9781422276549

Feralia and Parentalia By the first century c.e., the Celts, like many other civilizations, had been conquered by the Roman Empire, whose influence spread across much of what is now the European continent and beyond.With the arrival of the Romans, the old customs of Samhain were replaced by Roman traditions and deities. One of the Roman festivals was Feralia, the last day in a week-long series of events in the name of the manen, the spirits of the dead. The celebration started on February 13 with the festival of Parentalia, which celebrated all the family members who were dead. The commemorations were held in private until the last day, when Feralia took place. On this public holiday people made their way to the graves and left their offerings of remembrance. The festival took place in February because, according to Roman lore, it was the most unlucky month in the Roman calendar. Romans believed that in February the spirits of the departed would become restless and need appeasing. Because it was the most turbulent period, no one got married or carried on any of their customary business transactions between Parentalia and Feralia. Fusion of Customs Historians and folklorists agree that a fusion of customs probably occurred during the 400 years the Romans ruled the Celts, with the Celtic festival of Samhain merging with the Roman festival of Feralia and also with Pomona. Pomona was a festival celebrating the Roman goddess of the same name who presided over gardens and orchards. Pomona’s Latin name, Pomun, means “fruit.” Her symbol is the apple, though she is also associated with nuts, grapes, and other fruits. Pomona is often depicted as a maiden with fruit in her arms and a pruning knife in her hand. For the Romans, the apple was a symbol of love and fertility. This was combined with the feeling of divination surrounding Samhain and resulted in an overall aura of romance, magic, and enchantment. The Pomona festival took place around November 1 and 2. One tradition was to bury apples in the ground to provide nourishment for the souls traveling between the two worlds. Another practice was bobbing for apples. To bob apples, a large tub was first filled with water. Apples were floated in the water and contestants tried to retrieve the apples using their teeth alone. According to one legend, the first to take a bite of a bobbing apple using the mouth only would be the first to marry. According to another, if a girl put the apple she bobbed beneath her pillow, she would dream of her

future spouse. Christianity

Around the time of its establishment nearly 2,000 years ago, the Roman Catholic Church endeavored to transform pagan local celebrations into Christian holidays. For centuries the Church had

Halloween & Remembrances of the Dead

14 n