Why Hallowe'en is more than Pumpkins and Haribo

Hallowe’en is here again……….you either love or loathe this time of year, relishing in the dressing up and looking forward to the kids knocking on your door all dressed up whilst you hand out handfuls of Haribo and candies; or maybe you prefer not to answer the door and run the risk of being on the receiving end of a trick as you wouldn’t hand out a treat…….that’s trick or treating for you!

The origins of Hallowe’en celebrations as we know them came about when the Roman Catholic Church made the 1st November a church holiday to honour all the Saints.  During the period between Norman times and the late 15^th Century, there is no evidence that 31st October was anything other than the eve of All Saints Day – or All Hallows Eve, from the archaic English 'Hallow' which was the word for Saint.  In time, the 31^st October became a customary day to pray for the souls of the dead and it became a joyous day.

The end of October is the time for the long nights to really draw in and Summer seems a long way away.  It was the long hours of winter darkness that the Celts believed brought the evil spirits into the world and that on the last day of October the boundaries between our world and the spirit world were at their weakest and spirits would be seen on Earth. Many people still believe this is the best time to contact relatives who have passed away and will leave out food and drink for them. This festival was called Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in') and marked the end of the "season of the sun" (summer) and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold" (winter).

To frighten the spirits away, the Celts built bonfires and feasted and danced around them wearing costumes  to fool the evil spirits that may try and step into the domain of the living that night.  The fires were also considered to bring comfort to the souls in purgatory.  It was only the Druids, or Celtic priests, who kept their fire burning on Samhain and the Druid fire was then used to relight all the home fires. In Ireland and Scotland, the custom of extinguishing one's home fire and relighting it from the festival bonfire has continued into modern times.

Alternatively, another tradition from which Hallowe’en customs may have come is a ninth century European custom, known as Souling.  This was a Christian festival whereby people would make house calls begging for soul cakes,  a small round cake traditionally made for All Saint’s Day  to celebrate the dead.  The cakes, often simply referred to as souls, were given out to soulers (mainly consisting of children and the poor) who would go from door to door on Hallowe'en singing and saying prayers for the dead. Each cake eaten would represent a soul being freed from Purgatory. The practice of giving and eating soul cakes is often seen as the origin of modern trick or treating. In Lancashire and in the North-east of England they were also known as Harcakes.   It was believed that even strangers could help a soul's journey to heaven by saying prayers, so, in exchange for a cake they promised to pray for the donors' deceased relatives.

We still carve pumpkins and light them with candles which is a variation on the turnips the ancient Celts carved into skulls to place in their windows on Oct 31^st, representing the head which was the part of the body believed to house the spirit.

Another popular Hallowe’en tradition is to peel an apple in one long strip and throw the peel over your shoulder – the peel will land in the shape of your future spouse’s initial.  Single women curious about whom they’ll marry should sit in a darkened room, gazing into a mirror as it’s said that on that night the face of their beloved will appear in the glass. But beware – if a skull appears instead, it means that whoever looking will die young! *shudder*……….

Over the years the form of the celebrations have lost their original meanings, so many people today will happily carve a pumpkin and place it in a window without knowing that they are performing a magical ritual to honour the good spirits and keep the evil ones at bay.

I once visited America around Hallowe’en and was delighted to see the doorstep displays created by families with ornately carved pumpkins and candles and whole families taking to the  streets at night in ghoulish costumes going door to door to collect sweets and play tricks where they are given none.  The American love of Hallowe’en came about with the Irish immigrants taking their Celtic traditions to the States

Like all things Stateside, the festival has also received the Hollywood treatment and this is  popular release time for films with vampires, werewolves, shocks, horror and gore.

So there you have it – Hallowe’en is a mix of feasting, fire, fun and fear and a time to connect with those who have passed.

Whatever you are doing this Halloween, enjoy!  Keep safe and make sure the little ones don’t get too scared……oh, and that they brush their teeth really well before bed after all those sweets!..