It’s that time of year again.
Halloween. People buy pumpkins to carve, candy to eat and costumes to
wear. So this week’s question wasn’t a surprise. What is the origin
of Halloween and it’s many traditions?
Christmas,my birthday and Thanksgiving all great but I have to admit Halloween is my least
favorite holiday. I’ve never found being scared fun and I’ve never
seen the point in walking door to door for candy. The latter probably
is due to the fact that as a child I lived in a neighborhood with few
children so there was always left over candy at home. Since my mom bought the
type of candy I liked there wasn’t a need to go out. As long as I can
remember I’ve hated dressing up and as a child I especially hated
wearing make-up. Plus it was always cold out and several times it
rained.
Carving pumpkins, eating the candy and
food and watching Halloween themed television are the only traditions
I willingly participated in. So eventually my parents gave up on
trying to get me to see the fun side of Halloween and let me stay
home to give out the candy.
Some people love Halloween and I
have no problem with that; I buy candy and hand it out at my
apartment and decorate my front door and answer the door with a smile on my face. I don’t want to spoil any
else’s fun… or have my car egged.
So where did it all start? Two thousand year
ago in Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. the festival
of Samhain was held to mark the end of summer and start of winter.
For them, the winter meant a time of less food, cold weather and
death. Live stock had to be moved indoors, the last of the food
needed to be harvested and disease came with winter.
The day was considered to be the new
year and was celebrated with feasts, sacrificial offerings, practical
jokes and homage to the dead. The day was a day of chaos, not part of
the new year or past year where paranormal beings such as faeries and
ghost could walk the Earth. The feasts were a way for people to call
to their past loved ones back to the Earth but with spirits of those
they loved came evil spirits. This is where the costumes come in.
They were to disguise themselves and ward off the evil spirits.
Some historians believe that while this
festival sounds like it could be the origin of Halloween it’s
similarities may be consequential. It’s more likely that Halloween
has to with the holy day, All Saint’s Day held on November 1st.
On that day, saints and passed loved ones who had not reached Heaven
yet were honored. The night before, then known as All Hallows’ Eve,
children and the poor went door to door collecting soul cakes to use
in prayer for the souls in purgatory. These souls were represented by
jack-o-lanterns. It was believed it was the day that spirits could
take their revenge on those who wronged them in their life. Costumes were often worn to protect people from
those who passed who may still be holding a grudge against someone
still alive.
Halloween didn’t reach North America
until the first decade of the 20th century. Early
settlers, namely the Puritans, were against the holiday. Now the day
is celebrated by most of North America with little acknowledgement or
even awareness it’s origins. However, there are some religions and
cultures that are against Halloween viewing it as a Pagan holiday.
But as I said, today it is more of a secular holiday and the original
meaning is mostly lost.
Originally jack-o-lanterns were made
with turnips in Ireland but later pumpkins were used; basically they
used whatever was available. The current images we think of when we
think of Halloween (witches, vampires, etc), come mostly from Gothic
and horror literature and films. There are also many symbols that
come from the idea of the end of the harvest such as pumpkins, corn
husk and scarecrows.
The tradition of trick-or-treating, or
guising, came from Scotland and Ireland dated to the late 1800s.
Children dressed in costume going door to door carrying lanterns made
of turnips in which they asked for food or coins. Today children ask
for treats to prevent them from performing a trick on the person who
answers the door. The trick threat is rarely carried out.
Traditional costumes of monsters,
ghosts, witches and devils are worn which leads back to the idea of
protecting one’s self from harmful spirits. Today, children and even
adults dress up as pretty much anything they want; from fictional
characters to the traditional spooky characters. Mass production of
such costumes was started in North America around the 1930s.
Bobbing for apples, games involving
divination and telling ghost stories are all common traditions
practiced today. We also have things like haunted houses and
hayrides. There is now an element of fun in the once scary
traditions.
My favorite part is definitely the
food. Candy apples, candy, popcorn balls and sweet corn. All the
foods have their own origins but many they are linked to what food is
available this time of year (apples, corn and pumpkins).
With every holiday comes those who try
to ruin it. There have been reports of people tampering with candy by
putting sharp objects in them. This led to few people consuming
homemade treats that are handed out, parents having to inspect candy
and even some hospitals offering to X-ray candy for free. It’s always
better to be on the safe side but we should at acknowledge that such
events are rare. But it’s similar to a plane crash; people think it’s
more common because when it happens the media makes a big deal about
it.
So there you have it. A quick overview
of Halloween. So, be sure to protect yourselves from the ghosts and
enjoy the treats!