By Mike Cook
Halloween likely comes from ancient Celtic tribes who lived in Western Europe and the North Atlantic 2,500 years ago. The first day of their New Year was on or around November 1st when they celebrated the end of summer and the beginning of the long, dark, cold winter with a festival in honor of Samhain, the Lord of the Dead.
The Celts believed that the souls of the dead returned at this time to mingle with the living, so they wore masks and lit bonfires to scare them away. When the Romans conquered the Celts about 55 years BC, they adopted Samhain and added their own accents. This included baking ossa dei morti (“bones of the dead”) – biscuits in the shape of finger bones to clean their homes. (You can find a recipe at www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bonz-of-the-dead-ossa-dei-morti-2108755.)
The word Halloween and its older spelling of Halloween are shortened from All-Hallow-even, the eve of All Hallows Day, also known as All Saints Day, which went up to Pope Gregory III. (Pope) a pagan (Celtic and Roman) celebration was: February 11, 731-28. November 741), moved the old Christian festival of All Saints to November 1st in order to adapt Samhain to the Christian faith.
Trick or treat started in Ireland centuries ago when groups of farmers went door to door collecting food and supplies for a village fete and bonfire. Those who donated were promised prosperity, those who did not donate were promised bad luck.
When Irish immigrants came to the United States in the 19th century, the practice of trick-or-treating came with them.
Pumpkin carving began when the Irish started hollowing out turnips to hold candles burning to deter evil spirits. When the Irish came to America, pumpkins were replaced by beets.
“Jack-o’-lantern has been lantern or a night watchman in American English since the 19th,” says www.merriam-webster.com.
“At the time, the British often called men whose names they didn’t know by a common name like Jack. For example, an unknown man who carried a lantern was sometimes called ‘Jack with the lantern’ or ‘Jack with the lantern’. At the same time, jack-o’-lantern was applied to a different type of light: the flame-like phosphorescence caused by gases from rotting plants in swampy areas, also known as ignis fatuus – a medieval Latin term that literally means “foolish fire” ‘- or will-o’-the-wisp. “
The name Jack-o’-Lantern is also linked to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a drunk who negotiated with Satan and was doomed to wander through an eternal night with just one coal burning in a pumpkin to find his way enlighten, according to several sources.
The orange and black colors that are a traditional part of Halloween “probably go back to the Celtic celebrations and are reminiscent of the candles and fires that were lit to greet the cold, black winter,” according to www.colourlovers. com.
According to ancient Aztec tradition, the souls of the deceased are allowed to return to earth for one day each year: children on November 1st (All Saints’ Day) and adults on November 2nd (All Souls Day). The festivities of these days – Dia de los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) – have continued in many Latin American countries for centuries and have been adopted in parts of the United States, including, and particularly, the Southwest. The families of the deceased often build altars to honor their lost loved ones, and they make special treats for the celebration, including sugar skulls and pan de muerto (bread of the dead).
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