By Olivia Harrison
Staff Writer
Halloween is a special holiday filled with many fun aspects and traditions. Carving pumpkins, dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, witches and black cats are some of the first things that come to mind when one thinks about Halloween. But, the history of Halloween is one that is broad, mysterious and full of lore.
The origins of Halloween started in the eighth century in Ireland. Originally known as the Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced “Sah-win" in Gaelic), it started as a Pagan holiday as a way to welcome the harvest. The holiday then evolved to be called “All Hallows Eve” before becoming what everyone now knows as Halloween. The traditions of Halloween have become modernized, but the back stories are truly eerie and entertaining.
According to the Library of Congress, the following Halloween lore has evolved over time, and has mostly stemmed from Pagan traditions. It was additionally influenced by Irish immigration to the former colonies.
Carving Jack-O-Lanterns
Legend has it that a man named Stingy Jack found a way to trap the Devil. As Stingy Jack begged for mercy, he made a bargain with the Devil that when he died, he would not go to Hell. When Stingy Jack died, heaven rejected him and he became a ghost. Seeing him wander, the Devil carved a lamp out of a turnip and filled it with coal. The lamp lit Stingy Jack’s way and he was free to roam the earth.
As this story circulated, locals began to carve their own turnip lamps to help ward off spirits. The modern day tradition has now evolved into carving a pumpkin instead of a turnip and lighting the inside of the pumpkin. In honor of Stingy Jack, the carved pumpkins are referred to as Jack-O-Lanterns.
Costumes and Trick-Or-Treating
Back in the days of Sahmain, the Celts believed that dressing up in costumes would ward away ghosts. Their frightening costumes would help them blend in with evil spirits. Additionally, associating themselves with the evil spirits would keep them from being terrorized. Nowadays, people all around the world dress up as a form of novelty.
Trick-or-treating was another tradition that evolved from Sahmain. Citizens believed that spirits would travel the Earth and get hungry, so they would leave food and drink to appease these spirits. However, people caught onto this and began to take the food. Because they were dressed up in costumes, nobody suspected a thing. Today, trick-or-treating is a fun pastime for children who walk from house to house receiving candy.
Black Cats
The adage of black cats being considered bad luck has been around since the middle ages. The dark color of their fur was associated with the Devil. Centuries later, many young women who were considered “witches” had black cats for companions, leading to more stigma around black cats. Today, black cats are still among the least to be adopted from shelters but are loved around the world.
Witches
Many young women believed in Halloween as a day of “divination” where they would seek out fortune tellers to find out the names of their future husbands. This, combined with elements from Sahmain as well as The Salem Witch trials, have created what people believed to be “witches.” The Salem Witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of individuals who were accused of pertaking in witchcraft. Because Halloween evolved from Sahmain, witches have been associated with the holiday. Along with their cat companions, they have become a spooky symbol of Halloween.
As the years have gone on, the traditions of Hallowen are still ever-changing and evolving. However, the history and lore of the holiday shall not be forgotten.
