Spooky Halloween: A Celebration of the Dark
Halloween History, Traditions, Customs and Folklore
QuestMagazine.com
When Halloween approaches we start to feel a bit of the newly arrived crisp air. Halloween yard and house decorations abound. Holiday yard and exterior decor once were the purview almost solely of Christmas, but are now greatly increasing as spending for Halloween continues to climb. Where once it was difficult to find outdoor art for Halloween, these items are now commonplace. Sheets made to look like ghosts, jack-o'-lanterns, and other ghastly ghouls are favorites. The Halloween equivalent of Christmas lights, primarily in orange, are becoming increasingly a seasonal fixture. In addition, many more homes are now featuring haunted houses. It is no longer a rarity for homeowners to spend large sums of money on Halloween decorations. Creating a Halloween yard and a haunted house are just some of the many traditions that make Halloween so much fun for the young and old (and not so old) alike.
History
Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain which occurred on October 31. This celebration goes back more than 2000 years. It marked the beginning of the cold and barren part of the year and was associated with death and the spirits of the dead. The dead were believed to walk the earth on this night so bonfires were lit and animal skins donned for protection. The Catholic church later co-opted this religious event and renamed it All Hallows Eve since it was on the the eve of Allhallows Day (All Saints' Day).
Popularity
The holiday of Halloween is second only to Christmas in popularity in the United States and in money spent on decorations. The reasons for this are varied, one being is that it is fun for adults to act out fantasies that are normally not part of the adult landscape. For children, it is an opportunity to experience the idea of the supernatural in an enjoyable and safe way. Popular activities and events associated with Halloween include trick-or-treating, Halloween festivals, and Halloween costume parties. While trick-or-treating is primarily an activity for children, the latter two are for both children and adults alike.
Traditions and customs
Halloween traditions and customs are derived from the history, folklore, practices, symbols, and events associated with Halloween. Here follows the major ones of this holiday.
Trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating is the most widely recognized Halloween tradition. It is an activity in which children go from house to house asking for treats such as candy with the question, "Trick or treat?" Trick-or-treating is done with children donning Halloween costumes and it is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become socially required that if one lives in a neighborhood with children to purchase candy in preparation for trick-or-treaters. Trick-or-treating declined in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the tainted candy scare. Hospitals even got involved offering free x-ray scans of Halloween candy. This turned out to largely be an urban legend and trick-or-treating is making somewhat of a comeback.
Creatures traditionally associated with Halloween
Creatures that are traditionally associated with Halloween fall into three categories, although not necessarily into just one of them. There are the mythical creatures from folklore that have come to be connected with the holiday. Then there are creatures from fiction that are now thought of in relation to Halloween. Finally there are actual creatures that are related to Halloween, although often their relation is established through folklore.
Mythical creatures
One of Halloween's mythical creatures is a ghost. This is a creature that has a strong connection to the original pagan holiday of Samhain. Another is a ghoul. Ghouls are foul beings that haunt graveyards. Vampires are also prevalent. A vampire is an animated corpse, one of the undead. For it to continue to live it must drink human blood. A werewolf is a human who has been placed under a curse, usually by being bitten by another werewolf, and during a full moon they turn into werewolves. A Halloween witch is a female who engages in magic and casts spells. The male version is generally referred to as a warlock.
Creatures from fiction
Count Dracula is a vampire from fiction that was created by author Bram Stoker. He was loosely based on Vlad Tepes of Romania and our image of him as cultural icon has largely been shaped by the portrayal of him by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 movie version of Dracula. The Grim Reaper, or Death, is another product of literature. He has appeared in many forms in literature for centuries. Today he is normally featured as a skeletal figure wearing a black gown with a cowl. A Halloween mummy is inspired by the 1932 movie The Mummy. This is an Egyptian mummy that has come back to life and is malevolent.
Real creatures
Bats are very prominent as a Halloween symbol. In folklore bats are closely associated with vampires, who are said to be able to transform into them. Bats are also a symbol of ghosts, death, and disease. Black cats are also very popular during this season. They are traditionally associated with witches or demons. Skeletons are used to symbolize death.
Traditional Halloween costumes
* Demon
* Devil
* Ghost
* Ghoul
* Grim Reaper
* Monster
* Mummy
* Skeleton
* Vampire
* Warlock
* Werewolf
* Witch
Jack-o'-lantern
Jack-o'-lanterns are the ubiquitous Halloween symbol. They are made from hollowed out pumpkins with a face carved into them. Often the face is made to appear frightful. A candle is placed inside the lantern to illuminate it.
From Irish folklore comes the legend of the jack-o'-lantern. A drunkard named Jack stumbled home from a night of drinking at a local tavern. The Devil appeared and demanded that Jack come to Hell with him because of his evil ways. Jack convinced the Devil to climb a nearby tree to pick an apple. As the Devil climbed the tree, Jack carved a cross in the tree's trunk thereby preventing the Devil from coming back down. The Devil demanded that Jack release him. Jack said he would if the Devil promised to never admit him to Hell. The Devil agreed. When Jack died he was too sinful to be allowed into Heaven, but the Devil would not let him into Hell, so Jack carved out one of his turnips, put a candle inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth looking for a place where he could find eternal rest.
Halloween festival
A Halloween festival (sometimes called a Halloween carnival) is an annual event that has a variety of activities, all with a Halloween theme.
Halloween festivals are a tradition in many communities. These events are usually put on by the communities themselves, service groups, churches, or schools to celebrate Halloween. The festivals are usually held in the latter part of October, shortly before Halloween. They often involve people dressing in costume, typically with a supernatural or horror theme. The people who are working at the event are the ones most likely to be in costume. The festivals consist of attractions such as haunted houses and haunted trails. There are also games of chance and skill such as cake walks, bobbing for apples, target games, and similar activities.
Halloween festivals began to appear as celebrations in the early part of the 20th century. With Halloween growing in popularity each year, these festivals remain a popular event for many.
Ghost tour
Ghost tours (also called haunted tours, ghost walks, or haunted walks) are especially popular during the Halloween season and have become a Halloween tradition. These tours are put on by both profit and nonprofit organizations. Many nonprofits conduct these tours only during October. Most tours emphasize the history, folklore, and legends behind the sites that are believed to be haunted, combining ghost stories from the distant and recent past. More
Orange and black and their symbolism
Orange and black are the traditional Halloween colors.
Orange symbolizes fall, turning leaves, the harvest, fire, and jack-o'-lanterns.
Black symbolizes death, evil, the ancient Celtic dark half of the year, night, witches, black cats, bats, and vampires.
Movies and television specials
The showing and viewing of certain horror and Halloween themed movies and television shows have become Halloween traditions.
Movies
* Dracula (1931)
* The Mummy (1932)
* The Nightmare Before Christmas
This movie combines themes from both Halloween and Christmas.
* The Wolf Man (1941)
Television
* It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Various other Halloween traditions
Bobbing for apples is a game often played on Halloween. It consists of putting apples in a container filled with water and then trying to grab them with one's mouth. The practice has been criticized as being unsanitary.
Bonfires are a Halloween tradition that goes back more than 2000 years to the ancient Celts and the festival of Samhain. Bonfires are popular Halloween events in the United States.
Candy apples, candy corn, hard cider, nuts, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin seeds are traditional Halloween food and drink.
Halloween costumes are worn for trick-or-treating, at Halloween parties, and at other Halloween events. They traditionally imitate spooky or supernatural creatures.
Halloween yards are Halloween themed lawns of residences or other buildings. These are often decorated with ghoulish figures. Orange lights are also often used.
Haunted trails are trails which feature objects and actors with supernatural and horror motifs.
Celebrities traditionally associated with Halloween
* Lon Chaney
* Lon Chaney, Jr.
* Elvira (Cassandra Peterson)
Elvira is known as the 'Queen of Halloween' and was the first 'Coors Halloween Queen.'
* Boris Karloff
* Bela Lugosi
* Vincent Price
* Vampira (Maila Nurmi)
Halloween's future
Halloween is a holiday that celebrates the 'dark.' With its escalating popularity and its appeal to children and adults, its future appears bright indeed.
Books
Books about Halloween, ghosts, and hauntings are traditionally popular during the Halloween season.
Books on Halloween
* The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year by Jean Markale. Inner Traditions (2001). ISBN 978-0892819003
Books on ghosts and hauntings
* Weird Hauntings by Joanne Austin, Mark Moran (Foreword), Mark Sceurman (Foreword). Sterling (2006). ISBN 978-1402742262
See also
Hal Siemer is a historian, folklorist, religious researcher, writer, and the Editor of Quest Magazine. He has done extensive research on the Knights Templar, Freemasonry, ancient mysteries and Halloween and Christmas customs, traditions, and folklore. He founded and was president of a public policy think tank. He previously has worked as a lobbyist for nonprofit organizations and has been a political consultant.
Siemer frequently is a guest on radio talk shows. His writing has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Austin Review, and other newspapers.
Hal Siemer's professional society memberships include the:
* American Anthropological Association
* American Folklore Society
* Medieval Academy of America
* Society for the Anthropology of Religion
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