insideKENT Magazine Issue 31 - October 2014 | Page 86
COVERSTORY
kent's got the
spookfactor
It’s dark, there are strange creatures running around the streets, your stash of chocolates
is disappearing quicker than the sun on a bank holiday, and it’s 31st October. It can only
mean one thing: Halloween. But what is Halloween exactly? And why do we do the
things we do on that one creepy night every year? BY LISAMARIE LAMB
The History of Halloween
The word Halloween (also known
as Hallowe’en) is a shortened
version of the term ‘All Hallows’
Eve’. Celebrated on 31st October,
it is traditionally said to be the one
time of the year when the veil
between this world and the next is
at its thinnest which, so they story
goes, means that those beings who
‘live’ beyond this mortal coil can
burst through and go on the
rampage. Why is the security veil
so thin at this time? It’s because
the next day, 1st November, is All
Saints’ Day. The idea behind
Halloween is that the saints grow
weary as the year trudges on, so
just before their special day, when
they are glorified and remembered
(which renews their strength), the
world is at its most vulnerable.
Many Christian celebrations have
their origins (the dates at least, but
often many of the rituals as well) in
ancient pagan traditions, and
Halloween is no exception. Its
origins can be found in the old Celtic
festival of Samhain, which
celebrated the end of the harvest
period. The Gaelic people believed
that if the crops weren’t harvested
on time, then the dead would come
back to life to destroy what was
left, and wreak havoc over the earth.
vegetables were carved into frightening faces and placed on doorsteps to
scare the ghosts away.
These days Halloween still keeps with tradition, and there is dressing up,
bonfires, pumpkin carving, and costume parties. There is also trick or
treating, which is becoming more and more popular than ever in the UK,
and originally came from Irish and Scottish immigrants when they moved
to America. It was called ‘souling’ back then and involved exchanging
prayers for cake. Costumed children (although more often than not there
are adults joining in the fun too!) go from door to door shouting, “Trick or
treat!” when their knock is answered. If they are given a treat (sweets or
chocolate, for example), they leave the house alone and move on. If they
are not, then tradition dictates that they play a trick on the homeowner. In
the past, this could have been something like throwing flour or eggs (or
both!) at the house to show that the householders were not generous.
Today, however, it is the social norm to expect children on Halloween, and
many people buy in sweets for the occasion. For those who would prefer
not to give away treats (new parents, for example, those in wheelchairs,
or people who work shifts), it is seen as acceptable to place a polite note
on the door with an explanation.
In order to frighten these viciously
destructive creatures away, the
Gaels would often light bonfires to
keep the sky as bright as possible,
and fool the monsters into believing
that they had missed their chance
and that a new day had dawned.
However, on the off chance that
some of the spirits decided to
chance venturing out anyway, the
farmers and their employees would
dress up to confuse the un-dead
into believing that another creature
was already at work in that particular
field, and it was hoped that they
would then move on elsewhere.
When there weren’t enough people
to make it look convincing,
The first known mention of trick or treating comes from a Canadian
newspaper in 1911, which published an article about small children begging
for nuts and candies whilst singing rhyming songs. It wasn’t a well-known
practice (and wasn’t termed ‘trick or treating’) until around 1934, making
it a fairly recent – yet extremely important – addition to the Halloween night
fun and games.
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