Topical Talkers

Spooky Halloween Facts.

Halloween is the time of year when we see doorsteps decorated with carved pumpkins and fake cobwebs. Everyone dresses in spooky costumes on October 31 for trick-or-treating and themed parties. But have you ever wondered why we celebrate Halloween or where the traditions came from?
Ancient History of Halloween
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
Carving Jack-o’-Lanterns
The tradition of carving Jack-o’-Lanterns originated in Ireland using turnips instead of pumpkins. It is allegedly based on a legend about a man named Stingy Jack who repeatedly trapped the Devil and only let him go on the condition that Jack would never go to Hell. But when Jack died, he learned that Heaven did not want his soul either, so he was forced to wander the Earth as a ghost for eternity. The Devil gave Jack a burning lump of coal in a carved-out turnip to light his way. Locals eventually began carving scary faces into their own turnips to frighten away evil spirits.
Trick-or-Treating
Trick-or-treating is said to stem from the practice of “souling”, which is a Medieval practice where churchgoers would go between different parishes and ask the rich for pastries which were known as soul cakes. In return, they would pray for the souls of them and their friends. While “souling”, people would carry with them lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips. That turnip is now of course a pumpkin and it is believed that that the jack-o-lantern originally represented the souls of the dead.
By the late 19th century children in Scotland and Ireland were dressing up in costume and going from door to door accepting gifts from neighbors, this practice was known as “guising”. The children would generally be given bits of food for their efforts. The first recorded instance of this in America is in 1911. The term trick-or-treat was first used in Alberta, Canada, in 1927, and by the 1930s it was starting to become a popular activity.
Black Cats
The idea of being spooked by black cats dates back to the Middle Ages, when these dark felines were considered a symbol of the Devil. It didn’t help that centuries later, accused witches were often found to have cats, particularly black ones. People began to believe that the cats were a witch’s “familiar” supernatural entities that would assist in their practice of dark magic and black cats and spookiness have been linked ever since.
Bobbing for Apples
The game of bobbing for apples has been a staple at Halloween parties for many years, but its origins are more rooted in love and romance. The game traces back to a courting ritual that was part of a Roman festival honoring Pomona, the goddess of agriculture and abundance. While multiple versions existed, the gist was that young men and women would be able to predict their future relationships based on the game. When the Romans conquered the British Isles in 43 AD, the Pomona festival blended with the similarly timed Samhain, a precursor to Halloween.
Halloween Facts
Below are some spooky facts for Halloween.
  • Masks at Halloween were initially worn to ward off evil spirits. People believed that at Halloween, souls would come back to walk the earth, looking for lives to take with them. So the theory was that if you wore a scary mask, you would scare off the evil spirits.
  • Blue moons are rare enough as it is, so to fall on Halloween is a unique occurrence, happening every 18-19 years. A blue moon is the second full moon to occur in the same month. October’s first moon is called a harvesters moon, and if there is a second, it’s called the hunter’s moon.
  • Guising was a British term used for the act of dressing up in a way so that your identity is disguised. The act of guising has been recorded in Scotland from as early as the 16th Century. One of the main ways of “guising” was to wear a mask or face covering on Halloween. In the 1800s, this began to develop into wearing masquerade masks whilst going round to homes “souling” or asking for fruit.
  • In Welsh mythology, the spirit named Angelystor, which means “Recording Angel,” will appear each Halloween at the Llangernyw Yew tree. The spirit is sent to tell the village who will be the next to die. The tree is located in the churchyard of St. Digain’s Church in the village of Llangernyw, Conway, Wales.
  • There are many songs associated with Halloween, like “The Monster Mash” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” but nothing quite beats Michael Jackson. Jackson’s 1983 “Thriller” is consistently downloaded, streamed, and played every Halloween. Every year the song sneaks back up into the charts and back onto people’s radars, ready in time for Halloween.
  • 8,239 participants gathered to take part in the world’s largest Time Warp dance on October 31, 2010. 20th Century Fox organized the event in Hollywood at their annual Halloween Carnival to celebrate the 35th anniversary of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. The dance was the last event of the day and was followed by a screening of the movie.
  • The fear of Halloween is called Samhainophobia. The word Samhainophobia comes from the word “Samhain,” which means summer’s end. Most cases of Samhainophobia are caused by a traumatic experience or panic attack around certain elements of Halloween.
  • In Scotland, an old Halloween tradition was to burn nuts on the fire to help tell your future. A newlywed couple would throw a nut each on the fire and see what happens. If the nut burned slowly and quietly, then the marriage would be happy and calm. If the nut hissed and cracked, then the marriage would be turbulent.
  • The tradition of carving Jack-o’-lanterns out of pumpkins comes from an Irish tradition of carving turnips. Turnips were carved to scare off Jack’s soul, and when Irish immigrants moved to the US, they began to use pumpkins instead. This is where the tradition of carving pumpkins at Halloween came from.
  • The Witchcraft Act of 1735 was introduced in Britain to abolish the hunting, executions, and accusation of witches in Britain. However, one of the laws in the act was that it was forbidden to consume any pork-related pastry or pie on the night of Halloween. It’s unknown why specifically pork pastries were banned. And it wasn’t until the 1950s that this law was repealed.