By Jack Robert Stacey | Editor-in-Chief
As artificially-lit pumpkins, brightly-coloured costumes and overfilled bags of sweet treats begin to re-line shelves in supermarkets and costume shops around the UK, it’s safe to say that ‘Halloween’ has arrived once again.
These October-time festivities bear all the hallmarks of an important, culturally significant event. Similarly to Christmas and Easter, however, the meaning behind Halloween is becoming increasingly ambiguous and, to many people, now represents little more than another opportunity to party and over-consume.
Even for those who choose not to take part in Halloween celebrations, this period can understandably be a confusing and (in some cases) unsettling time of year.
With this in mind, it’s now important for us to remind ourselves of the ‘true meaning’ of Halloween and to recognise all the changes that this annual event has seen throughout history.
Although the name “Halloween” was first popularised by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785, most historians often draw on the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain when mapping its early history.
This pagan festival was celebrated on the last day of October, a period when many people believed the barrier between life and death would weaken. During this time, Celts would light communal fires using the friction created by a large wheel and leave offerings for their ancestors, often also disguising themselves as monsters or animals in order to ward off evil spirts and fairies.
Samhain is, most obviously at least, is the explanation behind the Halloween’s costumed and even supernatural roots.
Much time later, the Roman Empire would later go on to make considerable gains in Celtic territory, essentially absorbing parts of the Celtic culture (including the Samhain festival) and combining it with their own to create two distinct festivals over a period of 400 years.
As outlined by History.com, the first (Feralia) was more closely aligned with the Celtic culture and “traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead”, whilst the second celebrated the Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards – Leading to the creation of the now iconic Halloween activity of apple bobbing.
The Halloween (or “All Hallows Eve” as it was initially known) that we would be most familiar with, however, emerged much later in colonial America. Within the southern colonies, where European settlers and American Indians were engaging in early cultural exchanges, Halloween had begun to grow in popularity. Specifically, these October-time festivities coincided with the harvesting of crops for the winter and, as such, quickly became a key celebration for rural communities who would come together to celebrate during harvest-time.
The mass Irish immigration to the States during the Potato Famine caused Halloween to increase in popularity. With the arrival of these immigrants across the Atlantic, Halloween traditions began to merge with other existing Irish legends like the tale of ‘Stingy Jack’.
In this traditional tale, an ill-fated deal with the devil leaves one man forced to roam the Earth with only a hollowed out turnip in hand to guide his way. As many Irish people found it difficult to find turnips in America, however, they instead chose to carve pumpkins in commemoration of the story, leading to the creation of the now iconic image of the jack-o‘-lantern (or will-o’-the-wisps).
By the 1920s, the festival became widely celebrated across the country and later the world.
Whilst its clear to see that Halloween has undergone a series of key changes and developments throughout its long history, these annual festivities are still deeply rooted in a strong sense of community.
Most interestingly, the idea of ‘Halloween’ has continued (and no doubt will continue) to grow and evolve. The celebration has taken on a more complex, but nuanced meaning over time as different cultural influences have introduced new elements to the festivities – Including, dressing up in costume, apple bobbing, and the now iconic activity of pumpkin carving.
So, whether your plans involve an extravagant night out with others in matching costume, or a more small-scale evening in with close friends, remember that Halloween is first and foremost about celebrating with your local community and ushering in the winter months together, rather than alone.
Mae Calan Gaeaf yn adeg ddiddorol o’r flwyddyn.
Wrth i bwmpenni wedi’u goleuo’n artiffisial, gwisgoedd lliwgar a bagiau sydd wedi eu gor-lenwi â danteithion melys ddechrau ail-lenwi ein silffoedd mewn archfarchnadoedd a siopau gwisgoedd ledled y DU, mae’n saff i ddweud bod ‘Calan Gaeaf’ wedi cyrraedd unwaith eto.
Mae’r dathliadau hyn ym mis Hydref yn ddigwyddiadau pwysig, diwylliannol ac arwyddocaol. Yn yr un modd â’r Nadolig a’r Pasg mae’r ystyr y tu ôl i Galan Gaeaf yn dod yn fwyfwy amwys ac, i lawer o bobl, nid yw bellach yn cynrychioli llawer mwy na chyfle arall i gael parti a gor-yfed.
Hyd yn oed i’r rhai sy’n dewis peidio â chymryd rhan mewn dathliadau Calan Gaeaf, gall y cyfnod hwn, yn ddealladwy, fod yn gyfnod dryslyd ac (mewn rhai achosion) yn annymunol.
Gyda hyn mewn golwg, mae’n bwysig i ni atgoffa ein hunain o ‘wir ystyr’ Calan Gaeaf a chydnabod yr holl newidiadau y mae’r digwyddiad blynyddol hwn wedi’u gweld drwy gydol hanes.
Er i’r enw “Calan Gaeaf” ddod yn boblogaidd yn gyntaf gan y bardd Albanaidd Robert Burns yn 1785, mae’r rhan fwyaf o haneswyr yn aml yn cyfeirio at ŵyl gaeleg hynafol Samhain wrth fapio ei hanes cynnar.
Dathlwyd yr ŵyl pagan hon ar ddiwrnod olaf mis Hydref, cyfnod pan oedd llawer o bobl yn credu y byddai’r ffîn rhwng bywyd a marwolaeth yn gwanhau.Yn ystod y cyfnod hwn, byddai Celtiaid yn cynnau tanau cymunedol gan ddefnyddio’r ffrithiant a grëwyd gan olwyn fawr ac yn gadael cynigion i’w hynafiaid. Yn aml hefyd y byddent yn gwisgo fel bwystfilod neu anifeiliaid er mwyn osgoi ysbeidiau a ffeiriau drwg.
Samhain felly yw’r esboniad mwyaf amlwg y tu ôl i wreiddiau gwisgoedd brawychus Calan Gaeaf.
Yn ddiweddarach, byddai’r Ymerodraeth Rufeinig yn mynd ymlaen i ennill llawer o dir Celtaidd, gan fabwysiadu elfennau o’r diwylliant Celtaidd (gan gynnwys gŵyl Samhain) a’i chyfuno â’u gwyliau eu hunain i greu dwy ŵyl wahanol dros gyfnod o 400 mlynedd.
Fel yr amlinellwyd gan History.com, roedd y cyntaf (Feralia) yn agosach tuag at ddiwylliant Celtaidd ac yn “draddodiadol yn coffáu’r meirw”, tra bod yr ail yn dathlu duwiau Rhufeinig, coed, ffrwythau a pherllannau – gan arwain at greu’r weithgaredd Calan Gaeaf eiconig o dwcio afalau (neu apple bobbing.
Fodd bynnag, daeth y term ‘Calan Gaeaf’ (neu “All Hallows Eve” fel ei gelwir i ddechrau) yn llawer mwy cyffredin yn ddiweddarach ar ôl i America gael ei goloneddio.O fewn y trefedigaethau deheuol, lle’r oedd sefydlwyr Ewropeaidd ac Indiaid Americanaidd yn cymryd rhan mewn cyfnewidfeydd diwylliannol cynnar, roedd Calan Gaeaf wedi dechrau tyfu mewn poblogrwydd.Yn benodol, roedd y dathliadau hyn ym mis Hydref yn cyd-daro â chynaeafu cnydau ar gyfer y gaeaf ac, fel y cyfryw, daeth yn ddathliad allweddol i gymunedau gwledig a fyddai’n dod at ei gilydd i ddathlu yn ystod amser cynaeafu.
Achosodd y mewnfudo torfol o Iwerddon i’r Unol Daleithiau yn ystod y newyn tatws (Potato Famine) Calan Gaeaf i gynyddu mewn poblogrwydd. Gyda dyfodiad y mewnfudwyr hyn ar draws môr yr Iwerydd, dechreuodd traddodiadau Calan Gaeaf uno â chwedlau gwyddelig eraill fel hanes ‘Stingy Jack’.
Yn y stori draddodiadol hon, mae bargen wael gyda’r diafol yn gadael un dyn i grwydro’r ddaear gyda dim ond meipen yn ei law i arwain ei ffordd. Gan fod llawer o bobl Iwerddon yn ei chael hi’n anodd dod o hyd i faip (turnips) yn America fe’u dewiswyd i gerfio pwmpenni i goffáu’r stori, gan arwain at greu delwedd eiconig y ‘jac-o’-lantern’ (neu will-o’-the-wisps).
Erbyn yr 1920au, cafodd yr ŵyl ei ddathlu’n eang ledled y wlad ac yn ddiweddarach ledled y byd.
Er ei bod yn glir i weld bod Calan Gaeaf wedi cael cyfres o newidiadau a datblygiadau allweddol drwy gydol ei hanes hir, mae’r dathliadau blynyddol hyn dal wedi’u gwreiddio’n ddwfn mewn ymdeimlad cryf o gymuned.
Yn fwyaf diddorol, mae’r syniad o ‘Galan Gaeaf’ wedi parhau (ac mae’n siŵr y bydd yn parhau) i dyfu ac esblygu. Mae’r dathliad wedi cymryd ystyr mwy cymhleth dros amser gan fod dylanwadau diwylliannol gwahanol wedi cyflwyno elfennau newydd i’r ŵyl – gan gynnwys, gwisgo i fyny mewn gwisgoedd brawychus, twcio afalau a’r weithgaredd eiconig o gerfio pwmpen erbyn hyn.
Felly, p’un a’i yw eich cynlluniau’n cynnwys noson allan gydag eraill mewn gwisgoedd arswydus, neu noson mewn gyda ffrindiau agos, cofiwch fod Calan Gaeaf yn ymwneud yn bennaf â dathlu gyda’ch cymuned yn ystod misoedd y gaeaf yn hytrach nag ar eich pen eich hun.
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