I don’t
remember pumpkin carving as a youngster ... our next ‘celebration’ was the Guy
Fawkes, Firework and Bonfire night on 5th November ... the trick or
treat, spidery devlish dressing up seems to have become popular in the last few
decades – coming back over the pond from the States.
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| Carved pumpkin |
But
Hallowe‘en has a longer history than that and is thought to have originated
from the pagan festival of Samhain, meaning ‘summer’s ending’ in Old Irish, indicating the New Year: an important event in
the Celtic calendar that would begin at the turn of dusk every October 31st.
Christian
and Pagan lore co-existed side by side until both in the 21st
centuries have their place – in the Christian Church, or as part of Pagan
festivals.
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| All Saints (All Hallows, Hallowmas) Painting by Fra Angelico (1395 - 1455) |
All
Hallows’ Day, originally celebrated on May 13th, was better known as
All Saints’ Day, a feast day celebrated to honour the saints and martyrs of
Christian history, and those departed souls who had yet to reach Heaven.
Pope
Gregory, in 835 AD, decided to move All Hallows’ Day to 1st November
so it coincided with Samhain – making it easier to convert pagans to
Christianity.
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| Pomona, by Nicolas Fouche (c 1700) |
All
Souls’ Day follows on 2nd November, a day used to commemorate the
faithful departed ... praying for their release from Purgatory into the
acceptance of Heaven.
Celtic and
pagan festivals would have had communities celebrating with harvest fare, bonfires,
ancient customs – leaving some of the food outside to pacify the wandering
souls ... dressing up as part of these rituals to scare off evil spirits while
they checked for soul cakes.
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| Snap-Apple Night (1832) by Daniel Maclise: depicts apple bobbing and divination games at a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland |
As
influences moved between countries – it is thought that the origins of Hallowe’en
perhaps also had links with the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and
seeds ... the festivals continued to evolve with the passage of time ...
Shakespeare
mentions the practice of collecting soul cakes in his comedy “The Two Gentlemen
of Verona” (1593) ... so the tradition occurred as far south as Italy.
In
Britain these customs came under attack during the Reformation as Protestants
berated Purgatory as a “popish”
doctrine ... this, coupled with the rising popularity of Guy Fawkes Night from
1605 onward, led to Hallowe’en’s popularity waning in England and Wales.
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| In this Halloween greeting card from 1904, divination is depicted: a young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a sight of her future husband |
Samhain
and Hallowe’en were celebrated in Scotland and Ireland since at least the early
Middle Ages (5th century onwards) – they were seen as important to
the life cycle and rites of passage of communities and thus ensuring the
festival’s survival in those countries.
North
American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th century
give no indication that Hallowe’en was celebrated there. The Puritans of New England, for example,
maintained strong opposition to Hallowe’en and it was not until the mass Irish
and Scottish immigration during the 19th century that Hallowe’en was
brought to North America in earnest.
Subsequently
it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the early 1900s was
being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social racial and religious
backgrounds.
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| Traditional Cornish Jack o' Lantern made from a turnip (NB good for pasties!) |
Nowadays
one of the most practiced customs of Hallowe’en is the carving of a pumpkin,
referred to as a Jack O’Lantern. This
tradition is believed to have originated from the old Irish legend of Stingy
Jack, a miserable farmer who played a trick on the devil ...
.... as
punishment for his actions Jack was forced to wander the earth in between
heaven and hell, with his only light being a single candle placed inside a hollowed
out turnip.
The
spooky faces are believed to have been carved to scare off Jack – but it wasn’t
until the tradition of carving the lanterns moved to America that pumpkins were
used instead of turnips, as they are easier to carve.
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| Traditional pumpkin carving |
Mischief
Night (also known as Devil’s Night, Hell Night, Cabbage Night .. etc) is
another night of trickery – either before Hallowe’en, or Bonfire Night ...
... dating
back to the 1700s when it was an evening of chaos – thought to have started in
a time when laws were often suspended for several hours or days in Britain,
leaving trickery to prevail.
Mischief
ranged from throwing cabbages to swapping shopkeeper’s signs, customs that
continue to this day in parts of the north of England.
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| Trick or Treating in Sweden |
Typical
festive Hallowe’en activities include trick-or-treating, attending costume
parties, carving pumpkins into lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting
haunting attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories and watching horror
films.
History
has shown us that Hallowe’en is not just a single night of mysteries, it is
part of a series of ancient events and dates with strong English and Irish
roots that have developed over time into the period of celebration we are so
familiar with.
NaNoWriMo
– good luck to all who are participating this year ... have fun.
Disaster
“Sandy” ... anyone, family, and/or friends, who has been caught in the various
events – flood, trees, sand, wind damage, snow, electricity failure etc etc ...
my thoughts are with you – may the coming days bring relief ... and coming
months and years enable your life to ease back to a degree of normality.
Hilary
Melton-Butcher
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