9/20/2023 0 Comments Halloween originThe modern form of ‘trick or treating’ probably has its origins in early medieval pageantry too. Turnip carving at Dover Castle Trick or treating The practice of decorating ‘jack o’lanterns’ is believed to have originated from an Irish folktale – about a man named Jack cursed to spend all of time roaming the earth with only a burning coal (inside a carved out turnip) to light the way, as his punishment for trying to trick the devil.Īcross the British Isles people used turnips, or sometimes beets or potatoes, to make their own versions of these lanterns – carving scary faces into them and placing them near doorways or windows to frighten away Jack and other wandering evil spirits.ĭuring the 19th Century, immigrants to the USA took these traditions with them, and swiftly discovered that pumpkins, the native American fruit, are far easier to carve into elaborate faces and shapes, and make perfect jack o’lanterns. From this term derived the name ‘Halloween’, the name for the beginnings of the festival that was celebrated across Europe in the early Middle Ages, and stuck even as the religious celebrations fell out of favour in later centuries. The 2 November became All Souls’ Day, a day to honour the dead, and here many of the Celtic traditions, such as bonfires, parades and dressing up in costume, blurred with Christian celebrations, to form festivities accepted, and even encouraged, by church authorities.Īll Saints Day later became known as All-Hallows and from this the night before came to be referred to as All-Hallows Eve. In the era of Christianity, this tradition became absorbed into the celebration of All Saints Day, held on 1 November, dedicated to honouring all saints and martyrs. It was this time of year where people believed the boundary between the worlds of living and dead became blurred, and was when the souls of the dead were said to revisit their homes. The modern-day Halloween is largely agreed to have originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, held around 1 November, the date that marked the transition from autumn to winter. This year, English Heritage is calling on people to remember the turnip – and other Halloween traditions – as they mark this haunting time of year. The pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern, for example, is firmly an American introduction, but it quite literally has its roots on the other side of the Atlantic – where people have been carving turnips and other root vegetables for centuries, to ward off evil spirits. Many people herald this as an Americanised festival of ghosts and ghouls – but did you realise that most of the activities associated with this time of year are rooted in European folklore and tradition? As 31 October looms, many people around the country will once again be marking Halloween with what have become traditional activities – carved pumpkins, trick-or-treating and fancy dress.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |