The Pale Raven Official

  Throughout October I will be sharing a daily post that highlights the real history of Halloween/Samhain. These will correlate with my short videos I am posting across my social media accounts. You can follow me on  Youtube,   Instagram , and  Facebook  to view them!  When a child in a brightly colored plastic mask and cape knocks on your door, they aren't just looking for a sugar fix; they are, whether they know it or not, participating in a historical tradition that stretches back centuries. The European customs of Mumming and Guising are the direct, historical predecessors to modern trick-or-treating. These practices were not initially about plastic buckets of candy, but about blurring social boundaries, spiritual protection, and collecting vital resources before the brutal onset of winter. The Ancient Root: Survival at Samhain The practice begins with the ancient Celts during the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in ), the night that marked the e...

Throughout October I will be sharing a daily post that highlights the real history of Halloween/Samhain. These will correlate with my short videos I am posting across my social media accounts. You can follow me on  Youtube,   Instagram , and  Facebook  to view them!  The practice of divination, the universal impulse to glimpse the future, is one of the oldest human traditions. It is this core desire to know what comes next that makes it an essential part of Halloween history. The annual convergence of the living and the dead on October 31st has, throughout time, been seen as the most potent moment for prophecy, allowing our ancestors a privileged look through the veil. The history of fortune-telling is not just rooted in the distant past; it is the very foundation of the modern spooky season. From Babylon to Samhain: The Ancient Roots The search for prophetic knowledge stretches back to the earliest human civilizations. In ancient Mesopotamia, diviners consulted...

  Throughout October I will be sharing a daily post that highlights the real history of Halloween/Samhain. These will correlate with my short videos I am posting across my social media accounts. You can follow me on  Youtube,   Instagram , and  Facebook  to view them!  For most people, the skull is just a fun Halloween decoration , a generic symbol of spookiness that signifies little more than a desire to participate in the season. But historically, the skull and skeleton served a far deeper, more powerful purpose, one encapsulated by the profound Latin phrase "Memento Mori." This core philosophical belief literally means, " Remember you must die ." This idea is much more than just macabre (Mă-kăb) art; it's the philosophical root of why we celebrate the dead at the end of October and why the skull remains such a potent, timeless icon. The Seasonal Reality of Mortality: Samhain and Sacrifice For the ancient peoples who celebrated Samhain (Sow-in), the spi...