Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain, and All Hallows Eve - the day prior to the Christian holy day of All Saints. (Strangely enough, despite all its ghostly associations, it does not fall on All Souls Day - the Day of the Dead - which is 2nd November.) Halloween is now largely a secular celebration.
On All Hallows’ eve, the ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their window sill to represent the departed. Old I may be, but I think that tradition had died out before I was born!
When I was young we always had bob-apple and apples hung on a string at Hallowe'en. I'm not sure how commonly these games are carried on nowadays. Children's Halloween activities hereabouts include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties.
And judging by the number of Pumpkins on sale at nearby Church Farm making Jack-o-Lanterns must still be pretty popular. This tradition came over from America where it was origiinally an end of harvest activity, not becoming associated with Halloween until the mid- to late- 1800s.
Nice post, C.J.!!! Thank you! (I always love your history lessons!)
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We have the same traditions here...
They asked me to wear a costume to work tomorrow night...I will be wearing a black t-shirt that has a pumpkin with a rabbit jumping out of it...he says, "Fork over the candy and nobody gets hurt..."
;^) ;^) ;^)
Go here:
http://afieldjournal.blogspot.com/2009/10/sugar-and-spice.html
for the most sparkling "punkins" I've ever seen!!!
;^) ;^) ;^)
Another raft of knowledge to clutter up my few remaining grey cells, thanks.
ReplyDeleteHello, I popped over from the Sunday Roast and am so very glad I did, loved the history of Halloween and your photo's of your town were beautiful...I will be back.....:-) Hugs
ReplyDeleteWe had bobapple in the baby bath and hanging apples from the clothes dryer (cant remember proper name) in kitchen from ceiling
ReplyDeleteLove that last photo! These days, most kids go to the mall to trick or treat, unless there is a particularly dense, safe neighborhood.
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