This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE.

             Why do we celebrate Halloween ?

             The word itself, Halloween, originated in the Catholic Church.  It comes from a contracted version of All Hallows Eve, a day of observance in honor of saints. 

             IN the 5th Century in Celtic Ireland summer officially ended on October 31.  The holiday was called Sow-en, the Celtic New Year.

             One story says that the disembodied spirits of all those who had died during the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year.  It was believe to be their only hope for the afterlife Those still living did not want to be possessed, so on the night of October 31 they would dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own and made it a part of their celebration to honor Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruit and trees.  The symbol of Pomona is apple which might explain the tradition today of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

As belief of spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts and witches took on a more ceremonial role.

The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine.  At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

The custom of trick or treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called “souling”. On November 2 All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes” made out of square pieces of bread with currants.  The more cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.

The jack-o-lantern custom comes from Irish folklore.  A man named Jack, a notorious drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree.

Jack then carved an image of a cross in the trees trunk, trapping the devil up the tree.  Jack made a deal with the devil that if he would never tempt him again, he would let him down.

According to folklore, after Jack died he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil.  Instead the devil gave him a single ember placed inside a hollowed out turnip to light his way through the darkness.  When the Irish came to America they found pumpkins were much more plentiful than turnips.

Now you know why Halloween is Halloween.   This old Irishman is one who well remembers the days of tipping over outhouses and unhinging gates and hanging them in awkward places.   Not much trick or treating in the depression days, though,  because money was precious and candy cost money.

Remember the day did not grow out of evil practices.  After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.   So.. Join in the fun and keep it “fun” on this Halloween.

This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE..

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Text Box:   This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE.              Why do we celebrate Halloween ?              The word itself, Halloween, originated in the Catholic Church.  It comes from a contracted version of All Hallows Eve, a day of observance in honor of saints.               IN the 5th Century in Celtic Ireland summer officially ended on October 31.  The holiday was called Sow-en, the Celtic New Year.              One story says that the disembodied spirits of all those who had died during the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year.  It was believe to be their only hope for the afterlife Those still living did not want to be possessed, so on the night of October 31 they would dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own and made it a part of their celebration to honor Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruit and trees.  The symbol of Pomona is apple which might explain the tradition today of bobbing for apples on Halloween. As belief of spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts and witches took on a more ceremonial role. The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine.  At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates. The custom of trick or treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called “souling”. On November 2 All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes” made out of square pieces of bread with currants.  The more cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. The jack-o-lantern custom comes from Irish folklore.  A man named Jack, a notorious drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the trees trunk, trapping the devil up the tree.  Jack made a deal with the devil that if he would never tempt him again, he would let him down. According to folklore, after Jack died he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil.  Instead the devil gave him a single ember placed inside a hollowed out turnip to light his way through the darkness.  When the Irish came to America they found pumpkins were much more plentiful than turnips. Now you know why Halloween is Halloween.   This old Irishman is one who well remembers the days of tipping over outhouses and unhinging gates and hanging them in awkward places.   Not much trick or treating in the depression days, though,  because money was precious and candy cost money. Remember the day did not grow out of evil practices.  After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.   So.. Join in the fun and keep it “fun” on this Halloween. This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE..    

Text Box: 10/31/06