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He disapproved of Wiccan soldiers being given the same religious rights as others in the military. [1]

The religion also involves the ritual practice of magic, largely influenced by the ceremonial magic of previous centuries, often in conjunction with a broad code of morality known as the Wiccan Rede, although this is not adhered to by all wiccans. [2]

These archetypes are clearly recognized by Wiccan as our view of the Goddess and God aspect of the supreme creative force and predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years making it a mere toddler in the spectrum of time as we know it. [3]

Witchcraft store, Halloween info, downloads, Wiccan daily occurrences provided. [4]

Read more here to find out what exactly Wiccans and Pagans believe. [5]

Therefore in accordance with Wiccan philosophy, this site contains the entire Good Wiccan book which you may read and printout for * FREE. [6]

While this is true, we would simply like to clarify that Witchcraft and Wicca, while simular in many respects, are not the same. [3]

This website contains materials by and about the Church and School of Wicca, including history, course descriptions, biographies of the founders, instructional tapes for sale, and more. [...] This previously underground religion has much to teach every human about survival and about the ethical use of natural innate powers. [7]

This pentacle, worn as a pendant, depicts a pentagram, or five-pointed star, used as a symbol of Wicca by many adherents. [2]

Wicca and Witchcraft resources with pagan rituals, wicca spells, divination and more. [4]

We are always happy to meet someone else who is interested in exploring Witchcraft, the Old Religion, and its way of life. [7]

“It seems to be necessary to preface every discussion of Witchcraft with an explanation that, no, Neo-Pagan Witches aren’t Satanists. [1]

Although Wiccan views on theology are numerous and varied, the vast majority of Wiccans venerate both a god and a goddess. [2]

One can be a Witch, without being a Wiccan, just as a person can be a Christian, without being a Baptist. [3]

Sources:
[1] Wicca, the religion
[2] Wicca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[3] What is Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism? - Celtic Connection Entry …
[4] The Inner Sanctum of Wicca and Witchcraft
[5] Paganism & Wicca - Pagan and Wiccan Religion
[6] Good Wiccan Beginner’s Guide - Introduction to Wicca ‘ Welcome …
[7] Welcome to The Church and School of Wicca’s Homepage!

Sections of the pumpkin are cut out to make holes, often depicting a face, which may be either cheerful, scary, or comical. [1]

Today we will buy a big, ugly, pumpkin so large one man cannot lift or move it. [2]

You’ve come to the right place for Halloween Pumpkin Carving! [3]

Sculptor Ray Villafane works with a variety of mediums, but his intricate pumpkin carvings are far and away the most popular of all. [4]

One story says that Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree, and once he was up there Jack quickly placed crosses around the trunk or carved a cross into the bark, so that the Devil couldn’t get down. [1]

Extreme Pumpkins.com - Pumpkin carving at its wildest! [2]

Jack O’Lanterns may have their origins in the myth of Stingy Jack, a thief denied entry to heaven who engineered a pact with the devil to spare his soul from hell. [5]

Once the tradition moved to the US, it was adapted to the carving of a pumpkin as these vegetables were more readily available, bigger and easier to carve. [1]

Scottish and Irish immigrants brought the story and the tradition to America, where it was co-opted into the muddled myths and commercialisation of the season. [5]

Whether it’s simply carving a pumpkin to sit on the door step for Halloween night or holding a pumpkin carving party with you’re friends and family, this age old tradition is a main event for young and old alike. [3]

Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life. [2]

The tradition of carving a lantern started in the British Isles however, it was traditionally sliced out of a swede or a turnip. [1]

But the tradition of carving faces into hollowed-out turnips and swedes ‘ perhaps I should say neeps ‘ is rather more local. [...] Among his other creative duties, Claudio has responsibility for carving Halloween pumpkins for this American chain. [5]

But, to ensure that your carving experience is fun and not frustrating, we recommend that you do nothing more than ogle the photos and draw inspiration from these masterpieces. [6]

Sources:
[1] Jack-o’-lantern - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[2] ExtremePumpkins.com - Extreme Pumpkin Carving
[3] Pumpkin Carving and Pumpkin Carving Patterns for Halloween
[4] Incredible (and freaky!) pumpkin carvings
[5] Are you carving a Halloween pumpkin? | Life and style | guardian …
[6] Halloween Pumpkin Carving: 6 Amazing Ideas For 2011 (PHOTOS)

Although not the best known of Glenn Danzig ’s musical projects, the short-lived Samhain helped bridge the gap between the fierce punk of his Misfits days with the Sabbath-y metal blues of his solo band, Danzig. [1]

Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. [2]

It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the “Celtic New Year” from the late 19th century, following Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer. [3]

Danzig has said that he wrote two songs (”Death Comes Ripping” and “Bloodfeast”) with the intention of using them on the first Samhain album, but instead recorded them with the Misfits for the Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood album in order to round out that band’s final series of recordings and release a full album. [4]

Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. [3]

Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. [4]

At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical properties. [2]

Danzig would play guitar on live performances of the song “Archangel”, freeing his guitarist to instead perform a second bass track. [1]

Possibly to avoid potential legal disputes with former guitarist Damien, Danzig had overdubbed /re-recorded all of the original guitar tracks with his own guitar playing. [4]

With former Minor Threat guitarist Lyle Preslar signing on soon after, Samhain recorded their debut album, Initium, which was issued in 1984. [1]

The Samhain celebrations have survived in several guises as a festival dedicated to the harvest and the dead. [3]

Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. [2]

The medieval Goidelic festival of Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half”. [3]

This article is about the American rock band. [4]

This lineup remained together for a lone release, 1985’s extremely limited-edition four-track EP Unholy Passion, before another lineup hiccup occurred when Zing was replaced with London May. [1]

Sources:
[1] Samhain: Information from Answers.com
[2] Samhain
[3] Samhain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[4] Samhain (band) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Through the years the roots of All Hallows Eve or Hallowmas lives on and takes shape in new and sometimes outlandish forms each year. [1]

It was in Ireland and Scotland and England that All Hallows’ Eve became a combination of prayer and merriment. [2]

If indeed the veil between the living and the dead fades after dark on Monday, All Hallows’ Eve presents a welcome opportunity to raise old spirits and dance under the moon with them for one night. [3]

All Saint’s Day on November 1st together with All Souls’ Day on November 2nd was marked on the Christian calendar to honor and celebrate saints but especially loved ones who had passed in the year. [1]

Now it is possible that Halloween was abused for such a purpose; nevertheless, during all the Christian centuries up until the simplification of the Church calendar in 1956, it was a liturgical vigil in its own right and thus has a reason for being. [2]

November 1 became All Hallows Day - hallows is Old English for saints, or holy person. [3]

In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. [4]

Celtics believed that the night before the New Year the chasm separating the living and the dead was bridged, allowing spirits of the dead, both good and bad, to join with the living. [1]

At the same time they saluted Samhain, their “lord of death,” who was thought to gather together at last the souls of the year’s dead which had been consigned to the bodies of animals in punishment for their sins. [2]

The school also bans masks or long-flowing costumes that might lead to a child tripping. [3]

It was in the eighth century that the Church appointed a special date for the feast of All Saints, followed by a day in honor of her soon-to-be saints, the feast of All Souls. [2]

The irony is that in different countries all over the world there are variances of meaning to All-Hallows-Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day that have also merged with our present day meaning of Halloween. [1]

Like many elementary schools, Bridget’s forbids costumes that might scare other kids. [3]

Then the two holidays of Samhain and All Hallowmas were combined and celebrated as Hallowmas, which is known today as Halloween. [1]

Begging at the door grew from an ancient English custom of knocking at doors to beg for a “soul cake” in return for which the beggars promised to pray for the dead of the household. [2]

Sources:
[1] ORIGIN OF HALLOWEEN OR ALL-HALLOWS’-EVE - Los Angeles Christian …
[2] All Hallow’s Eve - Catholic Education Resource Center
[3] TheSpec - Not your pagan druid All Hallows’ Eve
[4] All Saints - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History of Halloween, like any other festival’s history is inspired through traditions that have transpired through ages from one generation to another. [1]

These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween. [2]

They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes (similar to today’s Halloween costumes), and noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. [3]

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. [4]

Get the facts on Halloween 2011 and Halloween history, this year’s most popular costumes, record-breaking pumpkins, and more in National Geographic News’s Halloween roundup. [5]

It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. [3]

Despite this connection with the Roman Church, the American version of Halloween Day celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called “Samhain”, celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. [...] Behind the name… Halloween, or the Hallow E’en as they call it in Ireland, means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the ‘All Hallows’, also called ‘All Hallowmas’, or ‘All Saints’, or ‘All Souls’ Day, observed on November 1. [1]

In the seventh century Pope Boniface IV decreed November 1 All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows’ Day. [5]

In recent years the American inspired (and US media driven) commercialisation of this date (previously marked in the UK by children carving lanterns in turnips or swedes and little else - pumpkins being scarce) has resulted in the importing of US traditions such as “trick-or-treating “, costume parties, and carving lanterns from real pumpkins which are now cultivated specially for this purpose. [6]

As the two religions began to mix much of the traditions of Samhain, such as dressing up in costumes and dancing around the fire, became one with All Hallows Eve to create Halloween. [...] When Roman tradition mixed with Celtic tradition, so did their festivals. [7]

Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting “haunted houses” and carving jack-o-lanterns. [2]

While many of the traditions of making jack ‘o’ lanterns, and giving out treats do come from the old European holiday known as Samhain, (pronounced SOW-ain), the origins of Halloween are very different from what we celebrate today. [7]

It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. [4]

Sources:
[1] History of Halloween - TheHolidaySpot: Holidays and Festivals …
[2] History of Halloween - Halloween History
[3] Halloween - The History, Traditions, and Customs of Halloween
[4] Halloween ‘ History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts
[5] Halloween 2011: Top Costumes, History, Myths, More
[6] Halloween - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[7] Halloween - The History and Origins