Here we stand at the precipice of another SPOOKTOBER season… Samhain is upon us and All Saints Day looms large with the first of November. But Samhain… the basis for American Halloween… where did it come from?
A long time ago, before there were computers, TV’s, cars, or electricity . . . a time when people went from one place to another by walking, or by riding a horse. A time when families gathered near the fire to stay warm as the weather turned cold. A time when children would listen to stories... stories that answered their curious questions.
Long before people were called Christians or Pagans, a fair-skinned, dark haired clan called Celts lived on a beautiful green island. On this island, at the end of each summer harvest they would have a celebration called the Festival of Samhain. Samhain marks the end of the year, when skies darken early and the weather turns cold. They knew that some among them would not survive the winter. They would gather and build a giant bonfire; share the harvest with neighbors and talk with friends. They would wear costumes and try to tell each other’s fortunes. They danced and sang, playing all sorts of games. At the end of the celebration, they carried embers from the bonfire in a turnip to light their fireplaces at home, to help protect them during the winter.
Until… The Romans conquered the Celtic lands. The Romans combined two of their own festivals with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. One was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans honored the dead. The other honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The apple is the symbol of Pomona… bobbing for apples, anyone?
Many years later, Christianity spread to Celtic lands. The Pope replaced the Celtic festival with a religious holiday. November 1 became All-hallowmas, or All Saints’ Day. The night before, which was the night of Samhain, became All-hallows Eve, and eventually Halloween. The celebration remained similar to Samhain. They still had bonfires, costumes, parties and parades.
When Europeans came to America, they brought their Halloween traditions with them. As all the traditions of the different ethnic groups meshed, an American amalgamation appeared. Dressing up in costumes, going from house to house, and asking for food or money are customs from Ireland and England. Telling fortunes the night before Halloween by opening cabbages - and occasionally leaving them on the doorsteps came from a Scottish tradition that adopted a negative connotation as an excuse for petty crime and vandalism, dubbed “Cabbage Night” in Vermont and New Hampshire… but far less severe as the Devil’s Night arsons that would rage across Detroit in the mid 20th century...
These customs became America’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. When the Irish came to America, they found pumpkins to be more plentiful than the turnips they used for Jack-O-Lanterns. So a hollowed-out pumpkin became the American Jack-O-Lantern. Traditions continue to morph as time passes. In another few generations, what constitutes American Halloween may not be recognizable to those of us alive today… just as our current traditions are mere tributes to the celebrations of the past… But not all October traditions are Games to be toyed with… This is… THE OCTOBER GAME by Ray Bradbury, closing out SPOOKTOBER 2021 on Stories Telling Stories...
