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A HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS

As with many celebrations, Halloween is steeped in traditions, many of which can be traced back quite some time. Since Halloween is believed to have originated from Celtic pagan, ancient Roman and early Christian events, its traditions are varied. Here is a deep look at some old traditions associated with Halloween.

BONFIRES: Historians trace many traditions of Halloween to a Celtic holiday known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts lived 2,000 years ago in parts of what is now Northern France, Great Britain and Ireland. During Samhain, people believed that the door between the worlds of the living and the dead was blurred. On Samhain, Celts believed the ghosts of the dead returned. Druids made predictions about the future at this time of year. It was customary to build large, sacred bonfires and burn crops and other sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

TRICK-OR-TREATING: Christianity spread throughout Celtic regions and blended with other rituals. Pope Gregory III expanded on a holiday Pope Boniface IV established to honor Christian martyrs to include all saints and martyrs. All Saints Day on Nov. 1 commemorates the venerable saints, and All Souls Day on Nov. 2 celebrates loved ones who went on to eternal rest. All-Hallows Eve (Halloween) was a time to pay homage to the dead. Poor children would go door-to-door in more affluent neighborhoods offering to say prayers for residents’ deceased loved ones in exchange for some food or money. This was known as “souling,” which became the basis for trick-or-treating. Later the tradition became known as “guising” in areas of Scotland, where children would go around in costumes.

WITCHES: Images of witches riding broomsticks are everywhere come Halloween, and witch costumes remain a standard. Almanac.com indicates that during the Middle Ages, women who practiced divination were dubbed “witches,” from the Anglo-Saxon word “wicce,” or “wise one.” It was believed the witches could go into a trancelike state, and would do so in front of their fireplaces. Superstitious people believed the witches could fly out of their chimneys on broomsticks and terrorize others with magical deeds.

CARVING PUMPKINS: Removing the insides of pumpkins and carving them into funny or fearsome faces may be messy work, but it’s tradition on Halloween. Turnips were the material of choice in ancient Ireland, but they were replaced by pumpkins when immigrants came to America. The “lanterns” were made with scary faces and lit to frighten away spirits.

Halloween 101

Metro

Carving pumpkins is tradition on Halloween. Turnips were the material of choice in ancient Ireland, but they were replaced with pumpkins when immigrants came to America.

DID YOU KNOW?

It is impossible to identify the first Halloween costume and which masks the earliest celebrants donned in efforts to keep away evil spirits during Samhain.

According to Lesley Bannatyne, an author who has written extensively about the history of Halloween, masks and coverups were designed to symbolize ghosts and the souls of the dead, first for Samhain and later for the custom of “souling.”

Costumes of saints and evil spirits also were popular during this time. When immigrants brought Halloween customs to North America, early 20th-century costumes featured much of the same — ghosts and ghouls.

It wasn’t until the 1920s and 1930s that pop culture began to infiltrate costumes. In fact, one of the first costume companies, J. Halpern Company, began licensing pop culture images like Mickey Mouse and Popeye around this time.

By the 1960s, costumes were largely store-bought, spurring entire industries. Many 1980s kids recall buying boxed costumes that consisted of rigid plastic masks with eye holes (and very small holes by the mouth and nose) that stayed in place with thin elastic straps, and a plastic sheeting costume that went over clothes. Modern costumes are far more complex.

CLASSIC HALLOWEEN COSTUMES FROM YEARS PAST

It’s no small task coming up with a memorable holiday costume. Certain costumes tie into popular culture, while others are classics that will never go out of style. Here’s a look at pop culture costumes that were trendy in years past. • 1976: Charlie’s Angels: These empowered women crime fighters blew up on TV, and many girls wanted to be them in real life, and on Halloween. • 1977: Star Wars characters: From Luke to Obi Wan to Darth Vader, this hit movie permanently changed popular culture and inspired Halloween costumes for decades to come. • 1978: Michael Myers: The familiar white (William Shatner-inspired) mask became well known this year and still makes its mark on Halloween festivities more than 40 years later. • 1981: Indiana Jones: Harrison Ford made the archaeologist/adventurer so exciting in “Raiders of the Lost Arc,” donning a fedora and brandishing a whip became very popular. • 1982: Elliott and E.T.: Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece of a young boy and his alien friend made this a popular year for anything that had to do with the film. This included riding bicycles while wearing red hoodies. • 1983: Princess Leia: “Return of the Jedi” introduced audiences to different sides of Princess Leia, helping to solidify her popularity as a Halloween icon. • 1984: Freddy Krueger: This “Nightmare on Elm Street” icon caused many nightmares in real life, and his bladetipped glove and familiar striped shirt could be seen on kids across the nation. • 1985: Hulk Hogan: Were you dressed as Hulk Hogan? It’s likely if you were a warm-blooded boy in the mid80s, when Hulkamania was at its peak.

• 1986: Care Bears and California

Raisins: If you were young in 1986, you might have dressed up as a cuddly Care Bear or a suave, singing California Raisin.

— Metro

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