long festival to attain a level of consciousness not possible in everyday life, an experience we honor in our modern celebrations of Halloween.

Jean Markale (1928-2008), was a poet, philosopher, historian, and storyteller, who spent a lifetime researching pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality. He was a former specialist in Celtic studies at the Sorbonne and author of more than 40 books, including The Druids, The Grail, The Great Goddess, The Celts, Merlin, Women of the Celts, Courtly Love, The Epics of Celtic Ireland, and King of the Celts.

". . . an informative consideration of the enduring myths surrounding the October holiday." * The Midwest Book Review, November 2001 * "This is a well-written, intellectual book." * PagaNet News, Volume IX Issue III * "Here is a book that is scholarly in its study of a pagan holiday, written by one of Europe's leading experts on Celtic culture." * Aquarius, March 2002 * "All in all, this book provides some useful and well-researched information." * Rachel Wren, New Witch * ". . . should be in the library of every group working in a Celtic system, as well as in the library of many elders who are looking for something more than the usual, superficial treatment of Celtic beliefs. . . . it is a well of knowledge which should not be passed over lightly. Take the time to read and absorb the information herein and you will be more than amply rewarded." * Mike Gleason, Witchgrove, March 2007 * "The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween shines a broader light on a very popular and generally lighthearted holiday, giving it more meaning and form than what we are accustomed to." * Nellie Levine, Mind Body Spirit Odyssey, October 2010 *