A mysterious, unseen twirling; it starts in the autumn leaves. Taking flight, this perennial thrill in the October air dances down your spine and spins your mind on a visual journey through the grotesquely magical elements of the holiday we know and love today as Halloween. But it was not always so, and have you ever stopped to wonder why and from where our traditions come?
For some, Halloween is nothing more than an annual consumer driven Phys-op orchestrated by the sugar barons of our time, aka candy companies collectively. For others, it is the one day out of the year to be someone we are not, to wear a different face while stuffing our real one with loads of teeth cracking candy. Another, albeit smaller group, recognizes the day as sacred, honoring its roots, which date back centuries, and using them to connect with our more nature centric ancestors through the supposedly thinned veil between the living and the dead Halloween night.
For this latter group, the holiday is a religious one, the night a crowning jewel in a month of supernatural delight. Long before Halloween became an annual retail juggernaut, its origins were forged in the fiery Samhain celebrations of the Celtics.
Samhain marked the closing of the harvest season and the opening of winter’s dark, icy grip on the land. Based on the reasoning of the ancients, celebrations often began October 31, since the day began and ended at sunset. The earliest mention of Samhain in literature appears in the nineth century where it is linked to many Irish folklore events.
According to historical records, Samhain celebrations featured bon fires, feasts, and sacrifice. Fire cleansed the land and people, while feasts appeased the hungry dead looking for a little hearthside hospitality from their still living loved ones.
Why were the dead floating around town begging like other-worldly panhandlers outside homes? Legend explains Samhain as the night where the divide between the living and the dead shrinks to nothing, allowing for portals to open and spirits to enter. Some traditions allege fear of the roaming bands of undead beggars led folks to dress up in scary costumes in hopes of frightening away evil spirits. The Celts also believed this practice showed respect for the dead.
Knowing where the holiday comes from and why we celebrate it by running around at night wearing costumes, have you ever wondered, why candy?
The commercialization of Halloween and the distribution of sugary confections the nation over every October 31 is rooted solidly in All Soul’s Day.
When the Catholic Church shockingly decided it would be a good idea to “Christianize” the Gaelic heathens, All Saint’s Day was introduced to the masses with the tradition of baking and collecting soul cakes. November 1 soon became universally known as All Saints Day, or All Hallow’s Day, and Christians came together to ask for God to protect them from harm. Believers also dressed up in costumes reminding them of the battle between good and evil.
Soul cakes are small round cakes filled with spices that look similar to a biscuit. The cakes were traditionally made to be enjoyed during the fall big three: Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. Sometimes the cakes were called “souls” and would be given out to soulers, or children and the poor who typically went door to door during the creepy season offering to sing and pray for dead loved ones.
This macabre practice gave birth to modern-day trick-or-treaters. Though, instead of prayers for your granny, today’s hooligans threaten you with a trick if they perceive your given treat to be unsatisfactory.
Samhain, or Halloween, traditions have evolved and morphed over the years to incorporate new ideas, beliefs, and cultures to become a holiday almost everyone can find a reason to enjoy, even if it is just a well-stocked candy aisle one month out of the year at our nation’s grocery stores.
Have you ever considered why the pumpkin is the only vegetable to be so closely tied to the undead? Check out the second installment of this series next week to find out.