Halloween may be all about fancy dress and trick or treating now, but you may not realise where some of the traditions and beliefs come from:
Black Cats
Black cats bad reputation dates back to the dark ages, when they were considered to be the ‘familiar’ of witches. Witch hunts were common in this time and elderly solitary women with pet black cats were often accused of witchcraft, the cat symbolised a demonic creature given to them by the devil. Medieval myths say that Satan turned himself into a cat when he socialised with witches. Over time however the myth has turned around and in the UK it is considered good luck if a black cat crosses your path.
Jack-O’-Lanterns
The carving of a humble pumpkin actually has tragic and sinister roots. Celtic folklore suggests that a drunken farmer called Jack was tricked by the devil – which ended in him being turned away from both heaven and hell on his death. As such he was forced to wander purgatory in darkness and so he made a lantern from a turnip and burning lump of coal that the devil had thrown to him. But Jack used the lantern to guide his soul and so that is why Celts began placing Jack-O’-Lanterns outside their homes to help guide home lost spirits. The carving of faces came later again with the intention of scaring evil spirits away. The Irish potato famine caused many families to flee to America where turnips were not widely available and so the tradition was continued with pumpkins instead.
Bats
Like black cats, bats were also described as witches ‘familiars’, seeing a bat on Halloween was particular bad – if it was seen flying around a house three times, then someone in the house would die. If a bat flew in to your house on Halloween then it was a sign that your house is haunted and the ghosts had let the bat in.
Spiders
If you go into a supermarket at Halloween you are bound to find plastic spiders as part of the products available and they have long been synonymous with witches, Superstition says if a spider fell in to a lit candle lamp then witches were nearby and if you spot a spider on Halloween it means the spirit of a deceased spirit is watching over you.
Witches
We all recognise the image of a haggard witch – pointy black hat, warts on the nose, stirring a cauldron…This image actually stems from a pagan goddess called ‘The Crone’ who was honoured during Samhain. Her traits were the exact opposite of the menacing cackling witch in fact she was sometimes known at ‘the old one’ or ‘Earth Mother’ and she symbolised wisdom, change and the turning of the seasons.
Cauldrons
The Celts believed that the cauldron represented ‘The Earth Mother’s’ womb and that after death all souls would go into ‘The Crones’ cauldron. The goddesses stirring would allow reincarnation to take place with old souls being re-born.
Witch’s Broomstick
Elderly women often accused of witchcraft would use a stick (sometimes substituted for a broom) to aid walking as they could not afford horses. Folklore suggests that ‘witches’ used a hallucinogenic ointment during night time ceremonies that caused the illusion that they were soaring through the sky, when they closed their eyes it felt as if they were flying.
Trick-Or-Treating in Costumes
Dressing up would normally have been to play the part of the ghoul to fool evil spirits. Superstition went that visiting ghosts could disguise themselves in human form and in beggar form and would knock on doors for money or food. Turning them away would leave you at risk of being cursed or haunted. In the 1950’s Irish immigrants brought this trend over and now it has turned in to trick or treating.
Halloween Colors
Halloween is synonymous with the colours orange and black, this is a throwback to the pagans celebrating autumn and harvest. Orange symbolising the colours of crops and turning leaves and black marking ‘death’ or the end of summer and the changing season.
Mischief Night
Ancient Celts would have celebrated Samhain with comical pranks, games and bonfires. However around the 1920/30’s celebrations took a more sinister turn causing vandalism (possibly due to the Great Depression) and so to curb the vandalism adults handed out candy.
Candy Apples
It is likely that apples became a popular Halloween treat due to Samhein being around the time of the Roman festival honouring Pamona (the Goddess of fruit trees). Today Candy apples are eaten covered in anything from shiny red syrup to caramel or chocolate.
Bobbing for Apples
Bobbing for the sacred fruit – apples was one way of divining the future on Halloween night. It was believed that the first person to pluck an apple from the barrel without using their hands would be the first to marry. If that said bobber got the apple on their first try it would mean they would experience true love, those who got it after many tries would be fickle in romantic relationships. A girl could also put a bobbed apple under her pillow on Halloween night and it was said she would dream about her future husband.
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