Halloween is one of the oldest holidays around. It goes back some 2000 years to when the ancient Celtics observed Samhain which marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The Celts felt this was the thinnest time of the year between the living and the dead.
They felt that at this time of the year spirits could return, which was not the greatest thing in the world to happen. Thus, they took action to avoid the spirits by wearing disguises. They even lit bonfires to ward them off. I am not certain why they thought that spirits would be worried about fire. In fact, if you are curious, you might wonder who the first Celt was that came up with the idea of a thin time of the year. It’s too bad that there was no good way to record history so that we know the actual name of the creator of Samhain. He may have been a true genius, but we will never know.
The name Halloween came about by influences on the Samhain holiday, especially since it fell on the Christian All Hallows Eve. Irish settlers brought Halloween to the U.S. where it has thrived even though the Irish were not welcomed at first – there were signs outside bars that said “Irish not welcomed” or job sites that indicated that Irish should not apply. Time changes many things – many of which are for the good. “Trick or treating” comes from earlier customs like “guising” where people would perform tricks or visit homes for treats. There was also “souling” where good people would ask for soul cakes in exchange for prayers.
When I was kid, we would now be considered “goodie-goodies” as the worst thing we did was ring someone’s doorbell and run and hide before they got to the door. We didn’t even soap windows. The reason being that we didn’t want to make anyone so mad that they would not come to the door with candy treats. Whoever in the area was handing out the best candy – especially if they were candy bars – soon had lots of kids at their door. As far as I know no one ever gave out soul cakes which may be good or bad depending on how they taste.
The Blond in the House and I have never been great Halloween party goers. We are not good at picking out costumes although one year we did fairly well. The Blond went as a nun, and I went as a pirate. Nobody paid any attention to me! There were three retired nuns who lived in our neighborhood. We paid a visit to their house the afternoon before the party and The Blond had on her nun costume and knocked at the door. We could hear them talking inside and saying “there is a nun out there!” They finally opened the door with caution and all was revealed. Everyone had a good laugh and all was good which is a nice thing on a peaceful holiday. At another party one year, we simply bought T-shirts. One said “The Blond”, and the other said, “The Blond’s Husband”. We didn’t win a prize, but it was fun.
Our kids liked Halloween as I recall. We are not certain what they did on those evenings. It may have been just as well, but nobody complained to us.
Villager Barry Evans is a columnist for Villages-News.com