Page 36 - October Sun Rays_Text _proof_FinalTrim

Halloween
Ghosts, goblins and witches – oh my!
By Ginger Pryzbys
and Jaime Calder
If you like wearing costumes, getting a
mild case of the heebie-jeebies or drink-
ing an “eye-ball” cocktail from a sorcerer’s was believed that the doorways to the world
goblet, you’re in good company. This year,
it is estimated 160 million Americans will
spend $7 billion celebrating Halloween,
making it the United States’ second biggest
holiday (Christmas ranks first). No other
country so enthusiastically embraces an
ancient Celtic ritual as much as we do – of
course, the way we celebrate has changed
over time.
So how and when did this festival of fright
make it to America? Halloween’s origins
date back to the time of the ancient Celts,
over 2,000 years ago. During the Iron Age,
this ancient civilization expanded from its
native homelands in Ireland and the Brit-
ish Isles to dominate much of pre-Roman
Europe. An agrarian society, the Celts (or
Celtics) divided each year into a light half
and a dark half. The light half of the year
– known as Beltane - began on May 1 and
marked the start of summer, when cattle
would be driven out to pasture. When the
harvest was over, Celts prepared for the
34 | SUNRAYS OCTOBER 2016
end of the warm growing season and the
start of the Celtic New Year, observed on
Nov. 1 with the Samhain festival.
When night fell on Samhain (Oct. 31), it
of the dead temporarily opened, allowing
spirits to return home for one night. To
ward off malicious entities, huge bonfires
lit up the night skies. Many people wore
costumes made of animal skins to confuse
these menacing ghosts and protect them-
selves and their crops in the coming year.
Villagers left offerings of food, drink and
sweet cakes outside their homes for hungry
ghosts, who could cause trouble if offended. and those fearing vengeance or mischief
These otherworldly visitors were not the
only ones who enjoyed these treats – people
often disguised themselves as spirits and
went from door to door requesting offerings
on behalf of the dead.
Over time, Christianity spread throughout
the region, replacing old traditions with
new. During the three-day Christian feast
of Allhallowtide, the souls of the dead were
commemorated with prayer and the mak-
ing of baked treats, called soul cakes. On
Oct 31 – known as All Hallow’s Eve - can-
dles were lit in front of homes to deflect
unwelcome guests from beyond the grave,
from an unhappy spirit disguised them-
selves with costumes and masks.
During colonial America in the 1600s, All-
hallows was limited by geography and reli-
gion. While small pockets of Catholic colo-
nists continued to observe the holy days,
the Puritans of New England strongly
opposed any such celebration. In the mid-
1800s, a tidal wave of immigrants began
arriving in the New World, bringing with
them the holidays, traditions and supersti-
tions of their homelands and renewing the
popularity of Halloween. As these different
European ethnic groups blended over time,
ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG