Halloween, the Celtic American Holiday! Legends and Lore
by True Thomas the Storyteller

We Celt's have always had a thing for Scary. Werewolves, vampires,
and murderous fairies were part of our culture long before they
inspired the likes of Bram Stoker who was Irish, by the way. Some of
our traditional myths and legends involve things that would never be
allowed on TV. Cuchullain going into warp spasm comes to mind, what
with the 9 ft of spurting black blood, twisting around in his own
skin, and so on. And that is one of our happier legends! The scary
stories are intense indeed.

Pronounced "Sow-en!" Halloween is roughly based on Samhain
(pronounced Sow-en) the Celtic New Year. According to tradition, this
is the beginning of the dark time, heading into the lean part of the
year. Harvesting is finishing, and the long wait for spring begins.

With the nights at their longest, our ancestors believed that on
Samhain, the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest, and things
that go bump in the night often did. The spirits of the dead could
and would come back to visit, and that the fairies would run amok on
this eve. Rituals included bonfires, setting out offerings, and doing
things to scare unwanted spirits away. These traditions slowly merge
with other cultures and traditions, until our families migrated to
the US, and Voila' a billion dollar holiday is born. Here are some
factoids that you can use to educate our less informed brethren.
By any other name- Spooky! Halloween is short for "All Hallows Eve,
or All Hallow e'en." This is the evening before the Catholic
Christian observance of "All Saints Day" A mass was said called "All
Hallowmas" The fact that this event takes place on Samhain, is no
coincidence. Pope Gregory the first, back in 601 AD decreed that it
would be a great way to spread the faith, that if the locals were
having a celebration, that adding a Christian celebration to it,
would be great marketing. So well in fact, that Christmas, and Easter
both coincide with religious celebrations of other major religions. A
kind of "Join them, and then Beat them policy." Pope Gregory IV in
835 A.D. moves All Hallowmas to Nov. 1st. And our genesis of word
Halloween is born. I should add, that another fine Harvest (Roman)
holiday was co-opted, one celebrating a Harvest Goddess (of apples,
in particular). Her name was Pomona…hmmn..where have I heard that
name before? Also, for Celts, the holiday was never about anything
Satanic, originally. Our ancestors saw the Samhain tradition as
dangerous, but not evil. The evil tinge comes courtesy of some fire
and brimstone Christian influence. Oídche na h-aimléise: Mischief
Night. (Scare them before they Scare us!) Now some folks might sit
quietly quivering in the darkness, but many Irish and Scots, took a
more pre-emptive tact. Go out and cause mischief before the ghosts
and ghoulies do. Scare them before they Scare us! Going out and
knocking over outhouses, and playing harmless tricks and such.

Presumably this was effective, and a good excuse for fun, anyway.
This ends up being combined with the tradition of Mumming or Guising
(dressing in costumes, which was part of a variety of holidays,
including Christmas!) And, which, I might add, make for handy
disguises to protect the innocent, of course.

Who wants (soul) Cake? "Trick or Treat" actually has more to do the
traditions of Nov. 2nd, All Souls Day. Early Christians would go
begging for "soul cakes" or go "a-soulin" and promise to say prayers
on behalf of people that had passed that year (actually a European
tradition). More modern Scottish traditions (1800's forward,)
probably considered going around "begging" beneath them. On the other
hand, singing a song, etc. for a treat was fair trade, hence,
a "trick for a treat". This tradition by the way was more associated
with the Christmas season. Bribing someone not to do a Mischief was
not Celtic viewpoint as the "trick or treat" tradition implies today.
Why bribe someone, when you can thump them instead?

And now, Scary Americans When some of our Celtic forefathers (and
mothers) move to the slums and tenements of New York, Mischief Night
turns deadly in the hands of Irish gangs and local upstanding
citizens start organizing Halloween parties as a healthy alternative
to raising Heck. And the Holiday as we know it is born. Some of the
other Celtic traditions associated with Halloween are "Snap Apple"
attempting to bite an apple that is free swinging, Bobbing for
Apples, and doing forms of Divination. Some of these included baking
a special cake, which included small items that would predict wealth,
love, and so on. There were lots of tradition rituals where young
ladies could attempt to divine the name of the man they were going to
marry, and much more.

Jack of the Lantern, or "Jack O' Lantern" (Irish Head Lights!) You
might not recognize the original Jack O' Lanterns. In Ireland they
had a tradition of carving turnips and putting candles in them! The
practice is linked to folktale of "Hard Jack, or Stingy Jack" a mean
spirited man who managed to trick and beat the devil. When he dies,
Heaven and Hell won't take him. He begs the Devil for something to
keep him warm in Limbo, and the devil tosses him a burning ember. He
can't carry it in his hands, and so carves out a turnip to carry it
in, to find his way. So now the ghostly visage of "Jack of the
Lantern" wanders forth on Halloween, trying to find someplace to call
home.

When the Irish emigrate to the U.S., they find pumpkins are easily
available, and a new American tradition is born. There is some
evidence that since the ancient Celtic warriors collected heads, and
displayed them, that perhaps there is more to this old tradition than
meets the eye. After all, a carved turnip, with a candle in it, looks
eerily like a glowing human skull!

A Celtic Holiday of our very own! Unlike St. Patrick's day when
everyone is Irish, few of the millions of Halloween revelers know how
American-Celtic this holiday really is. This Halloween, people will
use their imaginations, scare each other silly, and feast on way too
much candy. And underneath it all are the Celtic traditions that you
can now regale your friends with. But as you celebrate your
Halloween / Samhain, be careful. The veil between the worlds can be
very ragged, and some of our old folktales are lively indeed. So
lively they might want to follow a kindred Celt home! After all, our
hospitality is legendary. Happy Halloween!

Author Information:

Name: True Thomas

Website: http://www.storyteller.net/tellers/truethomas

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