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The wearing of costumes and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few
centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches,
and demons.
Offerings of food and drink were left out to calm them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful
creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice is called "mumming", from which the
practice of trick-or-treating evolved.
Trick-or-Treating
In medieval times, one popular All Souls' Day practice was to make "soul cakes," simple bread desserts with a currant topping.
In a custom called "souling," children would go door-to-door begging for the cakes, much like modern trick-or-treaters.
For every cake a child collected, he or she would have to say a prayer for the dead relatives of the person who gave the cake.
These prayers would help the relatives find their way out of purgatory and into heaven.
The children even sang a soul cake song. much like this one!
A soul cake!
A soul cake!
Have mercy on all Christian souls,
for
A soul cake!
Jack-o'-Lanterns
As part of the Samhain celebration, Celts would bring home an ember from the communal bonfire at the end of the night. They
carried these embers in hollowed-out turnips, creating a lantern resembling the modern day jack-o'-lantern.
Stingy Jack
A very popular character in Irish folk tales was "Stingy Jack", a disreputable miser who, on several occasions, avoided damnation
by tricking the devil (often on All Hallows' Eve). In one story, he convinced Satan to climb up a tree for some apples, and
then cut crosses all around the trunk so the devil couldn't climb down. The devil promised to leave Jack alone forever, if
he would only let him out of the tree.
When Jack eventually died, he was turned away from Heaven, due to his life of sin. But, in keeping with their agreement, the
Devil wouldn't take Jack either. He was cursed to travel forever as a spirit in limbo. As Jack left the gates of Hell, the
Devil threw him a hot ember to light the way in the dark. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed-out turnip, and wandered off
into the world. According to the Irish legend, you might see Jack's spirit on All Hallows' Eve, still carrying his turnip
lantern through the darkness.
Bonfires
The word comes from the original word "boon-fire"; a huge fire built to honor the spirits of the air, to invoke favors. It
was also used to drive off "evil" spirits.
Click Here for a bit more Halloween History
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Maybe if you are interested in, and you write to me or sign my guestbook - I will start listing our holiday traditions from
around the world, and how they started, and how they are celebrated in todays world.
BAD LUCK SUPERSTITIONS
Black Cats
Black cats were associated with the witch hunts of the middle ages when they were thought to be connected to evil. Since
then, it is considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.
Salt
At one time salt was rare to have and thought to have magical powers. It was unfortunate to spill salt and said to foretell
family problems and death. To ward off bad luck, throw a pinch over your shoulder and all will be well.
Ladders
In the days before the gallows, criminals were hung from the top rung of a ladder and their spirits were believed to linger
underneath. Common folklore has it to be bad luck to walk beneath an open ladder and pass through the triangle of evil ghosts
and spirits.
GOOD LUCK SUPERSTITIONS
An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.
Light a candle on the night of November 1 for each deceased relative and place in a window.
Windows in a deceased person's home should be opened to allow his soul to leave the body.
Carry a bent nail in your pocket for luck.
The Following Article on Hallowe'en
and it's traditions was borrowed from another site.
Please Click This Link & You Will Be There In A Flash!
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