Happy Hallowe'en

Many of the activities at Hallowe'en are blamed on American consumerism but many of them have roots stemming back to European traditions.

If you believe that Hallowe'en is just another American import you're not alone; many people in the UK think the same and wish it was a tradition that had stayed firmly on the other side of the Atlantic. However, it's a case of the past coming back to haunt us – all the North Americans have done is put a slightly different twist on it.

I beg your pagan?

The end of October was a significant time of year in Pagan times, particularly for the Celts who held a special festival called Samhain to mark the end of their year and the beginning of the next. It was a time in which the dead were remembered – a practice that has continued in various countries and cultures throughout the world, particularly those associated with Christianity, which often leapt on the back of Pagan festivities. All Saints Day and All Souls Day fall just after October 31 and both serve to commemorate lost loved ones. The Celtic original was less concerned with remembrance and more focused on making contact with the dead during this special period.

When emigrants from Europe moved across the big pond to start their lives anew, they took old traditions and beliefs with them. All that's happened more recently is that North America has sent us back our myths, legends and practices, updated for the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. For a bit of fun we decided to look into these spooky celebrations to see why they came into use and how they were traditionally, and are now currently, celebrated.

Hello Hallowe'en

The name Hallowe'en hasn't just been dreamt up in recent times. It is in fact a contraction of the term All Hallows Eve, and means the night before All Hallows Day. Its origins are not from an American candy company; instead they go right back to medieval Europe when this time of year was celebrated both by Pagans and Christians in festivals that were closely linked with food and the dead.

Trick or treat?

Apparently, trick or treating first began in the tenth century, when it was called 'souling'. People would go from door to door asking for food in return for praying or singing for the person's dead loved ones. This Pagan celebration became a Christian one in the fourteenth century and even found its way into the writings of Chaucer.

Scotland had a version of this called 'guising' and it is this tradition that is most closely connected to the modern US version of trick or treating, especially with dressing up. Scottish children would go from door to door in disguise and perform jokes, recite poems or do other things to earn their food.

Trick or treating became universally popular in the USA in the 1950s, and was introduced to the country by European immigrants. The decision to carry on wearing a costume follows in the Celtic tradition of disguising oneself in white and with blackened of veiled faces to copy and pacify evil spirits.

Did you know...?

In the USA some people now do 'Trunk or Treat'? Cars park together in a local car park and children go from one trunk to another getting sweets – this is seen as a safer option rather than letting children wander from house to house.

Impressive pumpkin carving

Again, the evil spirits of the past were the cause of this activity. Hundreds of years ago, people weren't fussy about having a pumpkin to hand – instead they would carve out the middles of turnips, gourds and other root vegetables, including potatoes and beetroots, and put them outside their doors to welcome the souls of their dearly departed or of friendly spirits coming their way. Therefore the beginnings predominantly had happy origins, and it was only later on that people gave a more sinister meaning to the practice – saying it was to keep away evil spirits. Pumpkins started being used when European immigrants arrived in the USA – pumpkins were easier to find and also much easier to carve – have you ever tried to make a face on a turnip?!

Did you know...?

Pumpkins are also called 'jack-o'-lanterns' after an Irish myth about a man nicknamed 'Stingy Jack' who tricked the Devil and was refused entry into Heaven or Hell. The Devil was so furious about the trick Jack had played on him that he cast him out into the night with only a burning coal for light. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has walked the Earth ever since, earning him the name 'Jack of the Lantern', which became shortened to 'Jack-o'-Lantern'.

Apple-bobbing bonkers

This is a popular Hallowe'en game, in which getting wet is inevitable – if you play it right! A big bucket is normally filled with water and apples are put inside for people (usually children) to 'bob' for them. The idea is to get hold of an apple with your teeth, which is pretty difficult to do without immersing your head and hair in the water. The players can't use their hands to help them, and to make it more challenging you could tie their hands behind their backs. The origins allegedly stem back to when the Romans invaded Britain and their festivities merged with the existing Celtic ones. Romans bobbed for apples during their Festival of Pomona – celebrating Pomona, the Goddess of Orchards and, hence, fertility.

Did you know...?

New Yorker Ashrita Furman managed to bob 34 apples in only one minute, creating a world record in June 2010!

You may laugh at this but last year, children at a mass apple-bobbing event were told to use chopsticks instead of their mouths in order to prevent any illnesses from spreading... even though health officials rejected the idea of any real threat.