It is often said that Samhain is the celtic New Year, however, the festival is perhaps the oldest in humanity and goes back to the neolithic period where the Southern declination of the Sun was marked by the same alignment which marks the Northern
declination of the Sun around the beginning of February with midwinter on the December Solstice splitting the two milestones-
http://www.carrowkeel.com/sites/carrowmore/c51b.html
Although it rebounded back to Ireland as Halloween through the American culture, the original purpose was not lost even with its Christian adoption as all souls.
Nature goes into dormancy hence the ancient people mingled the death of the old with the beginning of life in darkness just like life in the womb. Humans live by both the daily and annual cycles, whereas large portions of nature live solely by the annual
cycle like plants and trees.
The original purpose is gorgeous, although the scary part of this festival is not lost as we see nature transform into dormancy and the darkness of winter.
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