The roots of Halloween stretch back over the centuries. Today we will examine the origins of the
holiday and a few of its most cherished traditions. Do you have any cherished Halloween
traditions? Share them in the comments
section for others to read and enjoy. Also, visit the library and see some of the
Halloween books in our collection the librarians have set out.
Samhain
The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween)
fell around the time corresponding to November 1st on our modern
calendars. This festival marked both the
beginning of the Celtic New Year and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that during this festival,
which lasted approximately three days, the line dividing the spirits of the
dead from the living was thinner and more permeable. At this time ghosts, fairies, and demons
walked and mingled with humanity for a short period.
The Celts divided their year into two halves. A light half (summer) when the earth produced
fruits and vegetables and was green, and a dark half (winter), a time when the
earth went dormant and lost its greenery.
As with other festivals, Samhain provided a time for feasting, dancing,
and other merrymaking. It was a way to
enjoy the waning days of warmth and to prepare for the cold dark days that lay
ahead.
As barbarian Europe converted to Christianity, pagan
holidays were incorporated into the Christian liturgical calendars and given
new Christian meanings. In the Christian
calendar, November 2nd is All Souls’ Day, when the dead are
traditionally prayed for. November 1st
was All Saints’ Day or All Hallows Day.
This was the day of the year when all the Saints of the Church were
remembered. October 31st
became known as All Hallows Eve, or with the English propensity to shorten and
contract everything: Halloween.
Jack O’ Lantern
The history of Jack O’ Lanterns originates with the story of
Stingy Jack. According to legend
The next year Jack tricked the Devil into climbing the tree
to pick a piece of fruit. While the
Devil was in the tree Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree, preventing
the Devil from climbing back down. Once
again Jack was able to extract a promise from the Devil. This time the Devil agreed not to bother Jack
for ten years.
Shortly after the second agreement with the Devil, Jack
died. Jack appeared at the Pearly Gates
and God, wary of having such a duplicitous character in heaven, refused him
admittance. The Devil, still upset at
being tricked so easily and yet true to his word, would not take Jack into
hell. Instead, the Devil gave Jack a burning coal to help him find his
way. Jack put the coal into a carved
turnip and has been roaming the earth since.
In Ireland and Scotland people made their own Jack O’
Lanterns by carving scary faces into potatoes and turnips and displaying them
on their windowsills. This was to
frighten Stingy Jack and other malevolent spirits away. In England, large beets were carved. Immigrants from the British Isles brought
these traditions to America, where it was soon discovered that pumpkins, a
gourd native to North America, made the perfect Jack O’ Lantern.
Why do we go
trick-or-treating and wear costumes?
As mentioned above the ancient Celtic peoples believed that
during the festival of Samhain the line between the living and the dead was
thinner. The Celts would take
precautions so as not to draw any unwanted attention from wandering ghosts and
spirits. Adults would dress themselves
in costumes made of animal skins to frighten away spirits. Others would fill tables full of goodies in
order to satisfy wandering spirits and make them leave the local villagers
alone.
By the year 1000 CE poorer members of the local community
would visit the homes of the better off during this particular season. In exchange for pastries, called soul cakes,
they promised to pray for the souls of that family’s departed members. This custom was known as souling, and was
later taken up by children demanding food, treats, and ale. This is reminiscent of the Christmas
tradition of “wassailing” where the poor would converge upon the homes of their
betters and demand food and drink – think “O give us some figgy pudding,” and
“we won’t go until we get some.”
In Scotland and Ireland the young would visit other homes
while dressed in different types of costumes.
In exchange for performing a little song or dance or reciting a poem or
some other “trick” they would be given a “treat” of fruit, nuts, or some coins.
Irish and Scottish immigrants brought their traditions with
them when they arrived in the United States.
This helped to cement the various celebrations associated with Halloween
firmly in the states. In the early 20th
century many American youth seemed to take the idea of a “trick” literally and
began engaging in vandalism, assaults, and occasionally violence. In an effort to curb more destructive
behaviors, local authorities organized community trick-or-treat programs in the
1930s. After a hiatus during World War
II due to sugar rationing the traditions picked back up and now the newly
emerging baby boomers gave a boost to this tradition.
Bobbing for Apples
Although associated with Halloween parties and fall
festivals now this game was originally associated with finding love and
divination. Like some of our other
Halloween traditions this one originated in the British Isles and made its way
to the New World with Scottish and British immigrants. There are several variations of this game
with different rules and superstitions attached to the outcome of the game.
In the first version of the game apples are assigned the
name of a potential mate. Young ladies
would then take turns bobbing for apples.
In this game the girl would try to bite the apple. If it took only one turn to bite the apple
they would marry. A second attempt meant
the man would court the girl, but the love would fail. If it took three tries the relationship was
doomed. Another variation of the game
consisted of a race and the first to bite an apple would be the first to
marry. Another related superstition held
that if the girl placed the apple she bit under her pillow she would see her
future mate in her dreams.
These games are pretty tame compared to another apple-themed game popular in the 1800s. The game of Snap Apple consisted of an apple stuck to the end of a stick. A lit candle was affixed to the other end. The goal of this game was to take a bite of the apple while it was spun around and trying to avoid a face full of candle wax. Definitely not the type of game one would consider playing at Halloween parties today.
The library has many books and CDs available to help you get into the Halloween spirit. Here are a few examples of the items we offer:
"It Came From Ohio..." by James Renner
"Haunted Ohio" by Chris Woodyard, we also have volumes II, III, IV, and V
"Ghosthunting Ohio" by John B. Kachuba
"A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness
"Dark Witch" by Nora Roberts
"Hocus Pocus! Halloween Crafts for a Spooktacular Holiday"
"The Pumpkin Carving Book" by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell
We also have CDs full of spooky sounds and noises!
"Graveyard Terror"
"Halloween: Monster Mix" by Mannheim Steamroller
Martha Stewart Living "Spooky Scary Sounds for Halloween"
If you need help finding something you don't see here or need a spooky recommendation find one of our librarians and they will be glad to help you.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
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