Comments on: Halloween in Sweden http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/ My Fake Magazine of LIfe in Sweden – by Scott Ritcher (American) Tue, 22 May 2012 12:41:21 +0200 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Andrea http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/comment-page-1/#comment-120 Andrea Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:30:14 +0000 http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/?p=523#comment-120 @ Cathy, Wrong. @ Cathy,

Wrong.

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]]> By: cathy http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/comment-page-1/#comment-119 cathy Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:24:41 +0000 http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/?p=523#comment-119 Here's another take that the secularists never consider. From http://m-francis.livejournal.com/107162.html: Everyone thinks this is the Irish Feis Samhain, which began at sunset on 31 Oct and that the Church co-opted the date. However, Pope Gregory III (d. 741) moved the feast "in honor of all the saints in heaven" from 13 May to 1 Nov to correspond to the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter’s at Rome. There was no connection. Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV declared All Saints to be a universal feast, that is, not restricted to St. Peter's. The holy day spread to Ireland. The day a feast is the "vigil mass" and so after sunset on 31 Oct became "All Hallows Even" or "Hallowe’en." It had no more significance than the "Vigil of St. Lawrence" or the "Vigil of John the Baptist" or any of the other vigils on the calendar. In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful monastery of Cluny in Southern France, added a celebration on Nov. 2. This was a day of prayer for "the souls of all the faithful departed." This feast, called All Souls Day, spread from France to the rest of Europe. That took care of Heaven and Purgatory. The Irish, being the Irish, thought it unfair to leave the souls in Hell out. So on Hallowe'en they would bang pots and pans to let the souls in Hell know they were not forgotten. However, the Feast of All Damned never caught on, for fairly obvious theological reasons. The Irish, however, had another day for partying. After the Black Death, All Souls Day became more important, and a popular motif was the Danse Macabre (Dance of Death). It usually showed the devil "leading a daisy chain of people — popes, kings, ladies, knights, monks, peasants, lepers, etc. — into the tomb." Sometimes the dance was presented on All Souls’ Day itself as a living tableau with people dressed up in the garb of various walks of life. "But the French dressed up on All Souls, not Hallowe'en; and the Irish, who had Hallowe'en, did not dress up." During the 1700s the Irish and French Catholics began to bump into one another in British North America and the two traditions mingled. "The Irish focus on hell gave the French masquerades and even more macabre twist." Here’s another take that the secularists never consider. From http://m-francis.livejournal.com/107162.html:

Everyone thinks this is the Irish Feis Samhain, which began at sunset on 31 Oct and that the Church co-opted the date. However, Pope Gregory III (d. 741) moved the feast “in honor of all the saints in heaven” from 13 May to 1 Nov to correspond to the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter’s at Rome. There was no connection. Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV declared All Saints to be a universal feast, that is, not restricted to St. Peter’s. The holy day spread to Ireland. The day a feast is the “vigil mass” and so after sunset on 31 Oct became “All Hallows Even” or “Hallowe’en.” It had no more significance than the “Vigil of St. Lawrence” or the “Vigil of John the Baptist” or any of the other vigils on the calendar.

In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful monastery of Cluny in Southern France, added a celebration on Nov. 2. This was a day of prayer for “the souls of all the faithful departed.” This feast, called All Souls Day, spread from France to the rest of Europe.

That took care of Heaven and Purgatory. The Irish, being the Irish, thought it unfair to leave the souls in Hell out. So on Hallowe’en they would bang pots and pans to let the souls in Hell know they were not forgotten. However, the Feast of All Damned never caught on, for fairly obvious theological reasons. The Irish, however, had another day for partying.

After the Black Death, All Souls Day became more important, and a popular motif was the Danse Macabre (Dance of Death). It usually showed the devil “leading a daisy chain of people — popes, kings, ladies, knights, monks, peasants, lepers, etc. — into the tomb.” Sometimes the dance was presented on All Souls’ Day itself as a living tableau with people dressed up in the garb of various walks of life.

“But the French dressed up on All Souls, not Hallowe’en; and the Irish, who had Hallowe’en, did not dress up.” During the 1700s the Irish and French Catholics began to bump into one another in British North America and the two traditions mingled. “The Irish focus on hell gave the French masquerades and even more macabre twist.”

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]]> By: Scott Ritcher http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/comment-page-1/#comment-118 Scott Ritcher Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:36:01 +0000 http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/?p=523#comment-118 From this article: "Speaking of Indians, like a lot of cool things in America, Halloween was also 'borrowed' from someone else’s culture.... it is originally Irish." From this article: “Speaking of Indians, like a lot of cool things in America, Halloween was also ‘borrowed’ from someone else’s culture…. it is originally Irish.”

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]]> By: Andrea http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/comment-page-1/#comment-117 Andrea Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:17:40 +0000 http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/?p=523#comment-117 @ Unko Wokuinasai HALLOWEEN IS AN ANCIENT EUROPEAN FESTIVAL, WHICH WAS PRIMARILY CELTIC IN ORIGIN. Halloween in the form of Samhain has been around in Europe for at least 2500 years. That is 2000 years more than when Columbas went where the Vikings previously went. Then of course his followers went to the Americans and killed most of the indigenous population. Just because an American claims something is American, it is not necessarily so. PLEASE DO NOT INSULT EUROPEAN CULTURE, BY CONNECTING IT TO ANYONE ELSE. @ Unko Wokuinasai

HALLOWEEN IS AN ANCIENT EUROPEAN FESTIVAL, WHICH WAS PRIMARILY CELTIC IN ORIGIN.

Halloween in the form of Samhain has been around in Europe for at least 2500 years. That is 2000 years more than when Columbas went where the Vikings previously went. Then of course his followers went to the Americans and killed most of the indigenous population.

Just because an American claims something is American, it is not necessarily so.

PLEASE DO NOT INSULT EUROPEAN CULTURE, BY CONNECTING IT TO ANYONE ELSE.

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]]> By: Unko Wokuinasai http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/comment-page-1/#comment-116 Unko Wokuinasai Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:13:13 +0000 http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/?p=523#comment-116 Halloween is terribly american. And america sucks. Figure out the rest yourself. Halloween is terribly american. And america sucks. Figure out the rest yourself.

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]]> By: Streja http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Streja Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:38:56 +0000 http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/?p=523#comment-115 But Swedes dress up as witches at Easter. Then we get candy too. But Swedes dress up as witches at Easter. Then we get candy too.

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]]> By: Mary Uhlin http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/2009/10/31/halloween-in-sweden/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Mary Uhlin Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:01:56 +0000 http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/snuggling/?p=523#comment-114 Fantastic! Loved it! That's how I remember Halloween too. It was the best. We've been in Sweden for 4 Oct.'s now and every year I recount these stories to which only my sweet little 8 year old loves to hear, everyone else just doesn't want to get it, or maybe it's that she spent the first 4 years of her life enjoying American Halloween's. I especially like the part about barting with the candy when you came home.....that part is just different here, mostly loose candy (which we had to throw out when we got home - did you have the parent inspection before the trading?) and lots of 1 kronors. But it's still fun in spirit. Thanks for the article! Fantastic! Loved it! That’s how I remember Halloween too. It was the best. We’ve been in Sweden for 4 Oct.’s now and every year I recount these stories to which only my sweet little 8 year old loves to hear, everyone else just doesn’t want to get it, or maybe it’s that she spent the first 4 years of her life enjoying American Halloween’s. I especially like the part about barting with the candy when you came home…..that part is just different here, mostly loose candy (which we had to throw out when we got home – did you have the parent inspection before the trading?) and lots of 1 kronors. But it’s still fun in spirit.

Thanks for the article!

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