By Hope Salle
The mention of Halloween often brings with it thoughts of fun costumes, pumpkin carving, horror movies, and eating enough candy to make yourself sick, but the beloved holiday has not always been this way. Originally a Celtic festival named Samhain, Halloween celebrated the harvest at the end of the summer and featured practices such as lighting bonfires and wearing costumes in order to ward off wandering spirits. These traditions were later incorporated into All Saints Day, which was established in the eighth century by Pope Gregory III. All Saints Day, which was celebrated on November 1st, was subsequent to All Hallows Eve, which later evolved into Halloween as we know it today.
Many aspects of modern-day Halloween also come from a Celtic background, such as wearing costumes in order to blend in with ghosts which were believed to roam the Earth on All Hallows Eve. The practice of carving pumpkins was also of Celtic origin; old Irish legend states that a man known as “Stingy Jack” captured the Devil on numerous occasions in order to make him swear that Jack would never go to hell. Upon his death, however, Jack learned that heaven did not want him either, leaving his soul to wander the planes of Earth with only a carven out turnip with burning coal inside to light the way. This tall tale resulted in local families carving out turnips, and eventually pumpkins, in order to scare off any spirit that may come knocking at their doorstep. Another trademark of Halloween, the colors black and orange, were originally representative of the changing of seasons with black marking the end of summer and orange showcasing the beginning of the fall harvest and also came from old Irish tradition.
One of the most hallmarked of Halloween traditions is trick-or-treating, which has no definitive origin. Some believe that it was passed down from yet another Celtic tradition for Samhain, in this case leaving food out for wandering spirits. Others believe that the family favorite practice was formed as a result of the Scottish practice of guising during the Middle Ages in which children and the impoverished would collect food and money from locals in exchange for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day. Yet another theory for the background of trick-or-treating is that it stems from the German tradition of “belsnickeling”, in which children would dress up and visit their neighbors; if the adults could not guess the identity of the children then the children would be rewarded with sweets.
As we all hunker down in our rooms, trying our best to finish our various assignments on time, the spooky season always brings just a little bit of joy to the busy lives that we occupy. We all have our favorite Halloween movies which we revisit each year, our pick of the best candies to binge eat on the day itself and then store in our cabinets till March, and the fond memories of dressing up as your favorite cartoon character or cutesy animal as a young child. Although how we celebrate Halloween have evolved in an assortment of ways, the thought behind the holiday remains the same: a way to gather with family and friends for a little bit of fun (and maybe a ghost hunt or two).
The mention of Halloween often brings with it thoughts of fun costumes, pumpkin carving, horror movies, and eating enough candy to make yourself sick, but the beloved holiday has not always been this way. Originally a Celtic festival named Samhain, Halloween celebrated the harvest at the end of the summer and featured practices such as lighting bonfires and wearing costumes in order to ward off wandering spirits. These traditions were later incorporated into All Saints Day, which was established in the eighth century by Pope Gregory III. All Saints Day, which was celebrated on November 1st, was subsequent to All Hallows Eve, which later evolved into Halloween as we know it today.
Many aspects of modern-day Halloween also come from a Celtic background, such as wearing costumes in order to blend in with ghosts which were believed to roam the Earth on All Hallows Eve. The practice of carving pumpkins was also of Celtic origin; old Irish legend states that a man known as “Stingy Jack” captured the Devil on numerous occasions in order to make him swear that Jack would never go to hell. Upon his death, however, Jack learned that heaven did not want him either, leaving his soul to wander the planes of Earth with only a carven out turnip with burning coal inside to light the way. This tall tale resulted in local families carving out turnips, and eventually pumpkins, in order to scare off any spirit that may come knocking at their doorstep. Another trademark of Halloween, the colors black and orange, were originally representative of the changing of seasons with black marking the end of summer and orange showcasing the beginning of the fall harvest and also came from old Irish tradition.
One of the most hallmarked of Halloween traditions is trick-or-treating, which has no definitive origin. Some believe that it was passed down from yet another Celtic tradition for Samhain, in this case leaving food out for wandering spirits. Others believe that the family favorite practice was formed as a result of the Scottish practice of guising during the Middle Ages in which children and the impoverished would collect food and money from locals in exchange for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day. Yet another theory for the background of trick-or-treating is that it stems from the German tradition of “belsnickeling”, in which children would dress up and visit their neighbors; if the adults could not guess the identity of the children then the children would be rewarded with sweets.
As we all hunker down in our rooms, trying our best to finish our various assignments on time, the spooky season always brings just a little bit of joy to the busy lives that we occupy. We all have our favorite Halloween movies which we revisit each year, our pick of the best candies to binge eat on the day itself and then store in our cabinets till March, and the fond memories of dressing up as your favorite cartoon character or cutesy animal as a young child. Although how we celebrate Halloween have evolved in an assortment of ways, the thought behind the holiday remains the same: a way to gather with family and friends for a little bit of fun (and maybe a ghost hunt or two).
The mention of Halloween often brings with it thoughts of fun costumes, pumpkin carving, horror movies, and eating enough candy to make yourself sick, but the beloved holiday has not always been this way. Originally a Celtic festival named Samhain, Halloween celebrated the harvest at the end of the summer and featured practices such as lighting bonfires and wearing costumes in order to ward off wandering spirits. These traditions were later incorporated into All Saints Day, which was established in the eighth century by Pope Gregory III. All Saints Day, which was celebrated on November 1st, was subsequent to All Hallows Eve, which later evolved into Halloween as we know it today.
Many aspects of modern-day Halloween also come from a Celtic background, such as wearing costumes in order to blend in with ghosts which were believed to roam the Earth on All Hallows Eve. The practice of carving pumpkins was also of Celtic origin; old Irish legend states that a man known as “Stingy Jack” captured the Devil on numerous occasions in order to make him swear that Jack would never go to hell. Upon his death, however, Jack learned that heaven did not want him either, leaving his soul to wander the planes of Earth with only a carven out turnip with burning coal inside to light the way. This tall tale resulted in local families carving out turnips, and eventually pumpkins, in order to scare off any spirit that may come knocking at their doorstep. Another trademark of Halloween, the colors black and orange, were originally representative of the changing of seasons with black marking the end of summer and orange showcasing the beginning of the fall harvest and also came from old Irish tradition.
One of the most hallmarked of Halloween traditions is trick-or-treating, which has no definitive origin. Some believe that it was passed down from yet another Celtic tradition for Samhain, in this case leaving food out for wandering spirits. Others believe that the family favorite practice was formed as a result of the Scottish practice of guising during the Middle Ages in which children and the impoverished would collect food and money from locals in exchange for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day. Yet another theory for the background of trick-or-treating is that it stems from the German tradition of “belsnickeling”, in which children would dress up and visit their neighbors; if the adults could not guess the identity of the children then the children would be rewarded with sweets.
As we all hunker down in our rooms, trying our best to finish our various assignments on time, the spooky season always brings just a little bit of joy to the busy lives that we occupy. We all have our favorite Halloween movies which we revisit each year, our pick of the best candies to binge eat on the day itself and then store in our cabinets till March, and the fond memories of dressing up as your favorite cartoon character or cutesy animal as a young child. Although how we celebrate Halloween have evolved in an assortment of ways, the thought behind the holiday remains the same: a way to gather with family and friends for a little bit of fun (and maybe a ghost hunt or two).
LAMPLIGHTER 