Halloween traditions and folklore

Halloween is said to have originated by the Celts. It history is rooted in religous rituals surrounding death, and the celebration of the afterlife On All Saints Day (Nov.1). Halloween, also known as All Hallows Eve is the night that the Celts performed rituals to scare away the spirits of those who died in the past year. They believed that the spirits roamed the earth, awaiting All Hallows Eve, to find a body to possess. The would turn out all the lights to make it harder for the spirits to find them and make lots of noise to scare away the spirits. Similar rituals from early civilizations have been noted in other countries. Some are more of a celebration of death and welcoming of passed spirits, but are all related to death and spirits........ hence the ghoulish costumes seen in this country every year as we continue an adapted ritual.

The Jack-O-Lantern

Pumpkin carving or Jack-O-Lanterns come from a story of a man named "Stingy" Jack. Jack tricked the devil one too many times in his life. His last trickery was talking him into climbing a tree. Once in the tree Jack carved a religious symbol into the tree so the devil could not come down. They made an agreement that he would help the devil if he promised not to accept him at the gates of hell when he died. The devil agreed. Jack lived on for some years and finally passed. When it came time to be accepted at the pearly gates of heaven he was denied access because of his previous dealings with the devil. He was sent to live in eternity in Hell, but when he arrived he was turned away because of the pact he made with the devil. Jack was sent to roam aimlessly forever, but the devil was kind enough to offer an ember to shed light and help him find his way between worlds. Jack took a turnip, hollowed it out and carved it so the light from the ember would shine through. Pumpkins were not readily available in celtic times, but were found in abundance here in the US when the pilgrims landed. Now pumpkins are used to light the way for Old Jack.

Trick or Treating

Trick or Treating is believed to have originated in christianity as a ritual called "souling". People would bet for little cakes and offer prayer for those who died.

Another recount comes from England. Children would go door to door begging for pennies and say "a penny for guy". Guy would be Guy Fawkes, and Guy Fawkes day is still celebrated today with fireworks and bon fires. The date of the celebrations however does not coincide with Oct 31. It is celebrated on Nov 5. Guy Fawkes was caught in the basement of the houses of parliament with gunpowder, waiting to ignite it. He was caught and exectued. He was supposedly 1 of a group of conspirators attempting to overthrow the government over religious rights. It is unclear if the celebrations today are to celebrate his execution or his efforts to destroy the government. We will never know for sure. Many stories dating back as far as this (early 1600's) undergo changes along the way.

Modern day trick or treating has changed even in the last 40 years. These days kids dress up as they always have but they just ring the door bell and hold out a bag. Even worse these days is worrying if someone will try to poison or injure trick or treaters so more parents are taking their children to supervised parties. I remember the day when a group of kids could comb an entire town, get great home made treats and a raspy voice from yelling trick or treat for hours on Halloween night. Those days are gone, but those of us who were able to enjoy them will remember them and tell stories about them to generations!

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