Boo! Trick or Treat? Wow, that’s some costume.
When did Halloween start and why?
The word “Halloween” is a shortened form of “All Hallows’ Eve.” Halloween is the eve or evening before “All Hallows’ Day.” To “hallow” is an old English verb meaning to make holy or to “sanctify.” When used as a plural noun, “hallows” refers to all those who have passed from this life and are now holy persons or “saints” in the next world. So, Halloween is the evening before All Hallows’ Day or All Saints’ Day.
Holy persons have always been remembered. Many view martyrs as saints. On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV established “All Martyrs’ Day.” Recognizing there are more saints than martyrs, in 835 A.D., Pope Gregory IV expanded the festival to include all saints and renamed the day “All Saints’ Day.” To coincide with the Celtic festival of Samhain, Pope Gregory moved the observance of the holy day, or holiday, to November 1st.
Samhain (which can be pronounced Sah–win) was one of the most important days in the medieval Celtic calendar. Samhain is half-way between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. For the Celts throughout northern Europe, November 1st was the start of their New Year (which we celebrate on January 1st). The day marks the transition between the warm months of the sun to the cold months of the dark.
In ancient times in the Northern Hemisphere, the cold months were the sad months because without the heating systems we have today, many of the sick and elderly could not survive the days of cold, snow and ice. Sadly, they passed on. Samhain was a time to remember those who had left this world. In that respect, it coincided well with the All Saints’ Day of the early popes, which also remembered those in the next life.
In early Celtic thought, October 31st, the night before their New Year, was a “thin time.” Those early people saw it as a night when the boundaries that surrounded the worlds of the living and the dead somehow mysteriously came closer together, touched, and thinned. In those thin places on that night, it was thought that one might see and even move through to the other realm, and those in that other place might do the same. Perhaps a part of this view was a wish to remember and see again those loved ones who had passed away and were now in that other land.
To prepare for the night, children were sent house-to-house to request wood and food for a party. (This may be the origin of those trick-or-treating children we find at our front doors.) With the gathered wood, bonfires were lit, brightening the night and inviting friends and family to gather round. In the light of the dancing flames, food was passed and treats shared. Neighbors laughed, feasted and enjoyed memories.
As the flames dwindle and the night darkens, the storytelling begins. Stories were the books of those early ones. They had few written words. On that night, remembering their own who had passed from view into the next land, I imagine some of those stories became a bit spooky and scary. A good storyteller plays to his or her audience, and this was a night when the lines between places became blurred, strange things might happen and shapes might appear. Can you see them all gathered by the fire? Suddenly, at just the right time in the story, a costumed figure jumps out from the smoke, sounds an eerie and frightening screech, and sends everyone screaming and covering their eyes.
Now, that was a good effect. You sure scared me. I like that costume.
Well, the next year, folks started showing up in costumes. You know, to ward off that scary actor before he or she appeared, or maybe to apply for the job themselves. Maybe, they wore costumes because it made the night feel more friendly, safe and welcoming to be dressed up. Maybe, they liked to dress like the ones they remembered.
We’ll never know for sure when the trick-or-treating began and the costuming started. Mystery surrounds the night of All Hallows’ Eve. That night, the night of Samhain, is, in the eyes of many, a “thin time” when forms can and do appear different than they might otherwise be. I think there will always be that which is not fully known or understood on this night.
One thing is clear, and you should remember this: When you answer the door on Halloween and hear those children’s voices echoing “Trick or Treat?” be sure to act scared, tell those kids what wonderful costumes they have on, and hand out the candy.
Whatever you do, do not forget the candy.
Have a safe, fun All Hallows’ Eve.
Get ready for a surprise.
Boo!
Trick or Treat?
Wow, am I scared!
That is some costume.
Take all the candy you want.
You’re doing a good job and stay safe out there,
Grandpa Jim.