By Ellen Cheng
Do you prepare sweets every year for those little devils who knock on your door and yell “Trick or Treat”? How about placing Jack o’ lanterns in front of your door? We all know that Halloween is celebrated every year, but just what exactly is it for? The word “Halloween” originated in the Catholic Church. It stands for the evening before “All Saints’ Day” (or “All Hollows Day”), which is November 1. All Saints’ Day is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. 2500 years ago, the Celts living in Great Britain believed that human beings are controlled by gods. They believed that “Samhain,” the death god, would come back to the earth with the dead on the night of October 31, called “All Soul’s Day.” That evening, the Celts made bonfires and roasted animals such as sheep and bulls as sacrifices to the death god. They also feared that the disembodied spirits of all those who had died would come back in search of living bodies to possess. Therefore, people would dress up in costumes to frighten away the spirits and leave food or other treats at their doors to appease them. By doing so, they hoped that the spirits would move down the road instead of coming after them. Placing Jack o’ lanterns (which have the image of a dammed soul) in the front door is another way that the Celts believed they could scare the spirits away. This custom began from an Irish folktale about an blacksmith named Jack. He was notorious as a drunkard and trickster whom tricked Satan and made a deal that his soul would never be taken by the devil. When Jack finally died years later, he was not admitted to heaven because of his drinking and his tightfisted and deceitful nature. When he went to apply for entrance to hell, Satan had to turn him away because of the previous deal. “But where can I go?” asked Jack. “Back to where you came from!” the devil replied. It was dark and windy, and the devil gave him embers to light his way through the frigid darkness. And the embers were placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep them glowing longer. After centuries this “turnip lantern” was treated as a decoration for Halloween in Ireland. Then Jack o’ lanterns were brought by the immigrant Irish Celts to Britain. In traditional Irish Halloween, turnips were hollowed out with a carved face and a lighted candle placed inside. However, turnips were not as readily available as in Ireland, so the Irish Celts found the pumpkin to be a more than adequate replacement. Children’s shouting “Trick or Treat!” can also be traced back to the early celebrations of Halloween. At that time, the poor would go begging and housewives would give them special treats called “soul cakes.” For every cake a beggar collected, he or she would have to say a prayer for the dead relatives of the person who gave the cake. These prayers would help the relatives find their way out of purgatory and into heaven. As time went by, the custom changed and the beggars were replaced by children, who would go from house to house and shout “Trick or Treat,” and the people would give them sweets to keep from being tricked. The Halloween we celebrate today is influenced by all of these traditions and stories. Think of that next time a little devil knocks at your door on the last day of October and yells “Trick or Treat!” a
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May 2024
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