Two Histories of Halloween Trick Or Treat!
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nexT issue : T uesDay , n Ovember 8 a free PublicaTiOn DeaDline : T HursDay , n Ovember 3 11 12 1 10 2 9 3 171 Central Street • Woodsville, NH 03785 8 4 Email: [email protected] Phone: 603-747-2887 • Fax: 603-747-2889 7 6 5 Website: www.trendytimes.com OCTOBER 25, 2011 VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2 TwO HisTOries Of HallOween Trick Or Treat! By Marianne L. Kelly “Trick or Treat, smell my feet, AmericAn HAlloween give me something good to We have European immi - History Of Halloween Galore! eat!” grants and Native Americans In just a few days a to thank for introducing Hal - plethora of witches, goblins, loween to our country around By Lenora Ellison ghosts, clowns, super heroes the 1840s. Early celebrations and the like will show up on were strictly limited due to Halloween originated theon in Rome to honor all 1864, helped to popularize our door steps chanting “trick rigid religious beliefs. What 2,000 years ago with the an - Christian martyrs, and the Halloween. or treat!” before returning started out as a celebration of cient Celtic festival of Catholic feast of All Martyrs' Americans took from home to devour their haul of the harvest quickly morphed Samhain in the area that is Day was established in the English and Irish traditions goodies. Halloween is great into neighbors gathering, now Ireland, the United King - Western Church. Pope and went from house to for dentists! sharing ghost stories, tales of dom, and northern France. Gregory III later expanded house asking for food and This Halloween custom the dead and telling each Samhain, (pronounced sow- the festival to include all money, a practice that even - has been celebrated for cen - other’s fortunes. Washington in), was October 31st, the saints, as well as martyrs, tually became today's trick-or turies, but how did it all begin? Irving’s “The Legend of night before their New Year. and moved the observance treating. Trick-or-treating The American custom of Sleepy Hollow,” is a prime ex - This day marked the end of day from May 13th to Novem - likely dates back to All Souls' Trick or Treat dates back to ample of such a tale. summer and the harvest ber 1st. In the year 1000, the Day parades in England Ireland in the fifth century BC. American trick or treating time, and the beginning of the Catholic Church made No - when poor people would beg The ancients believed that came into its own in the 20th dark, cold winter. It was be - vember 2nd All Soul's Day, a for food and families would ghosts crossed the veil into century, especially when the lieved that on this night, the day to honor the deceased. give them pastries called the earthly realm on post-World War II baby boundary between the worlds All Soul's Day was similar to "soul cakes" in return for the “All Hallows Eve” and they boomers came of age and of the living and the dead was Samhain with big bonfires, promise to pray for their dead might encounter some if they new neighborhoods sprung blurred, and the ghosts of the parades, and costumes of relatives. The distribution of left their homes on this night. up all over the country right dead returned to Earth. saints, angels, and devils. It is these cakes was encouraged If they had to leave home beside the old. It was not un - The presence of the spir - believed that the Church was by the Church as a way to re - after dark, they wore masks common to open one’s door its was believed to cause attempting to replace the place the practice of leaving so any ghosts they encoun - to a dozen or more costumed, trouble and damaged crops, Celtic festival of the dead with food and wine for "roaming tered mistook them for fellow masked “urchins” at one time. and their return also made it a related, but church-sanc - spirits." This practice was re - spirits. If someone made the un - easier for the Druids, or Celtic tioned holiday. All Saint's Day ferred to as "going-a-souling," During these Dark Ages, fortunate decision not to give Priests, to make predictions was also called All-hallows, or and was eventually taken up the Catholic Church approved a treat, the next morning he about the future. Druids built All-hallowmas. The night be - by children who would visit the act of “souling,” where might be greeted with a tree huge, sacred bonfires where fore this day was called All- houses in their neighborhood beggars went to people’s on his property decorated people gathered to burn hallows Eve, and eventually and be given food, ginger ale, homes asking for barley or with toilet paper, or dried eggs crops and animals as sacri - Halloween. and money. oatcakes in exchange for on his car window or any fices. They wore costumes of The celebration of Hal - The tradition of dressing prayers. According to the an - number of harmless tricks. animal heads and skins and loween was limited in Colonial up on Halloween has Euro - cient church, these prayers Unfortunately, increasing attempted to tell each others New England because of the pean and Celtic roots. On were a type of insurance for a vandalism, as well as placing fortunes. When the celebra - strict Protestant beliefs, but Halloween, it was believed dead person’s entry into dangerous items in trick or tion was over, they relit their was more common in Mary - that ghosts came back to the heaven. “Soul Cake Day,” al - treat bags, and lacing sweets fires from the sacred bonfire land and Southern colonies. earthly world, and to avoid though unfamiliar to many, is with deadly drugs has forced to help protect them from the As the beliefs and customs of encountering these spirits, still popular in Ireland and some communities to set a coming winter. different European ethnic people would wear masks so Scotland where some believe particular time and place for The Roman Empire con - groups and Native Americans that the ghosts would mistake the practice of trick or treating trick or treat, and some place quered the majority of Celtic meshed, a distinctly American them for fellow spirits. began. an age limit on the revelers. territory by 43 A.D, and ruled version of Halloween began With Halloween excite - The Romans adopted Halloween is the second the land for the next 400 to emerge. People held "play ment in the air, it is easy to get Halloween around the first largest commercial holiday in years. They combined parties" or public events lost in the costumes and century AD, and incorporated the United States, and is en - Samhain with two Roman where people celebrated the candy and overlook the holi - it with other traditions cele - joyed by the young and festivals: Feralia, and the day harvest; neighbors would day’s origins, but there are in - brated in October. As belief in “young at heart.” Dressing up of Pomona. Feralia was a share stories of the dead, tell teresting discoveries hidden in spirit possession eased, in costume and either watch - day in late October for honor - fortunes, dance, and sing. the history of Halloween that dressing up in costumes be - ing or marching in a parade ing the deceased, and Colonial Halloween festivals give us glimpses into why we came part of the Halloween has put sheer fun in many Pomona is the Roman god - also featured the telling of do what we do to celebrate. tradition. lives and smiles in many dess of fruits and trees. ghost stories and mischief- BuyinG hearts. Pomona’s influence on the making. In the second half of Editors Note: Lenora Ellison Gold • S ilver • P latinum Leave your cares behind celebration probably explains the 19th Century, immigrants is a junior at the Olivarian Silver & Gold Coins (Collections) this Halloween; enjoy the little the tradition of "bobbing for flooded into America. These School. She wrote this article Silver Plated Items: Paying $1.00/Pound ones in their costumes and apples." immigrants, especially the as part of a journalism class old coin & jewelry Shop 10 Eastern Ave • St Johnsbury, VT the pure pleasure of the day. In 609 A.D., Pope Boni - millions of Irish immigrants that recently visited the office 802-748-9174 • Tues - Sat 10-5 Trick or Treat! face IV dedicated the Pan - fleeing the Potato Famine of of Trendy Times. 2 17th annual business celebration To be Held november 10 Businesses and institu - their 2011 accomplishments Northeast Kingdom Chamber the Year.” This honor is given Goodrich, WEIDMANN; and tions from the Northeast King - at the celebration. of Commerce in sponsoring to individuals making signifi - Leslie and Brian Mulcahy, the dom that made significant “The intent of this event is this unique celebration. The cant contributions to the com - Rabbit Hill Inn. strides in 2011 will be honored to let our region know there celebration is organized by munity and region. Prior Community members and at the 17th Annual Business are business successes the NEK Chamber. The event recipients were Gordon Mills, individuals are encouraged to Celebration to be held Thurs - everywhere you turn,” said has received major sponsor - EHV Weidmann; Fred Bona, attend this festivity, as it is an day, Nov. 10 at the Black Bear Maurice Chaloux, committee ship from St. Johnsbury Acad - White Market; John Norris, opportunity to acknowledge Tavern & Grille, Hastings Hill, chairman. “An important ele - emy with corporate Dairy Association/Bag Balm; many local businesses and St. Johnsbury. ment of this celebration has sponsorship from Community Caroline DeMaio, Northern celebrate the Northeast King - 2 r The event recognizes been to get these stories out, National Bank, Passumpsic Lights Bookshop & Café; dom as a place to do busi - e local businesses and organi - to let people know that busi - Savings Bank and Union Robert Kourkoulis, Lincoln Inn ness.