03 Jun 09 The Mystery Of Halloween - How It All Began

Halloween's history, like many celebrations of old, date back to the rituals of pagans and is mixed in with practices of the church. Halloween's name dates back to various places and time. Many say its origin comes from the Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"). The festival of Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season and was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. Samhain or All Hallowtide was also a time where boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. Masks and costumes were worn by the people to mimic the evil spirits or at least appease them. Some say Samhain was a demon and that people are dressing to appease demons, but there has been no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate Samhain was a demon. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. So now that we have covered the history of the name, where does trick-or-treating come in, you may ask? The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays starts in the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of "souling," when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas." Despite this being an Irish and even English tradition, there is no evidence that souling was ever practiced in America, even with all of the immigration of Irish and English folks. Matter-of-fact, some believe trick-or-treating may have developed in America independent of this tradition. The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween or trick-or-treating occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising (see below) on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. It wasn't until 1947 that national attention to trick-or-treating was given in an issue of the children's magazine Jack and Jill. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat. So now that we have discussed trick-or-treating, what about those hallowed out pumpkins with faces carved in them? Again there are various tales and versions of how this may have begun. One story suggests it begins from Old Irish folklore. There is a tale of a man named Jack who was a lazy yet shrewd farmer who uses a cross to trap the Devil. The story says that Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree, and once he was up there Jack quickly placed crosses around the trunk or carved a cross into the bark, so that the Devil couldn't get down. Another version of the myth says that because Jack had tricked the devil he was barred from hell as well as heaven. Having nowhere to go he asked the devil how he would see, as he had no light. The Devil mockingly tossed him an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which was his favorite food), put the ember inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern", or Jack-o'-Lantern. Of course in the mid-17th century a night watchman, or man with a lantern, was also called a "Jacky Lantern" and "Jack the Lantern". Today children and adults alike love Halloween due to its costumes and having the opportunity to dress up for one night. What sets Halloween costumes apart from costumes for other celebrations or days of dressing up is that they are often designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. But there are no rules for Halloween, one can dress anyway they like. In this, there are also costumes of pop culture figures like presidents, or film, television, and cartoon characters. Halloween may have many stories regarding its beginning or how it became a tradition but one thing is for sure, it is here to stay and is recognized as an enjoyable time of the year for parties, gatherings and of course tricks or treats.

About the Author:

About The Author Costume Alibi is a leading online retailer in the US of adult costumes and masks, childrens costumes and more. Visit online at http://www.costumealibi.com/ today for their complete line and have some fun!