Halloween

History of Halloween, like any other festival's history is inspired through traditions that have transpired through ages from one generation to another. We follow them mostly as did our dads and grandpas. And as this process goes on, much of their originality get distorted with newer additions and alterations. It happens so gradually, spanning over so many ages, that we hardly come to know about these distortions. At one point of time it leaves us puzzled, with its multicolored faces. igging into its history helps sieve out the facts from the fantasies which caught us unaware. !et, doubts still lurk deep in our soul, especially when the reality differs from what has taken a deep seated root into our beliefs. "he history of Halloween ay, as culled from the net, is being depicted here in this light. "his is to help out those who are interested in washing off the superficial hues to reach the core and know things as they truly are. '"rick or treat' may be an innocent fun to relish on the Halloween ay. #ut $ust think about a bunch of frightening fantasies and the scary stories featuring ghosts, witches, monsters, evils, elves and animal sacrifices associated with it. "hey are no more innocent. Are these stories a myth or there is a blend of some reality% &ome and plunge into the halloween history to unfurl yourself the age'old veil of mysticism draped around it. #ehind the name, Halloween, or the Hallow ('en as they call it in Ireland, means All Hallows (ve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All )aints', or 'All )ouls' ay, observed on *ovember +. In old (nglish the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. ,oman &atholics, (piscopalians and -utherians used to observe All Hallows ay to honor all )aints in heaven, known or unknown. "hey used to consider it with all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the &hurch year. And &atholics, all and sundry, was obliged to attend .ass. "he ,omans observed the holiday of /eralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. 0articipants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. "he festival was celebrated on /ebruary 1+, the end of the ,oman year. In the 2th century, 0ope #oniface I3 introduced All )aints' ay to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on .ay +4. -ater, 5regory III changed the date to *ovember +. "he 5reek 6rthodo7 &hurch observes it on the first )unday after 0entecost. espite this connection with the ,oman &hurch, the American version of Halloween ay celebration owes its origin to the ancient 8pre'&hristian9 ruidic fire festival called :)amhain:, celebrated by the &elts in )cotland, Wales and Ireland. )amhain is pronounced :sow'in:, with :sow: rhyming with cow. In Ireland the festival was known as )amhein, or -a )amon, the /east of the )un. In )cotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's *os 5alen'gaeof 8that is, the *ight of the Winter &alends. According to the Irish (nglish dictionary published by the Irish "e7ts )ociety; :)amhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in 0agan and &hristian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till .ay, during which troops 8esp. the /iann9 were <uartered. /aeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. /rom it the half year is reckoned. also called /eile .oingfinne 8)now 5oddess9.8+9 "he )cottish 5aelis ictionary defines it as :Hallowtide. "he /east of All )oula. )am = /uin > end of summer.:819 &ontrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that )amhain was a deity. "he &eltic 5ods of the dead were 5wynn ap *udd for the #ritish, and Arawn for the Welsh. "he Irish did not have a :lord of death: as such. "hus most of the customs connected with the ay are remnants of the ancient religious beliefs and rituals, first of the ruids and then transcended amongst the ,oman &hristians who con<uered them. History of Halloween Witches The Witches Caldron :(ye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog: :Adder's fork, and blind'worm's sting, -izard's leg, and owlet's wing: :/or a charm of powerful trouble, -ike a hell'broth boil and babble: : ouble, double, toil and trouble, /ire burn, and caldron bubble: ? William )hakespeare Witches have had a long history with Halloween. -egends tell of witches gathering twice a year when the seasons changed, on April 4@ ' the eve of .ay ay and the other was on the eve of 6ctober 4+ ' All Hallow's (ve.

"he witches would gather on these nights, arriving on broomsticks, to celebrate a party hosted by the devil. )uperstitions told of witches casting spells on unsuspecting people, transform themselves into different forms and causing other magical mischief. It was said that to meet a witch you had to put your clothes on wrong side out and you had to walk backwards on Halloween night. "hen at midnight you would see a witch. When the early settlers came to America, they brought along their belief in witches. In American the legends of witches spread and mi7ed with the beliefs of others, the *ative Americans ' who also believed in witches, and then later with the black magic beliefs of the African slaves. "he black cat has long been associated with witches. .any superstitions have evolved about cats. It was believed that witches could change into cats. )ome people also believed that cats were the spirits of the dead. 6ne of the best known superstitions is that of the black cat. If a black cat was to cross your path you would have to turn around and go back because many people believe if you continued bad luck would strike you. Samhain Halloween, the foremost and momentous holiday of the &eltic year, was also popularly known as )amhain or )ah' ween. According to the belief of &elts, the ghosts of the dead populace could easily and effortlessly mingle with the living citizens at this particular time of the year. It was believed that at that point of time the souls of the dead menAwomen moved to the other world. All of them who had died were honored by lighting the bonfires. Huge crowd congregated to sacrifice fruits, vegetables and even animals to aid them on their $ourney to the different world. It was also important to satisfy the dead souls as they could not come close to the living individuals. Get to know how Samhain Became Halloween 6nce upon a time &hristian missionaries attempted to alter the spiritual observances and practices of the &eltic people and from that time the Halloween became )amhain. #efore &hristian missionaries such as )t 0atrick and )t. &olumcille decided to convert the religion of &elts to &hristianity, &elts used to practice and perform their religion ornately through their priestly cast, the ruids who were intellectual people and were writers, priests, scientists and scholars at the same time. Banquet of All Saints *ovember +st was the day when &hristian fest was organized. "he feast day came into the picture to replace and substitute )amhain. 5radually all the traditional and customary deities of &elts were diminished. -ater on it became fairy or leprechaun. HI)"6,! 6/ ",I&B 6, ",(A" Cingle bells, #atman smells, ,obin laid an egg.: "rick or "reatD "he custom of 'trick or treat' probably has several origins. Again mostly Irish.An old Irish peasant practice called for going door to door to collect money, bread cake, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts, apples, etc., in preparation for the festival of )t. &olumbus Bill. !et another custom was the begging for soul cakes, or offerings for one's self ' particularly in e7change for promises of prosperity or protection against bad luck. It is with this custom the concept of the fairies came to be incorporated as people used to go door to door begging for treats. /ailure to supply the treats would usually result in practical $okes being visited on the owner of the house. )ince the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was fre<uently left for them on the steps of the house, so the houseowner could gain the blessings of the :good folk: for the coming year. .any of the households would also leave out a :dumb supper: for the spirits of the departed.

Irisleabhar na 5aedhilge, ii, 42@, states that in parts of &ount Waterford; 'Hallow ('en is called oidhche na h'aimlEise, :"he night of mischief or con:. It was a custom which survives still in places '' for the :boys: to assemble in gangs, and, headed by a few horn'blowers who were always selected for their strength of lungs, to visit all the farmers' houses in the district and levy a sort of blackmail, good humouredly asked for, and as cheerfully given. "hey afterward met at some point of rendezvous, and in merry revelry celebrated the festival of )amhain in their own way. When the distant winding of the horns was heard, the bean a' tigh Fwoman of the houseG got prepared for their reception, and also for the money or builHn 8white bread9 to be handed to them through the half'opened door. "here was always a race amongst them to get possession of the latch. Whoever heard the wild scurry of their rush through a farm'yard to the kitchen'door '' will not <uestion the propriety of the word aimilEis FmischiefG applied to their proceedings. "he leader of the band chaunted a sort of recitative in 5aelic, intoning it with a strong nasal twang to conceal his identity, in which the good' wife was called upon to do honour to )amhain...: According to "ad "ule$a's essay, :"rick or "reat; 0re'"e7ts and &onte7ts,: in )antino's previously mentioned anthology,Halloween's modern trick or treating 8primarily children going door'to'door, begging for candy9 began fairly recently in the I), as a blend of several ancient and modern influences. In +Jth &entury America, rural immigrants from Ireland and )cotland kept gender'specific Halloween customs from their homelands; girls stayed indoors and did divination games, while the boys roamed outdoors engaging in almost e<ually ritualized pranks, which their elders :blamed: on the spirits being abroad that night. Its entry into urban world can probably traced back in mid'+Jth &entury *ew !ork, where children called :ragamuffins: would dress in costumes and beg for pennies from adults on "hanksgiving ay. "hings got nastier with increased urbanization and poverty in the +J4@'s. Adults began casting about for ways to control the previously harmless but now increasingly e7pensive and dangerous vandalism of the :boys.: "owns and cities began organizing :safe: Halloween events and householders began giving out bribes to the neighborhood kids as a way to distract them away from their previous anarchy. "he ragamuffins disappeared or switched their date to Halloween. "he term :trick or treat,: finally appears in print around +J4JD 0ranks became even nastier in the +JK@'s, with widespread poverty e7isting side'by'side with obscene greed. Infortunately, even bored kids in a violence saturated culture slip all too easily from harmless :decoration: of their neighbors' houses with shaving cream and toilet paper to serious vandalism and assaults. #laming either *eopagans or Halloween for this is rather like blaming patriots or the /ourth of Culy for the many firecracker in$uries that happen every year 8and which are also combatted by publicly sponsored events9. 5iven this hazardous backdrop town councils, school boards and parents in the +J4@'s invented this custom as it is being celebrated today to keep their kids out of trouble. As far as the custom across the Atlantic goes, by the mid' 1@th century in Ireland and #ritain, the smaller children would dress up and parade to the neighbors' houses, do little performances, then ask for a reward. American kids seem to remember this with their chants of :Cingle bells, #atman smells, ,obin laid an egg,: and other classic tunes done for no reason other than because :it's traditional.: In )cotland the event of trick'or'treating is also known as guising. -ittle children of )cotland look cute and beautiful when they dress up in bizarre costumes. (ach of the well dressed children ring the doorbell of their neighbors and yell Ltrick or treatDM. -ittle children are treated and greeted by the members of the houses with sweet tiny chocolates, small and colorful candies. )urprisingly, the occupants of the houses themselves look different as they might appear in front of the children wearing scary attires. A spooky and scary environment is set in the homes by various sound effects and occupants also use fag machines. -ess creepy and frightening decorations entertain little children and young visitors. -ittle ones come back home with the bag full of gifts and mount up many treats. In )cotland, children are told not to recite Ltrick or treatM. "hey are likely to recite :"he sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween:. "he most entertaining part is that the &hildren use to impress the house owners with songs, little tricks, small $okes and cute dance steps. 6bviously, all these are done by the little ones in order to accrue and earn their treats. It is evident that the traditions and cultures change often. "ricks are not very popular these days in Halloween. However, pranks like soaping windows, egging houses or stringing toilet paper through trees are <uiet common. "he night before Halloween is often marked with these hoa7es and $okes. 0reviously, tipping over or dislocating the outhouses were <uite common act. &hildren in their early teenage years come out of these kind of trick'or'treat traditions and costumes. "hey grow up and get into the mood of celebrating the Halloween with costume parties and social gatherings.

Dressing up and Trick or Treating on Halloween Halloween, celebrated on 4+st 6ctober, is not known as a pagan holiday anymore in recent times. #ut the history and traditions of Halloween are dated back to the primeval &eltic holiday of )amhain. According to the &eltic tradition, people who used to celebrate Halloween were dressed up in animal costumes. It was the remarkable tradition which marked the end of summer and it announced the onset of winter. "he old pagan tradition was gleefully adopted by the &hristians later when they came together to celebrate the fascinating festival, All )ouls ay on 1nd *ovember. However, the traditions of wearing animal like costumes were dropped and they had adopted a better custom of wearing costumes of saints, devils, angels and fairies. "hey used to wear these kinds of costumes because they wanted to pay tributes to the spirits on All )ouls ay. "he ancient &eltic tradition was very common and dominant. "he norm of "rick'or'"reating has its roots in &eltic custom and tradition as well. )amhain, celebrated on +st of *ovember, was treated as a day which was considered as a day to honor the deceased men and women. It was believed that the souls of the people who died in the past year were transitioned to the spirit world from this word on )amhain. &elts had assisted their deceased ancestors on their voyage by offering foods for long $ourney to the other world. 6ver the years, celebrants of )amhain are following the custom of wearing dresses like spirits. "hey used to e7change eatables and perform various tricks. "his important and foremost tradition was known as mumming which had inspired the popular custom, trick'or'treating. Take a look at !a"orite candies for Halloween ItNs time to celebrate Halloween with delicious candies. A wide array of tasteful and ghoulish candies is sold in huge <uantities during Halloween. ecorate your beautiful homes during Halloween and have different colorful candies that suit the moods. 0lan suitably and make this Halloween special with the collections of candies. .any of us are now days concerned about the shapes of our figures and physi<ues. It may so happen that many of us are unwilling to swallow sugar candies. onNt worry. 0lenty of sugar free candies are also there in the market for you. )avor the tastes of the colorful and tasty candies because the celebrations of Halloween are incomplete if you miss this fantastic treat. -ist of some flavorsome and appetizing candies for Halloween; +. 1. 4. O. P. Q. 2. K. J. Cordan Almonds &andy "ootsie ,oll &andy corn Hershey's .ilk &hocolate *estle &runch #ubble 5um 5umballs Cawbreakers &andy )our 0atch "wi7

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"rick or treating comes from the .iddle'Age practice of the poor dressing up in costumes and going around door to door during Hallowmas begging for food or money in e7change for prayers. "he food given was often a )oul &ake, which was a small round cake which represented a soul being freed from 0urgatory when the cake was eaten. Halloween is also know by other names; All Hallows (ve )amhain All Hallowtide

"he /east of the ead "he ay of the ead "he owl is a popular Halloween image. In .edieval (urope, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant someone was about to die. Halloween also is recognized as the 4rd biggest party day after *ew !ear's and )uper #owl )unday. Halloween is 6ct. 4+ R the last day of the &eltic calendar. It actually was a pagan holiday honoring the dead. "rick'or'treating evolved from the ancient &eltic tradition of putting out treats and food to placate spirits who roamed the streets at )amhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the &eltic calendar year. Halloween is correctly spelt as Hallowe'en. If you see a spider on this night, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you. Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 1@@@ years to the time of the &elts who lived in #ritain. .ore than J4 percent of children go trick'or'treating each year. 8source; *&A9 "he tradition of adding pranks into the Halloween mi7 started to turn ugly in the +J4@'s and a movement began to substitute practical $okes for kids going door to door collecting candy. #lack cats get a bad rap on Halloween because they were once believed to be protected their master's dark powers. Halloween was originally a &eltic holiday celebrated on 6ctober 4+. Halloween was brought to *orth America by immigrants from (urope who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes. 6range and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the /all harvest and black is associated with darkness and death. "here are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, the color of pumpkin.

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A burning a candle inside a $ack'o'lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits and demons at bay. If a candle suddenly goes out by itself on Halloween, as though by breath or wind, it is believed that a ghost has come to call. Always burn new candles on Halloween to ensure the best of luck. It is not a good idea to burn Halloween candles at any other time of the year. It may bring bad luck or strange things will happen to you, over which you will have no control. 5azing into a flame of a candle on Halloween night will enable you to peer into the future. 5irls who carry a lamp to a spring of water on this night can see their future husband in the reflection. It is believed that if a person lights a new orange colored candle at midnight on Halloween and lets it burn until sunrise, he or she will be the recipient of good luck. If you hear footsteps trailing close behind you on Halloween night, do not to turn around to see who it is, for it may be eath himselfD "o look eath in the eye, according to ancient folklore, is a sure way to hasten your own demise. "o cast a headless shadow or no shadow at all is still believed by many folks in the Inited )tates and (urope to be an omen of death in the course of the ne7t year. "he old &eltic custom was to light great bonfires on Halloween, and after these had burned out to make a circle of the ashes of each fire. Within this circle, and near the circumference, each member of the various families that had helped to make a fire would place a pebble. If, on the ne7t day, any stone was displaced, or had been damaged, it was considered to be an indication that the one to whom the stone belonged would die within twelve months.

According to an old (nglish folk belief, you will invite bad luck into your home if you allow a fire to burnout on Halloween. "o remedy the situation, the fire must be rekindled by a lighted sod brought from the home of a priest. If a bat flies around a house three times, it is considered to be a death omen. A person born on Halloween can both see and talk to spirits. Bnocking on wood keeps bad luck away. If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you. 0ut your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night to meet a witch. !ou should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits. In #ritain, people believed that the evil was a nut'gatherer. At Halloween, nuts were used as magic charms. C6B() A woman whose husband often came home drunk decided to cure him of the habit. 6ne Halloween night, she put on a devil suit and hid behind a tree to intercept him on the way home. When her husband came by, she $umped out and stood before him with her red horns, long tail, and pitchfork. :Who are you%: he asked. :I'm the evilD: she responded. :Well, come on home with me,: he said, :I married your sisterD:

T; What did the really ugly man do for a living% A; He posed for Halloween masksD T; What is a childs's favourite type of Halloween candy% A; -ots a candyD UUUU A few days after Halloween, )ally came home with a bad report card. Her mother asked why her grades were so low. )ally answered, :#ecause everything is marked down after holidaysD: UUUU T; What do ghosts eat for breakfast on Halloween% A; )hrouded Wheat. 5host "oasties. )cream of Wheat. "err'fried eggs. ,ice &reepies.

T; Where does racula keep his valuables% A; In a blood bank. UUUU avid; Which ghost is the best dancer% Coseph; I donNt know. avid; "he #oogie .anD T; How do monsters tell their future% A; "hey read their horrorscope.

UUUU "wo monsters went to a party. )uddenly one said to the other, LA lady $ust rolled her eyes at me. What should I do%M L#e a gentleman and roll them back to her.M .artin; What is a ghostNs favorite &ub )cout event% #ryan; What% .artin; #oo and 5old. .artin; What is a witchNs favorite &ub )cout event% #ryan; I give up. .artin; #rew and 5old. .artin; What is a werewolfNs favorite &ub )cout event% #ryan; What% .artin; 0ack meetings, of courseD

T; What do call the ratio of a $ack'o'lanternNs circumference to itNs diameter% A; 0umpkin V.