It’s the month to ‘Trick or Treat! If you ever wanted to walk on a street dressed as a witch, a ghost, or a corpse, Halloween is the day for you! Angry-faced Jack-o’-lanterns made of pumpkins are often seen on the window sills or doorways during Halloween. Spooky designs of cobwebs with black spiders, human bones, and bloody bodies will definitely give you goosebumps. But can there be a story behind Halloween rather than just a day for fun and parties? Yes! This is the story of Halloween!
Centuries ago, there was a pagan ritual called Samhain, which originated among the ancient Celts who lived in Ireland and northern France. They believed the Samhain day was the last day of the year. The ritual is to welcome their last harvest of the year and to signify the beginning of the winter on October 31. According to the Celtic beliefs, the boundary between the two worlds: death and living becomes thinned as the ghosts of the dead return to the earth on October 31.
On Halloween day, Celtics used to light bonfires to burn off their crops and animals as sacrifices and dressed in costumes they believed would ward off ghosts. They thought that causing trouble and damaging their own crops will make it easier for the priests to make predictions of the future. It was easy to comfort themselves with such superstitious beliefs during the long dark winters.
Centuries after where Halloween was still celebrated, there was an Irish blacksmith called ‘Stingy Jack’. He used to trick the Devil a couple of times and once he died he was neither accepted from heaven nor from hell. Instead, the Devil gave him an ember that he has hollowed a turnip to keep it giving light and has been roaming around the world with it ever since. In remembrance of ‘Stingy Jack’ Irish used to cut faces on turnips and made them lightened by keeping burning pieces of charcoal inside believing that would scare away evil spirits.
With time, the ritual spread across Colonial New England and Maryland and then over many countries with Irish immigrants but the ritual became more like a celebration with gatherings and parties. Parents started buying candies for the children for Halloween treats and they were allowed to go door to door asking for ‘soul cakes’- a special Halloween treat. However, the immigrated Irish continued with the turnip carvings. As they learned that pumpkins are more common in the USA than turnips, they started pumpkin carvings and soon realized they make better lanterns. Pumpkin carving has continued ever after in the US and has become so popular that people even organize pumpkin carving competitions! However, the charcoal has been replaced with battery-operated lighting systems making better home decorations that last for weeks.
References:
- https://www.halloweenexpress.com/the-history-behind-pumpkins-and-halloween/
- https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/a40250/heres-why-we-really-celebrate-halloween/
- https://www.halloweenexpress.com/the-history-behind-pumpkins-and-halloween/
- https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/a40250/heres-why-we-really-celebrate-halloween/
- https://www.history.com
