Fun Facts About Halloween
It's that spooktastical time of year again! The month when I can display my faunal skulls (collected from my archaeological travels) and not have it make the neighbors wonder, when I can place cute plastic skeletons all over my home, and when scary-movie-watching is the norm. BOO! Happy Halloween!
Did you know....
*Halloween is estimated to be over 6,000 years old. The ancient Celts once celebrated a festival called Samhain which marked not only the summer's end, but when they would bring their domesticated animals back inside during the cold winter. This was also known as the Celtic New Year. The Celts believed that Samhain represented a magical opening in time when the living could access the dead.
*The Jack-o'-Lantern is believed to have come from the Celts, who hollowed out turnips and apples to hold candles. Fire was thought to keep bad spirits away and welcome good ones. Pumpkins are an American fruit, so they were not used as candle holders until much more recently.
*The practice of trick-or-treating comes from the Celts as they would leave food as an offering to the dead. In later days, children wearing masks would go "souling" from door to door. They sang, laughed, and rhymed for soul cakes (shortbread cookies) which they then gave to wandering spirits. The giving of money and food for similar entertainment began much later, and has since evolved into the enthusiastic "Trick or Treat!" for candy.
*Black cats began their association with Halloween when claims began rolling in that all cats were demons, the Devil himself, and shape-shifting witches. Sadly, many cats suffered because of these falsehoods. Thankfully though, by the 1930s in America, cats grew back in favor and became beloved pets once again.
*Skeletons and bones have fascinated people for millenia. Early Pagans would preserve the skulls of their ancestors, paint and dress them, and have them prominently displayed at public gatherings. More recently, the Mexican holiday El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) began, which starts the evening of October 31st, goes on for several days, and honors the dead through parades, feasts, and costumes.
*Ghosts are a part of Halloween as the word itself is derived from "geist," a Germanic term meaning a spirit of a dead ancestor who was invited to certain celebrations, such as Samhain. During Samhain, the Celts would welcome their deceased's ghosts, or spirits, into their homes and to join in on the festivities.
*And as a shout-out to my home state (Minnesota), the first organized Halloween parades in America took place in Anoka, Minnesota and Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1921.
~ Knowledge is Power ~
My learning experiences come from:
Ravenwolf, Silver. Halloween: Customs, Recipes, & Spells.
St. Paul, Minnesota, Llewellyn Publications. 2000.
*****
Cosman, Madeleine Pelner. Medieval Holidays and Festivals.
New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981.
