For many North Americans, Halloween means searching for that perfect costume, carving a pumpkin, eating candy, trick- or-treating and watching scary movies. For other countries and cultures however, this day of ghosts and goblins is an important holiday, celebrating and honoring the spirits of the dead. The origins of this holiday are a little unclear, as there seem to be a few different versions. However, the consensus seems to be the account that follows.
Hallowe'en, then known as Samhain (Gaelic for "summer's
end") was thought to have originated in the British Isles. It was originally celebrated as a feast for the dead. The date, October 31st, is significant as it lies exactly between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. It was believed that the 'veil between the worlds' of the living and the dead was thinnest on this day, and the dead were invited to return to feast with their loved ones. (Other cultures also believe that this is the only time that spirits who has been sent to Hell - or the culture's equivalent - had a chance to be released from
purgatory.)
With the rise of the Church came Pope Gregory I, who was worried that this widely practiced pagen holiday was threatening the acceptance of newer Christian holy days. And so, after some failed attempts to turn Samhain into a Christian holiday, his successor, Pope Boniface IV, declared May 13th to be All Saints Day - a day to honor and remember all the saints, both known and unknown. Unfortunately for Pope Boniface IV, the people happily accepted this new holy day, but refused to give up their deeply rooted day of Samhain.
Never a group to give up too easily, Pope Gregory III decided to move All Saints Day to November 1st and added an additional day, All Souls' Day, on November 2nd. He had slightly more luck with this attempt, and although October 31st remained a holiday, certain changes began to take place.
As it fell on the eve of All Souls Day, Samhain eventually became All Hallows' Even' or Hallowe'en. Instead of wearing frightening costumes, people started to dress up in honor of the saints (although somewhere along the way, we seem to have gone back to the scary costumes). Rather than holding a feast for the dead or begging for food to appease the spirits, people would beg for food to be given to the poor. Eventually, this was replaced by 'Soul Caking'. This was when children would go door to door asking for money to give to the poor and a soul cake for themselves. They would then say a prayer for the souls of the dead for each soul cake they had received.
I'll admit it, when I see a black cat on the street, I try to avoid its path. And when I was younger, I would make sure not to trick-or-treat in a 2 block-radius around our nearby cemetery (and the only reason I even got that close was the fact that my house was 2 blocks away from said cemetery =) But have you ever wondered why we avoid black cats, why we carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, or more puzzling...why do we call them jack-o-lanterns? Many of the traditions that we follow today, such as buying candy to give out, actually have logical reasons - at least at that time - behind them (not just another commercial holiday!). So, let's look at the source of some of the more popular Halloween traditions that have remained alive and well to this day.
Jack-O-Lanterns
Who doesn't love carving a jack-o-lantern? You get to create your own scary or funny face on it, and don't forget all the yummy things you can make with the scooped-out pumpkin!
We currently display our jack-o-lantern, with a lit candle inside it, in our front window or on our porch as a sign that children are welcome to trick-or-treat there.
The legend of the jack-o-lantern comes from Ireland and tells of a mean-spirited, old drunk named Jack who liked to play tricks on everybody. One day he played a trick on the Devil and trapped him up a tree. Jack let him down, but only after making him promise not to steal his soul when Jack died. Years later, when Jack had died, he was not allowed into Heaven because he had been such a miserable and cruel man.
However, he also wasn't allowed in Hell because of the promise the Devil had made to him years earlier. And so, he hallowed out a turnip and in it, he placed the tiny ember that was all the Devil had left him with. Jack was doomed to spend the rest of eternity roaming earth with no resting place, lighting his way with his lighted turnip. He became known as Jack of the Lantern, or Jack O'Lantern. People hung their own jack-o-lanterns up to ward off evil spirits and Jack.
Trick-Or-Treat
Ever wonder why we all go out and buy bags of candy for Halloween so we can give them away to dressed up little ones that comes to our doors? Well, trick-or-treating actually has a few different contributors from over the years.
One trick-or-treating origin comes from the ancient Celts.
They believed that Samhain was a time when spirits tried to find their way into the world of the living. The Celts would leave out food ("treats"), hoping that this would please the spirit world. If they did not leave anything, the spirits would play evil "tricks" on the living in that house.
As was mentioned in the previous section, two customs that trick-or-treating could have originated from came from Britain. During Samhain, people would dress up in scary costumes and go door to door begging for food to appease the evil spirits. Later, they would go Soul Caking to celebrate their newer version of Samhain - Hallowe'en.
Bobbing For Apples
I don't really understand the attraction of this Halloween game...it could be that I was just a sadly uncoordinated kid and was never able to actually get any apples, but I digress.
Apple Bobbing is actually derived from two ancient pagan traditions. The Ancient Romans honored the dead with a festival called Feralia in late October. It honored Pomona, their goddess of fruit trees who was often pictured wearing a crown of apples. During this festival, they ran races and played games to honor the "Apple Queen" and used omens such as apple parings thrown over the shoulder in order to predict the future. When the Romans conquered the Celts, they combined local Samhain customs with their own pagan harvest festival and Bobbing for Apples was born!
Black Cats
Cats are considered to be sacred animals to many eras, countries and cultures. Out of all the animals, the cat is
believed to be able to sense the presence of spirits, both good
and bad. Considering the spiritual implications of ancient
Halloween celebrations, it's no wonder why cats play such an
important part of this holiday! But the all-black cat holds a
high significance to the witches and Satanists, as they believe
black cats have special powers. To them, the black cat
represents incarnated humans, malevolent spirits, or the"familiars" of witches. This is why many black cats are in
danger around Halloween. If you have a black cat, please do
not let them roam the streets at night. Keep them inside. Even
your local SPCA won't let anyone adopt a black cat around
Halloween time, for fear the cat might be harmed.
Making Jack-O-Lanterns is a fun part of Halloween festivities,
but don't forget all of the delicious different things you can do with the rest of the pumpkin. From soups to pies to roasted
seeds, the versatile pumpkin can do it all. And so, in hopes
that no little pumpkin will go to waste this Halloween, I've
included a number of different pumpkin recipes.
Outrageously Good Pumpkin Chili Serve 7-8
2 cups pumpkin
1 bag of Outrageously Good Bean and Chili Mix
Beef (Optional)
1 cup corn kernels (optional)
1.Prepare the O.G. Bean and Chili Mix according to directions,
adding the pumpkin in when the recipe calls for you to reduce
heat and simmer.
1 3/4 cups Solid Pack Pumpkin
1 cup Apple Juice
1 cup (about 1 medium) Peeled and grated Apple
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, apple, sugar and pumpkin
pie spice in medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring
occasionally.
3. Pour into container. Cover and chill.
May be stored in refrigerator for up to two months.
1. Extract sees from pumpkin, and separate and discard pulp.
Thoroughly wash seeds in warm water.
2. Spread seeds out onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle
generously with salt.
3. Put into oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20
minutes.
4. Check every five minutes and stir, adding more salt or to
taste.
5. Check seeds to see if they are done by taking a sample out,
allowing to cool before tasting. If the insides are dry, they are
done. Allow to cool and serve.
Recipe Variation
-Instead of salt, you can use an endless number of other
things, according to your tastes, such as garlic salt, popcorn
seasonings, taco seasoning, tortilla instant soup mix, or for the
more adventurous, chili powder.
-Bake the seeds without any salt. Once they're done, lightly
brush with melted butter and sprinkle nutmeg or cinnamon
and a bit of brown sugar for a sweet treat.
Pumpkin Pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup Pumpkin
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pumpkin Maple Syrup:
1 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cups pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie
spice and salt in large bowl. Combine milk, pumpkin, egg and
vegetable oil in small bowl; mix well. Add to flour mixture. Stir
just until moistened; batter may be lumpy.
2. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with
vegetable oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook until
bubbles begin to burst. Turn and continue cooking 1 to 2
minutes.
Pumpkin Maple Syrup:
1. Heat 1 cup maple syrup, 1 1/4 cups pumpkin and 1/4
teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice in small
saucepan until warm.
1. Combine the melted butter or margarine, confectioners'
sugar, peanut butter and the vanilla together and mix well.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Roll into 1 inch balls and
place on waxed paper.
2. In the top half of a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips
and shortening, stirring constantly. Use a toothpick to dip
balls into the melted chocolate, leaving a small uncovered area
so balls resemble buckeyes. Place balls on waxed paper. Use
fingers to blend in toothpick holes. Refrigerate until chocolate
is firm. Enjoy!
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups water
3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
15 ounces mashed pumpkin
1 cup half-and-half
sour cream and chopped fresh chives (optional)
4 small pumpkins
Cream of Pumpkin Curry Soup
1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add
onion and garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir
in curry powder, salt, coriander and crushed red pepper; cook
for 1 minute. Add water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce
heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes
to develop flavors. Stir in pumpkin and half-and-half; cook for
5 minutes or until heated through.
2. Transfer mixture to food processor or blender (in batches,
if necessary); cover. Blend until creamy. Serve warm in
pumpkin bowls. Garnish with dollop of sour cream and chives.
Pumpkin Bowls
Cut the tops off of 4 small pumpkins and set the tops aside.
Hollow out the pumpkins, (be careful not to puncture the
skin). Slice a very small amount off the bottom of each
pumpkin, so they won't tip.
Recipe Variations
- For a vegetarian-friendly version, substitute vegetable
bouillon
- For the spice-intolerant, omit the red pepper.
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies
1/3 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
24 silver dragees decorating candy
1/4 cup sliced almonds
12 long red vine
1. Melt the chocolate, and combine with sour cream. Stir in 1
cup chocolate wafer crumbs. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate
until firm.
2. Roll by level tablespoonfuls into balls. Mold to a slight point
at one end (the nose).
3. Roll dough in confectioners sugar (for white mice), or in
chocolate wafer crumbs (for dark mice). On each mouse,
place dragees in appropriate spot for eyes, almond slices for
ears, and a licorice string for the tail.
4. Refrigerate for at least two hours until firm.
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, chilled
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). In a
large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sweetened condensed
milk, and egg yolks. Stir in 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger,
nutmeg, and salt. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg
whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into pumpkin
mixture. Pour filling into pie shell.
2. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. While the pie is
baking, prepare the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine
the flour, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Blend in the
cold butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture is
crumbly. Mix in the chopped nuts. Sprinkle the topping over
the pie.
3. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake an
additional 40 minutes, or until set.
This is a really cute and informative pumpkin site. I've linked
to the recipe section as this is really what caught my attention,
but have a look around for other fun pumpkin filled pages.
http://www.britta.com/HW/HWr.html
If you want your Halloween party snacks to include witches
fingers, eyeballs, human hearts and more, you have to visit
this site (I don't know if I could actually eat these
though...they look so realistic!)
"The fact that I had to fight off my husband so that I could get
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"This is the best syrup I've tasted in a long time. Almost as
good as when my father used to get it straight from the trees
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"Great chocolate bars, blows all the other competition away!"
Brenton Wallace, GA
"Best maple syrup I've ever bought. Excellent on my pancakes
and I even used it to sweeten my tea in the morning"
Charlon Dorey, ON
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in a long time. Simply amazing"
Francine Danis, QC
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