Halloween
On October 31, the US celebrates Halloween. Various opinions exist regarding the holiday’s origin.
Some say Halloween came from the pagan Gaelic festival Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the onset of the darker half of the year, winter. It was believed to be a liminal time when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld thinned, when the Aos Si, ‘spirits’ were active and could enter this world. It was also felt that the souls of the dead returned home. People left offerings of food and drink to appease the otherworldly visitors. Bonfires were lit for protection and to provide cleansing powers.
The word ‘Halloween’ arises from ‘All Hallows’ Eve,’ the evening before All Saints Day. It was a time for Christians to honor saints and martyrs and to pray for departed souls.
In addition to the Church rites, people would go ‘souling,’ walking door-to-door collecting ‘soul cakes’ in exchange for prayers for the dead. Instead of the modern pumpkin vehicles, ‘soulers’ would carry lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips as jack-o-lanterns to ward off evil spirits.
In modern times, the current secular practice of ‘guising’ or ‘trick-or-treating’ became commonplace in the US in the 1930s. Today, children ‘trick-or-treat’ dressed in costumes, walking from house to house, and collecting candy from their neighbors.
In rural areas where homes can be miles apart, churches and other civic groups organize ‘trunk-or-treat’ (Halloween tailgating) in parking lots. These events used to occur at night, but now due to safety issues, many communities have switched the traditional hours to daytime.
Do you enjoy dressing up for Halloween? I think it’s great fun!
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