Halloween is not what it used to be, which is probably a good thing.
Today, Halloween is all about candy and costumes, and maybe the occasional tepid prank. And more candy. We may dress up as ghosts, but most of us do not expect them to be following us as we trick-or-treat our way through the neighbourhood.
There was a time when we did.
Most of our Halloween traditions can be traced back to the Celtic New Year’s festival of Samhain and the ancient rituals that marked the end of the harvest and change in seasons.
The end of the harvest meant feasting. As much food as possible was preserved and stored. Cattle were slaughtered, their bones burned (in bone-fires or bonfires). Despite the festivities, people knew what was coming.
Winter was a dreaded time, when cold, hunger and disease claimed many lives; when packs of wolves came perilously close to villages; when darkness and death ruled.
The Celts believed the wall between the living and dead thinned at this time of year, allowing the dead to return and walk the earth once more.
People set out food for their deceased loved ones, but blackened their faces with ashes from the bone-fires (and later wore masks) – the good spirits would know them no matter what they did, but the scarier spirits would not be able to recognize them.
People carried lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips, both to light their way, and also to keep at bay the spirits that lurked in the darkness.
Enter the Christians, who added a smattering of Roman traditions to the Celtic ones, such as visiting graves and leaving gifts of food and wreaths. The focus shifted from honouring the earthly dead, to celebrating the heavenly saints.
The old ways did not entirely disappear, though. The poor would knock on doors and ask for soul-cakes in return for prayers – either for the souls suffering in purgatory, or for the good people of the house.
In Britain, Guy Fawkes Day (Nov. 5) was marked with feasting, fireworks and pranks – actually vandalism – if the pranksters were denied money or treats.
The British brought their traditions with them when they came to North America. Jack-o’-lanterns – carved pumpkins – replaced the shriveled turnip associated with “Stingy Jack.” Guy Fawkes Day was not celebrated in the New World, but around Oct. 31, bands of young vandals roamed the towns. No one’s outhouse was safe, occupied or not.
As time went on, townsfolk would hold Halloween parties and other activities in the hope of keeping the young people occupied with wholesome fun rather than mayhem.
Today, children go trick-or-treating, dressed as Disney princesses and superheroes, movie and video game characters and even a traditional ghost or witch. The hours after people turn off their porch lights are spent sorting candy under the watchful eye of a parent, who claims only the occasional chocolate bar.
There was a time, well within the memory of certain grandparents, when Halloween was … more interesting.
The people handing out one tiny candy per child or even worse, pencils, or who made the kids sing songs before handing them their candy, could expect to spend a couple of days cleaning the garlands of toilet paper from the shrubbery and washing the smashed eggs and soap off the windows.
There was worse – a lot worse. Talk to a grandparent or great-grandparent, preferable long enough after Halloween that young trick-or-treaters will not find inspiration.
Instead of thinking of great-grandpa and his childhood cronies wreaking havoc on outhouses, we might think back to a more ancient time, and walk along a woodland trail strewn with crisp leaves. As darkness falls, and trees are silhouetted against the moon, shadows and wisps of mist appear like wraiths, flickering and dancing in the wind. A dog howls in the distance, and all of a sudden, you are transported to a place where the world of Stingy Jack is mere steps away … just beyond what can be seen – with human eyes, that is.
Happy haunting!
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Pauline Kerr is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter with Midwestern Newspapers. She can be reached at pkerr@midwesternnewspapers.com.
