Halloween has its origins in Europe - in Ireland and Germany. In spite of today's depictions of witches,
devils, demons and ghosts, Halloween is actually a Christianized day to honor the dead. The holy days
actually encompass three days - All Hallows Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls Day - October 31, November
1 and 2.
In Celtic Ireland - long
before the birth of Christ, October 31 was the end of summer - and celebrated as the Celtic New Year,
also called Samhain. In the church, October 31 was known as All Hallows Eve and November 1 as
All Saints Day.
It was believed that on the eve of All Saints Day that the spirits of those who had died during the year
would wander the earth looking for living bodies to possess. In order for this not to happen people would
put out their fires to make their homes look unoccupied and wear masks so they wouldn't be recognized ~
or possessed.
There are lots of places to explore the origins of Halloween and the pagan rites - here are some that I like.
Every state has haunted houses, cemeteries, towns and other areas. My
state of Delaware is no different. This is by no means all of the places
that are said to be haunted, but it covers many of the places in Lower
Delaware - Sussex and Kent Counties.
Irish legend has it that
a rather nasty dude named Jack tricked Satan into climbing up a tree - then Jack carved a cross on the
tree - trapping Satan in his perch. Jack made a deal that if Satan never again tempted Jack, he'd let
Satan out of the tree.
It's said that Jack changed his ways and became a model citizen - for a while, but died before the year
was out. His drunken and sly ways of the past kept Jack out of Heaven, but because he had tricked Satan, Jack wasn't wanted in Hell either.
Jack was doomed to roam in
the darkness - but Satan gave him an ember to light the way. To keep the ember burning longer, Jack put
it in a hollowed out turnip - which was the first Jack o' Lantern.
Carrying of embers or candles in hollowed out turnips or gourds became a standard. Using pumpkins for the
same purpose didn't begin until the celebration of Halloween was brought to the United States by the Irish.
The pumpkin became a central figure in the autumn season - not only as a Jack o' Lantern, but as a food
as well.
The meat of the
pumpkin is used as a veggie side dish, for pie and as soup. The seeds are planted for the next season's
pumpkin patch - or dried, roasted and lightly salted and eaten as a snack. Of course, the pumpkin shell
was used as a Jack o' Lantern or near the door to light the way and keep evil spirits away.
Early 'trick or
treating' comes from Europe and the honoring of All Souls Day (November 2). People would wander from
house to house begging for soul cakes ~ pieces of bread with currants. The
beggars would promise
prayers for the donor's dead relatives in exchange for cakes. The prayers would aid the spirits passage
to Heaven.
In later times people roamed
the streets in costumes and masks - most times boys would dress as girls and girls would dress as boys.
The roving groups would often play tricks on neighbors. Other customs include peasants who went from
house to house begging pastries or other items - with prosperity promised to generous donors - and
threats or tricks against stingy ones.
Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America where seeds from related plants found in
Mexico date back to long before Christ. Pumpkins were a part of the Native American diet, but didn't
become a part of the celebration of Halloween until after the Irish arrived during the potato famine.
People found the pumpkins larger than gourds, turnips or potatoes and also easier to carve.
The scary faces carved into the pumpkins are to ward off evil spirits ~ especially the ones that roam
the Earth on All Hallows Eve.
Witches have been part of the Halloween celebration - to cast
spells - good or bad - on unsuspecting friends or enemies. Witches were also tellers of fortunes.
There are lots of "symbols" related to Halloween and this short list is only a few.
APPLE BOBBING
~ It's believed bobbing for apples derives from a Druidic
"Ordeal by Watere" which signifies the passage of the soul to the hereafter over the waters that separate
them. Another belief that if you pull an apple from the water using your mouth and then eat that apple
and look in a mirror at the same time, that you'll see in the reflection the face of your future mate.
BLACK CATS
~ Cats are considered to be spiritual animals and it's said that
they can sense the presence of good and evil spirits. It's believed by witches that black cats have
special powers - and could represent malevolent spirits, incarnated humans or familiars of other witches.
ORANGE & BLACK
~ Both have ties to the occult and
masses for the dead which were held in November. Unbleached beeswax candles are used in ceremonies and
are orange in color. The color black ties in with the black cloths that were draped over ceremonial
caskets.
BATS
~ Most associated with vampires thanks to Dracula, it's believed that vampires ~ and witches ~
can morph into bats.
GHOSTS
~ Ghosts represent the spirits of those who have died and walk among us. Some believe that "evil"
ghosts are those who have been denied entry into Heaven or Hell and 'haunt' homes, towns and the like.
In Celtic Ireland - long
before the birth of Christ, October 31 was the end of summer - and celebrated as the Celtic New Year,
also called Samhain. In the church, October 31 was known as All Hallows Eve and November 1 as
All Saints Day.
Irish legend has it that
a rather nasty dude named Jack tricked Satan into climbing up a tree - then Jack carved a cross on the
tree - trapping Satan in his perch. Jack made a deal that if Satan never again tempted Jack, he'd let
Satan out of the tree.
Jack was doomed to roam in
the darkness - but Satan gave him an ember to light the way. To keep the ember burning longer, Jack put
it in a hollowed out turnip - which was the first Jack o' Lantern.
In later times people roamed
the streets in costumes and masks - most times boys would dress as girls and girls would dress as boys.
The roving groups would often play tricks on neighbors. Other customs include peasants who went from
house to house begging pastries or other items - with prosperity promised to generous donors - and
threats or tricks against stingy ones. 
Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America where seeds from related plants found in
Mexico date back to long before Christ. Pumpkins were a part of the Native American diet, but didn't
become a part of the celebration of Halloween until after the Irish arrived during the potato famine.
