Why we celebrate Halloween

Halloween is rooted in the Celtic celebration of the new year. Already for more than 2,000 years ago, the Celts celebrated Halloween and All Saints Day in late between October and November.

All Hallows Eve =  October 31

All Saints Day/All Hallows Day = 1st November

All Souls Day = November 2

Celebration of New Year 

The Celtic people, who lived in the British Isles and northern France for more than 2,000 years ago, marked the transition to a new year on November 1. The Celts believed that the old year died on the evening of the last day of October. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest, a time in which many lives were lost.

The Celts believed that the border between the living and the dead was the night before the new year. This was the night when ghosts returned to earth to cause trouble and ruin the crop.

Thanksgiving 

Originally it was Samhain on October 31, one Thanksgiving where the sun god was hailed for giving the people the fruits they would live by through a long winter. While the Celts would honor the dead and create peace around them. The farmers lit bonfires to ward off evil spirits. For not being recognized by ghosts, dressed themselves out in masks when they left the house.

A fest in memory of all the saints and martyrs 

All Saints Day or Weekend Messe is an ancient commemoration of all saints and martyrs. In the Greek Orthodox Church was days since the 4th century celebrated the first Sunday after Pentecost. In the Roman Catholic Church was All Saints Day introduced in the year 610 by Pope Boniface IV in memory of the martyrs. The celebration took place on 13 May. At 7-800-century date moved to November 1, after the harvest, so they had plenty of food and drink for celebration. Both the State and the Church in the Catholic Church's All Saints an exception, which is added to the first Sunday in November.

The tradition spread across the Atlantic 

During the great famine in Ireland 1854-1860, emigrated 700,000 Irishmen to the United States. They brought with them the traditions of Halloween. The evening before All Saints' Day is called Halloween or All Hallows Eve, hence the abbreviated name of Halloween.

Today is Halloween a modern party. It is a very popular celebration in the United States, where it reigns the pure carnival atmosphere at this time of year. Over the past few years, Halloween has come as an epidemic in Norway too. Children dress up in scary costumes and rings with neighbors while shouting "Trick or treat", where the main objective is to get as much candy as possible. Adults marks usually also by inviting the Halloween party costumed and serving of assorted tapas dishes, often with little intimidating feel.

Documentary - The History of Halloween

Ever tried to make Halloween pancakes?

About the Stave Church

Sharing a bit of history that I findt to be a very interessant subject

To start with, I want to tell you a little about what a stave church really is.. In countries where good quality wood is abundant, people developed outstanding skills to use this material in construction. History has shown that in the hands of artisan wood becomes as hardy and durable construction material as stone and bricks.

A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the buildings' structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing posts are called stafr in Old Norse and stav in modern Norwegian. Two related church building types also named for their structural elements, the post church and palisade church, are often also called 'stave churches'.

Originally much more widespread, most of the surviving stave churches are in Norway. The only remaining medieval stave churches outside Norway are those of circa 1500 at Hedared in Sweden and one Norwegian stave church relocated in 1842 to the outskirts of Krummhübel, Germany, now Karpacz in the Karkonosze mountains of Poland. (One other church, the Anglo-Saxon Greensted Church in England, exhibits many similarities with a stave church but is generally considered a palisade church.)

Borgund stave church - Source: Wondermondo

This is the best preserved and most authentic stave church is Borgund stave church in Norway.

This beautiful wooden building was constructed in the time period between 1180 and 1200 AD.

Don't forget to read about the Norwegian pride: Nidaros Church

Did you know that:

• The style of stave churches developed mostly in the 11th - 14th centuries?
• The stave churches are known to be among the most important respresentatives of European mediveal "architecture".
• The stave or "stafr" construction is not exactly architecture style, but rather a specific construction solution for buildings they wanted to last longer?
• The famous characteristics of the stave churches are neither dragons' heads or carved portals that many churches are decorated with, but the framework of the so-called staves or "sticks".
• Norway's oldest stave church (Urnes stav kirke) in Luster, beside the Sognefjord is listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage.
• Heddal stave church is the largest and is still in use for the people at Notodden in Telemark.
• Borgrun stave church is the most visited and most photographed of them all. It's also the best preserved stave church in Norway.
• In Borgrun stave church you can find several runic writings on it's walls.

Heddal stave church - Source: Wikipedia

Urnes stave church - Source: Wikimedia

Urnes Stave Church was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in 1979, both "architectural", art historical, and as a source. Urnes Stave Church is unique among the still existing 28 stave churches in Norway.

Video about Borgund stave church (3:37)

Here are some more photos from the inside.

Source:

- Wondermondo

- Wikipedia

- Norges Verdens Arv