How did Halloween begin?
Long ago, people believed that evil spirits stole the sun at the end of summer. These spirits hid the sun during winter, making the days short and the nights long. People dreaded this dark and dreary time of year. The worst night of all was October 31. The Celts, in Britain and France, held a festival called Samhain (sow-whin) on October 31. During Samhain devils, witches, and goblins roamed the countryside stealing animals, overturning carts, and playing tricks. The Celts burned bonfires to frighten away these terrible spirits. People also wore costumes of animal skins and heads to hide themselves. In later years Samhain was combined with the Roman festival Faralia, which honoured and welcomed the spirits. Then Christians began to celebrate All Saints' Day on November 1. They did this to make people stop celebrating Samhain. The evening before November 1 was called Hallow or Holy Evening. Over the years, it changed to Hallows Evening, then Hallow E'en, and now Halloween.
WHY DO GHOSTS HAUNT ON HALLOWEEN?
The word sends shivers up some folks’ spines. Today we think of ghosts as pale, moaning, unhappy spirits haunting on Halloween night. But this has not always been so. Many years ago some people believed ghosts were the spirits of their dead relatives who came home to visit once a year, on Halloween. Huge fires were kept burning on hilltops to guide these friendly ghosts home. The ghosts were welcomed with feasts of nuts, apples, cakes, bread, and meat. But people thought if the ghosts did not get enough treats, they would become angry. They would then play terrible tricks, like stealing children or killing cows and horses. A ghost who haunts by making noises or moving objects is known as a poltergeist (pole-ter-guyst). They move chairs and beds. They rattle dishes or make pictures fall off the walls. Polter-geists haunt any time they want, not only on Halloween.
Why do we carve pumpkins on Halloween?
LONG ago, children in Ireland made lanterns from large turnips. They hollowed out the turnips and carved faces in them. Candles inside the turnips were lit to make scary faces to frighten away evil spirits. When the Irish came to America, they found pumpkins growing here. Since pumpkins ripen around the middle of October they became part of the Halloween tradition. Today we call carved pumpkins Jack-0'-Lanterns. Here is one version of the story that explains why. Once upon a time, there was an Irishman named Jack. Jack loved to play tricks on the Devil. Once he tricked the Devil into changing himself into a coin. Jack put the Devil into his pocket and wouldn't let him out until he promised to leave Jack alone. Another time Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree to get him an apple. When the Devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk. Because the Devil was scared of the cross, he stayed in the tree until Jack let him down. The Devil got angry at Jack for playing so many tricks. One night he waited for Jack to walk by. He tossed glowing coal into Jack's lantern. Because it was the Devil's coal, Jack could not blow it out. "Jack," the Devil said, "your punishment for tricking me is to walk the Earth forever carrying your lantern lighted with my coal. People everywhere will call you Jack of the Lantern."
WHY DO WE HAVE WITCHES ON HALLOWEEN?
Imagine riding her broom with a black cat perched behind her. Her nose is long and pointed. She wears a tall hat, a black dress, and a cape. There were witches long before there ever was a Halloween. The word witch used to mean "the wise one." People would come to witches for medicines, to hear their fortunes told, or to get magic charms. Witches also provided poisons for people who wished to harm their enemies. Witches met in small groups called covens. Each coven had thirteen people: twelve members and a leader. Covens met to practice magic, compare remedies and potions, and socialize. Even today thousands of men, women, and children who believe in witchcraft meet in covens. People used to believe that there were three kinds of magic. The first kind was harmless white magic. A farmer might mutter a spell to make good weather come. Or a girl might use charm to get a husband.
The second kind was black magic. The witches who practised black magic were said to work with the Devil. They cast spells to cause sickness or death. They could cause floods, fires, and other disasters. The worst kind of magic was performed by witches who had sold their souls to the Devil. If a witch had a wart or a mole on her body it was a sign that the Devil had bitten her. Now she belonged to the Devil. If these witches were discovered, they were burned or hanged. Twice a year witches from one region or country would gather for special celebrations called Witches' Sabbaths. One festival was held in the spring. The other was held at Halloween. These festivals were happy times with dancing, marriage ceremonies, and feasting. Witches played music on their Devil's bagpipes, made from cattails and hens' heads. Thousands of people came to these celebrations, whether they were witches or not.
WHY ARE CATS AND BATS HALLOWEEN SYMBOLS.
DO YOU think it is bad luck if a black cat crosses your path? Are you afraid that a bat might suck your blood? If you do, you are not alone, for many people still believe these superstitions about cats and bats. Long ago, people thought cats and bats had magical powers. Why? Because both move so mysteriously in the dark, without making noise. Cats can see well at night, eyes glowing eerily in the dark. Bats swoop through the nighttime sky as if guided by something unseen. Cats became part of Halloween because people associated them closely with witches. People thought witches changed into cats to sneak around. They thought cats carried messages between the Devil and witches. Cats were even believed to be mysterious spirits sent to haunt people. Because people feared them, cats were burned during the Samhain festival.
WHY DO WE TRICK OR TREAT IN COSTUMES ON HALLOWEEN?
For thousands of years, people have dressed up in costumes and masks pretending to be someone or something they weren't. Kings and queens would have special costume parties. Their guests would wear fancy costumes, and everyone would try to guess who was who. One king even dressed up as a living tree to fool his guests! Other people wore costumes when they posed for paintings. Wearing masks is also an old tradition. Long ago, people wore animal masks to give them power over the animals they hunted. Actors and actresses wore masks instead of makeup in plays. Other people wore scary masks to frighten away demons, which they thought were killing their cattle or stopping the rain from falling.
Witches WOW Masks or painted their faces black during their Witches’ Sabbath. Important people attending the Witches’Sabbath would wear masks so that no one would recognize them. Some people wore masks and costumes to fool evil spirits they thought were looking for them. Farmers and their families would march around their fields wearing masks and carrying torches to keep their fields and animals safe from evil spirits. When the Irish came to America, they brought many of their traditions with them. One tradition was going from house to house on Halloween to ask for money and food for feasts honoring the dead. If they didn‘t get a treat, they would play tricks, such as turning over a cart or nailing a gate shut. Soon children were going from house to house on Halloween to ask for treats. They dressed up in masks and costumes to keep their neighbours from guessing who played tricks on them.
Halloween means trick-or-treating in costumes, Jack-0'-Lanterns, candy, witches on brooms, black cats, bats, and ghosts. Halloween means being a little scared, but knowing we're safe. Most of all, Halloween means fun!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!