HALLOWEEN - 2022
between the living and the dead—Halloween is one of the oldest customs in existence. The event still has metamorphosis as a major element because the commemoration originated from ancient ceremonies commemorating the change from summer to winter.
Every society that has ever existed has developed some kind of ritual observance centered on what happens to people when they die, where they go, and how the living should best respect the dead or deal with the dead who don't seem to want to or can't move on. Today, Halloween is observed in various ways throughout the world, from China's Tomb Sweeping Day to Mexico's Day of the Dead. Even while some elements of the holiday are relatively new developments and can be linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, the current celebration of Halloween in nations like the United States and Canada, where this practice is most prevalent, shares in this ancient tradition.
The erroneous idea that Sam Hain was the Celtic god of the dead and Halloween was his feast has been repeated repeatedly by Christian groups throughout the years in an effort to malign and discredit the celebration. This fallacy was first made by the British engineer Charles Vallancey in the 18th century when he wrote about the Samhain holiday without having a solid grasp of the language and culture. Since then, it has been uncritically repeated. But it was the Church itself that kept the Samhain custom alive in the West by Christianizing it in the ninth century, paving the way for it to develop into a worldwide secular celebration that has grown to be the most well-liked and financially successful of the year, second only to Christmas.
Samhain
Samhain is pronounced "Soo-when," "So-ween," or "Saw-wen." The celebration, whose name translates as "summer's end," signaled the end of the harvest and the approach of winter. The Celts thought that the dead may return and retrace their steps at this time since the gulf between the living and the dead was at its narrowest. Additionally, individuals who had passed away in the previous year but, for one reason or another, hadn't yet moved on, may do so now and interact with the living in bidding goodbye.
Because the Church Christianized old Samhain, as it did with many pagan holidays, very little is known about its rituals. What little is known comes from Irish monks who wrote down their people's pre-Christian history as well as other Christian writers who denigrated pagan practices. However, it appears that the celebration also involved gathering supplies for the winter, butchering cattle, and burning the bones in "bone fires" that eventually became known as bonfires. While this was going on, there were meetings of communities for eating and drinking, but there was also awareness of the "thin time" of the year and the potential for extraterrestrial guests to turn up at the party.
The practice of leaving favorite meals out for the deceased may have started as early as 2,000 years ago, but many other sorts of spirits, some of whom never took on human form, may also appear. Departed loved ones were expected and welcomed. It was just as probable that elves, fairies, the "little folk," sprites, and evil forces would appear as those who one desired to see one last time.
Furthermore, there was a very significant probability that one would also see the ghost of someone they may have harmed. People used the ashes from the bonfires to darken their faces in attempt to fool the spirits (a method that became known as "guising"). From this, masks evolved. A living person would be able to expose themselves when they encountered a loved one's spirit but otherwise would be shielded from the unwanted attention of evil forces.
All Hallows' Eve
Prior to Christianization, 13 May had been the last day of the Roman festival of Lemuria dedicated to placating the angry or restless dead. Some scholars claim it was done intentionally to Christianize Samhain by turning it into All Hallows' Eve.
Other Influences on Development
Samhain was originally associated with the turning of the seasons and the beginning of spring. Once the festival was Christianized, All Hallows' Eve became a night of vigil, prayer and fasting. The old ways had not died out, however, bonfires were still lighted – only now in honor of Christian heroes.
Guy Fawkes Day introduced a fresh element to the growth of Halloween in the 17th century. The Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to assassinate protestant King James I of Britain on November 5, 1605, was carried out by a group of rebel Catholics. Although there were other conspirators, Guy Fawkes' name became famously associated with the unsuccessful scheme after he was discovered in possession of the explosives hidden beneath the House of Lords.
Children and the poor would go house to house begging for money and threatening vandalism if refused. The day became an occasion for anti-Catholic sermons and vandalism of Catholic homes and businesses.
Symbols
Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed over time. Jack-o'-lanterns are traditionally carried by guisers on All Hallows' Eve in order to frighten evil spirits. There is a popular Irish Christian folktale associated with the jack-o'-lantern, which in folklore is said to represent a "soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell":
On route home after a night's drinking, Jack encounters the Devil and tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.
North America chose the local pumpkin instead since it is larger, softer, and easier to carve than a turnip. The American custom of carving pumpkins dates back to 1837 and was first connected to the harvest season in general; it wasn't until the mid- to late 19th century that it became especially connected to Halloween.
The modern imagery of Halloween comes from many sources, including Christian eschatology, national customs, works of Gothic and horror literature (such as the novels Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and Dracula) and classic horror films such as Frankenstein (1931) and The Mummy (1932). Imagery of the skull, a reference to Golgotha in the Christian tradition, serves as "a reminder of death and the transitory quality of human life" and is consequently found in memento mori and vanitas compositions; skulls have therefore been commonplace in Halloween, which touches on this theme. Traditionally, the back walls of churches are "decorated with a depiction of the Last Judgment, complete with graves opening and the dead rising, with a heaven filled with angels and a hell filled with devils", a motif that has permeated the observance of this triduum.One of the earliest works on the subject of Halloween is from Scottish poet John Mayne, who, in 1780, made note of pranks at Halloween; "What fearfu' pranks ensue!", as well as the supernatural associated with the night, "Bogies" (ghosts), influencing Robert Burns' "Halloween" (1785). Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, and mythical monsters. Black cats, which have been long associated with witches, are also a common symbol of Halloween. Black, orange, and sometimes purple are Halloween's traditional colors.
Trick-or-treating and guising
costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" implies a "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. The practice is said to have roots in the medieval practice of mumming, which is closely related to souling. John Pymm wrote that "many of the feast days associated with the presentation of mumming plays were celebrated by the Christian Church." These feast days included All Hallows' Eve, Christmas, Twelfth Night and Shrove Tuesday. Mumming practiced in Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe,involved masked persons in fancy dress who "paraded the streets and entered houses to dance or play dice in silence".
The Christian tradition of souling, which was practiced in England from the Middle Ages until the 1930s, involved groups of soulers—both Protestant and Catholic—going from parish to parish and pleading with the wealthy for soul cakes in exchange for praying for the souls of the givers and their friends. On All Hallow's Eve, children in rural areas of the Philippines engage in the souling practice known as Pangangaluluwa. People visit households and sing in exchange for prayers and treats while dressed in white robes to symbolize the souls.
The first book-length history of Halloween in the US, The Book of Hallowe'en (1919), was written by American historian and author Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts. The chapter "Halloween in America" makes reference to souling. Kelley mentions practices that originated from across the Atlantic in her book; "They have been nurtured by Americans, who are making this occasion resemble what it must have been in its heyday elsewhere. All American Halloween traditions have been directly or indirectly copied from foreign traditions ".
While the first mention of "guising" in North America emerges in 1911, ceremonial Halloween begging is mentioned again, in an unidentified location, in 1915, and again, in Chicago, in 1920. The phrase "trick or treat" first appeared in print in the Blackie Herald of Alberta, Canada, in 1927.The vast majority of the Halloween postcards that were printed between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s feature kids, but they are not typically trick-or-treaters. The word "trick-or-treating" first appeared in the US in 1934, and it was first used in a national magazine in 1939. However, it does not appear to have become a common activity in North America until the 1930s.
A popular variant of trick-or-treating, known as trunk-or-treating (or Halloween tailgating), occurs when "children are offered treats from the trunks of cars parked in a church parking lot", or sometimes, a school parking lot. In a trunk-or-treat event, the trunk (boot) of each automobile is decorated with a certain theme, such as those of children's literature, movies, scripture, and job roles. Trunk-or-treating has grown in popularity due to its perception as being more safe than going door to door, a point that resonates well with parents, as well as the fact that it "solves the rural conundrum in which homes are built a half-mile apart".
Costumes
In
the coming days, people will start coming up with inventive costumes
for Halloween. Some might not be immediately identifiable, while others
are expected to be widespread across the nation.
Google has created a spooky map this year that shows the top costumes that people are looking for.
Maybe you'll get some ideas for what to wear or what not to wear.
Most popular searches by city
- Anchorage, Alaska: Rabbit
- Atlanta: Spider-Man
- Boston: Dinosaur
- Chicago: Stranger Things
- Dallas: Dinosaur
- Detroit: Witch
- Honolulu: Maui (character from the Disney movie, Moana)
- Houston: Witch
- Las Vegas: Stranger Things
- Los Angeles: Spider-Man
- Miami: Rabbit
- Nashville, Tennessee: Dinosaur
- New Orleans: Witch
- New York: Fairy
- Philadelphia: Rabbit
- Phoenix: Dinosaur
- Pittsburgh: Pirate
- Portland: Fairy
- Seattle: Witch
- Washington, D.C.: Dinosaur
Questions & Answers
What is the origin of Halloween?
Halloween's roots can be found in the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced "sou-when"), when it was believed that the line separating the worlds of the living and the dead was the thinnest and souls could travel between them.
What is the earliest observance of Halloween in the USA?
Halloween
was first celebrated in the United States in 1914 in Hiawatha, Kansas.
Elizabeth Krebs, dubbed the "Mother of Modern-Day Halloween," was in
charge of planning it.
When did trick-or-treating start?
In
a Canadian newspaper article from 1927, the expression "trick or treat"
and a description of the custom were first mentioned.
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