2 * Table of Contents Halloween 4 through a Halloween: Christian lens a change of pace for us real-life 7 ghostbusters By Greg DeVries Editor-in-chief Last semester, The Lariat pub- In the scream lished a special issue examining the 10-11 cost of college. While highly informa- tive, many stories reminded me of the ed houses, I hope our reviews persuade of things harsh reality that accompanies student you to change your mind. loans. This year, the staff and I went in a At first I was worried. I’m a pretty different direction. big guy, but I am capable of scream- Halloween is a holiday that many ing like a little girl. If one of the actors fall in love of us celebrate but few of us know a lot at the haunted house made me scream 16 about. There are many facets and con- like that in front of my co-workers, they with a classic troversial topics as well as different ways would never let me hear the end of it. to celebrate. Fortunately, I had a blast because I kept Fall drink This special section is meant to be an open mind. more entertaining and visually stunning Halloween may not get the family to- than last year’s. gether like Christmas or Thanksgiving, I had a hand in “In the scream of but it is certainly an annual opportunity things,” on page 12. A few of the staff to have a good time. Hopefully our spe- unquenchable members and I traveled to haunted cial section can teach you something 19 houses all over Texas. Before this fall, I about the unique nature of this holiday. had never been to a haunted house. If Happy Halloween! thirst you are like me and have avoided haunt- PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MATT HELLMAN | LARIAT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR baylorlariat com Baylor Lariat WE’RE THERE WHEN YOU CAN’T BE Editor in chief A&E editor Copy editor Staff writer Sports writer Ad Representative Delivery Greg DeVries* Taylor Griffin* Taylor Rexrode Maleesa Johnson Shehan Jeyarajah Sam Baerenwald James Nolen City editor Sports editor Staff writer Photographer Ad Representative Linda Wilkins* Daniel Hill* Copy editor Ada Zhang Constance Atton Victoria Carroll Mashaal Hashmi News editor Photo editor Staff writer Photographer Ad Representative Alexa Brackin* Travis Taylor Broadcast News Paula Solis Jill Swartzentruber Erica Owarume Producer Assistant city editor Multimedia Editor Haley Peck Staff writer Photographer Ad Representative Reubin Turner Matt Hellman Rebecca Fiedler Robby Hirst Zachary Schmidt Web Editor Asst. Broadcast Copy desk chief News Producer Sports writer Editorial Cartoonist Delivery *Denotes member Linda Nguyen* David Trower* Leah Lebeau Parmida SchahhosseiniAsher Murphy* Brandon Cottrell of editorial board 3 Secular holiday has religious origins By Ada Zhang soul cakes, and in return, they promised to pray for Protestants a reason to detest and ridicule Staff Writer those who were deceased in the donor’s family. Catholicism, Foley said. “It used to be that you only gave soul cakes to the On Guy Fawkes Day, boys went door Halloween as we know it today is a chance for children to poor,” Foley said. “But then everyone started doing to door asking for coals, which they used play dress-up and obtain copious amounts of candy. There- it. It became a social thing.” to burn down effigies of Guy Fawkes and fore, it may surprise some people that this light-hearted holi- After the Protestant Reformation, Catholics had the pope. Those who denied the boys coals day originated from ancient religious practices. to practice these traditions secretly for fear of reli- were to expect some sort of prank, hence Dr. Joe Coker, lecturer of religion, said Celtic traditions gious persecution, Foley said. English Protestants the “trick” part of trick-or-treat. were brought to America in the 1800s with the arrival of at this time began celebrating Guy Fawkes Day on “The modern American custom of trick Scottish immigrants. Over time, aspects of the Celtic tradi- Nov. 5. or treating is combination of old Irish- tion mixed with aspects of English religious practices and According to “Halloween: An American Histo- Catholic Halloween and anti-Catholic Brit- resulted in contemporary Halloween. ry, An American Holiday,” a Catholic revolution- ish Guy Fawkes Day,” Foley said. The history of Halloween is complex, Coker said, derived ary named Guy Fawkes was involved in the 1605 People wore Guy Fawkes masks on Guy from no single tradition. Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British parliament Fawkes Day, Foley said, a phenomenon that “All of these traditions add to the celebration of other- and protestant-sympathetic House of Lords.. probably further contributed to the mas- worldly, spooky stuff,” Coker said. Foley said, however, he does not believe querade aspect of modern-day Halloween. The spooky origins of Halloween emerged from an an- Fawkes’sactions were a part of a deliberate politi- Foley said nowadays, of course, when cient Celtic festival called Samhain. On Oct. 31, the Celts cal agenda. kids wear masks or ghoul costumes, it bears believed demons and ghosts of the deceased would rise from “They said that this no religious significance. the underworld, according to “Halloween: An American was a Catholic plot to Holiday, An American History.” To escape harm, the Celts overthrow parlia- disguised themselves as the demonic beings whom they were ment, but it wasn’t,” afraid of. This is where modern-day Halloween derives its Foley said. “He costume element, said Dr. Michael Foley, associate professor was just crazy.” of patristics in the Honors College. Whatever “They followed the principle ‘If you can’t beat them, join F a w k e s ’ s them,’” Foley said. true mo- According to “Halloween: An American Holiday, An t i v e s American History,” the Celts believed that not all the spirits w e r e , of Samhain were evil. h e The Celts made offerings of food and wine in hopes that gave the spirits of their loved ones would return for a visit. Celtic communities also made bonfires because they be- lieved the sun was weak during the winter. They sacrificed animals and made predictions about the future based on the entrails. Humans might have been sacri- ficed too, according to “Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History.” Cats were also burned in wicker cages. This might explain where Halloween developed its iconography of cats and fire. When Catholicism entered the Celtic lands, church leaders tried to navigate the Celts away from their pagan practices, Foley said. It just so hap- pened that All Saints Day, a pre-existing Catholic tradition, was the day after Samhain. As a re- sult, church officials were able to convenient- ly transform Samhain into All Hallow’s Eve. Coker said church officials tried to “Christianize” Samhain. “It worked well because Catholics in Ireland were able to take advantage of the coincidence and steer the Celtic tradition away from unpleasantry,” Foley said. From All Hallow’s Eve, the modern-day concept of trick-or- treating emerged. Called “soul- ing,” the poor would go from door to door begging for 4 Figuring out Halloween through Christian lenses By Rebecca Fiedler Church of Woodway, said he does not see the coming of the god fear of hell should a person not accept Christ as Staff Writer modern American practice of Halloween as an of darkness, the savior. evil observance, but as a time for tricks and article says. “From a Christian perspective, I’m uncom- While some churches today take issue with treats. “For the fortable with the whole hell house thing, be- children dressing as ghouls and goblins for Hal- “To me it was always witches of cause that’s not my understanding of how God loween, many churches are accepting of the just a harmless, fun We ymout h calls people to be in a relationship with the di- holiday. thing,” Johns said. it is one of Halloween as modern Americans observe it In the 1980s Johns their most is an American creation that has roots in some- said his church youth important re- thing called the All Saints Day festival from Eu- ministry at the time ligious festivals, rope, said Dr. Rosalie Beck, associate professor put on a haunted a time when they “I don’t think that one of religion. house to raise mon- believe the barriers be- night a year Satan goes However, the holiday is made more from ey for the youth ski tween the physical and Latin influences concerning the Day of the trip. spiritual worlds are at around and tries to decieve Dead, which at first was not a Christian celebra- The intent their thinnest,” the ar- people. I mean, evil we see tion but was adopted by the church in the Span- of the haunted ticle says. ish colonies. house was not Beck said in most in our world is represented “Most Christian celebrations other than to evangelize, cases, however, Pa- every night on the news; Easter are adopted from some pagan form; like Johns said, but gan rituals on Hal- Christmas was a Roman pagan celebration,” to provide a loween are not a people killing innocent Beck said. fun event for concern to Chris- peole with suicide bombs, Before World War II, Halloween was about the commu- tian churches. tricks, not treats, Beck said. nity. “In Waco, and sexual predators “The whole monsters thing is really a cre- “ W e people are go- ation of fairly recent emphasis,” she said. didn’t have ing to have more abusing children.” There have been Christians in the past and demons or dev- trouble with a Bob Johns | Youth pastor of First Baptist present who have seen the scary aspect of Hal- ils or witches,” Johns young woman Church of Woodway loween as a glorification of evil, Beck said.