Origins of Halloween Customs Part Five: Bonfires

Halloween bonfires are direct descendants of Samhain/All Hallow's fires of the Celts, lit in honor of the weakening sun at summer's end. The fires helped ward off the growing power of darkness and cold.  Perhaps they were meant to strengthen the fire of the sun by means of sympathetic magic. They were also a means of purification.

Even in recent times the ashes of the Halloween (and New Years) bonfires were scattered throughout the community to protect against evil powers and fertilize the fields.  Every hearth fire was first lit for the new year from the Samhain or new years bonfire.In ancient times it was considered an act of great impiety to kindle winter fires from any other source.

In parts of England, a large bunch of wood was gathered, dressed as a person, then burned under the name Le Vieux Bout de l'An, "the old end of the year."   Here again we see a similarity to Yule customs -- the traditional Yule log that burnt all night was originally also dressed as a person.In Scotland we find the custom called "Burning the Witch," which involved burning an effigy and continued well into modern times.

Guy Fawkes Day, named for a rebel who tried to blow up Parliament around the turn of the seventeenth century and celebrated in England on November 5, also involves the burning of a human effigy and is sometimes combined with the Halloween celebration.

These mock sacrifices represented the death of the old year.  Probably such sacrifices were intended to appease the spirits of the dead, for it was believed that the spirits might continue to disrupt human affairs throughout the year if not properly honored.  People often left food out on the table for the returning dead on Halloween.(Another ancestor of our trick-or-treating custom.)
 

To be continued..... more to come about Halloween and Halloween customs and traditions!

Still to come:
Superstitions & Divination Customs
Pumpkins & Jack-o_Lanterns
Black Cats
Witches
Bats & Owls!

The vintage Halloween images in this article are courtesy Lunagirl Images!