Halloween: Post-Holiday Relief and Candy Sale

For most, Halloween is a fun filled holiday, a time to dress up and be something other- worldly or at least other than who we are the other 364 days of the year. It's a time of pumpkin carving and crisp fall air, it's trick or treating and bobbing for apples, it's a time for celebration and harvest. But for others, it's a time ruled by demons and the devil, fraught with superstition and folk lore that has been bastardized down through the centuries. For many these urban legends, and stories of unspeakable horrors fill some with fear and loathing. Here then is a brief history of where Halloween came from and why it's still a holiday to be enjoyed and not scorned.

The history of Halloween dates back thousands of years to the ancient Celts. The Celts came from the areas of Ireland, England and parts of France, as we know them now. In those days, the Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. This celebration was called Samhain (pronounced So-wen or Sow-en)This was the time of year that signified the end of the harvest season, the time when the earth died off and the harsh, cold winter months began.

The belief was that on the night before November 1st, the veil between the worlds was at it's thinnest, and that our ancestors and crossed over loved ones were able to communicate with us. It was thought that the ghosts of the dead came back to earth, so that the Druids could make predictions about the future and for those people who were dependent on the volatile natural world, this was a source of comfort and direction for the upcoming year.

To commemorate this event, the Druids built hugh bonfires and the people of the village would burn crops and make sacrifices to the celtic dieties to ensure a bountiful harvest the following year. Many of the villagers would wear costumes, consisting mostly of animal skins and hides and would dance around the fires, often passing between two fires to receive blessings and good fortune. At the end of the celebration, the villagers would return to their homes to relight their hearthfires with a bit of the bonfire to protect them during the coming winter months.

In 43 A.D., the Romans had conquered the Celts, and the celebration was incorporated into the Roman traditions, and actually became 2 seperate celebrations. The first one was Feralia, which was the honoring of the Dead, the second was to honor Pamona, the goddess of fruits and harvest and particularly apples. This may be where the "bobbing for apples" tradition was founded.

By 800, Christianity had taken over the Celts. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface the IV declared November 1st as "All Saints Day", a time to remember saints and maryters. It is believed that the pope was attempting to replace the Celts festival with a church sanctioned but similar holiday. All Hallows Eve, was derived from middle english "alholomesse" meaning All Saints Day, and the night before it, "All Hallows Eve" and those words eventually became Halloween.

By the year 1000, the church would declared November 2nd "All Souls Day" and it is celebrated much the same way as the ancient Celts did, with parades, bonfires, and costumes, usually dressing up like saints, angels, devils and such. Together the 3 celebrations, Samhain, All Saints Day and All Souls Day were called Hallowmass.

Halloween Around the World

In Ireland, people still dress up in "otherworldly" costumes of goblins, ghouls, and zombies, etc. Long ago It was believed that since the spirits from the underworld were able to roam freely amongst the living, that the living would blend in if dressed in such a manner. Trick or Treating originates from the tradition of children going from door to door to collect fruit, nuts and sweets for the harvest festival. Houses were adorned with carved Turnips with spooky faces, often a candle or light was/is placed inside for an eerie effect. The traditional cake or sweet for halloween is Barmbrack, it is a fruited bread and often has other items baked into it, i.e. a piece of cloth, a coin, a pea, a stick and a ring. It was used as a sort of fortune telling game. Each item when received in a slice of the cake would have meaning for the recipient. The stick to beat one's wife with, the pea would indicate that there would be no marriage for that year, the piece of cloth meant a lack of fortune, the coin meant good fortune and the ring naturally meant, that marriage was pending in the upcoming year. Today, Irish children have a week long holiday break from school and the last Monday of October is the public holiday for Halloween, even though it doesn't fall on the same day each year.

In Scotland, having shared a similar Celtic heritage as Ireland, Samhain has been celebrated for centuries. The autumn festival is pre-christian Celt and is known in Scottish Gaelic as "Oidiche Shamhna" which translates in English to "the end of summer." Huge Peat fires were lit, and once the fire would die down a circle of ash was formed around the fire, then a stone was placed on the circumfrence of the circle, one for each member of the family. If in the morning the stone is misplaced or cracked, it was thought that the person who'd placed the stone, would die withing the year. Some of these traditions are still enjoyed today.

In England, families stayed up late, and "soul cakes" were eaten by everyone. Candles were lit in every room to guide the souls back to their earthly homes and a glass of wine was left out on a table to help refresh their spirits. Bobbing for apples seems to be one of the constant traditions throughout the original "Gaelic/Celtic" countries. However in England, once an apple was caught, it was peeled and the peels were tossed over one's shoulder in hopes that the peel would form into the letter of the participants true love;s name. Another superstition was the longer the apple peel, the longer the persons life would be.

Other traditional Halloween activities include telling ghost stories, making of apple tarts, fireworks, and the playing of childrens games such as hide and seek.

In this country, prior to 1900, there is very little documentation of dressing in costume. Commercially produced costumes did not appear until around 1930 and trick or treating didn't become popular till around 1950. Today Halloween has become the 6th most profitable holiday. Halloween has become a major celebration with the Friday and Saturday prior to the actual holiday hosting many halloween and costume parties. Halloween Horror Nights, which is hosted by Universal Studios both in California and Florida have become hugh productions lasting an entire month long and is one of the largest Halloween celebrations in the world.

Several cities in the U.S. have proclaimed themselves "Halloween Capital Of The World" such as Salem, Massachusettes which has a great deal of tourism associated with the "Salem Witch Trials" and have added a "Haunted Happenings" during the month of October. In Keene, New Hampshire, they boast the Pumpkin fest and hold the record for the most lit jack o lanterns at one time. In New York City, you can participate in the U.S.'s largest Halloween celebration called the "Village Halloween Parade." It was founded by Greenwich Village mask maker Ralph Lee in 1973 and now boasts over 2 million participants and another 4 million viewers over the television. It has been compared to New Orleans, Mardi Gras.

In Mexico, influenced by the American traditions, children are costumed and go from door to door garnering treats, however, they don't play tricks on those who don't have treats. Halloween begins 3 days of celebration, followed by All Saints Day, and ending with "dia de los muertos" or the day of the dead., which
honors their deceased family members and ancestors.

So now that you know a little more about Halloween and the traditions surrounding these centuries old ceremonies. I'll bet you feel just a little silly being afraid to participate in the fun. It's all harmless and steeped in ancient traditions, that have very little to do with religion, and a lot to do with sinple harvest festivities and honoring our deceased loved ones. And so now It's time to take down all the spooky decorations for another year, take in the pumpkins and get ready for pumpkin pie, and let's not forget, all that yummy left over Halloween candy that's been marked down to 50 and 75% off. Ohhhh how hauntingly delightful. Until next year, Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain.