Boo! Tis the season for pumpkins, candy corn, wickedly scary
costumes and the big one…trick or treating. Halloween is the fun holiday, when
we love to hear things go bum-in-the-night and to be scared…in a good way. Tis
also the season for bright decorations and to celebrate the harvest.
But, how did black cats, witches, bats and other scary
symbols of the season become representative of this festive holiday? Here are a
few explanations:
BLACK CATS
The bad reputation of black cats dates back to the Dark Ages
when witch hunts were common. Elderly and solitary women were accused of
witchcraft and their pet cats were their “familiars” or demonic animals that
had been given to them by the devil.
Black cats in particular have always been thought to be evil
spirits. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed that people could
disguise themselves as black cats and they became associated with witchcraft.
Another myth has it that Satan turned himself into a cat
when socializing with witches. However, black cats are not always synonymous
with bad luck. In Iceland, England and Scotland, when a black cat crosses your
path, it is actually a sign of good luck.
JACK-O’-LANTERNS
Our festive orange, round-faced pumpkins turned into lighted
faces has its roots in a sinister, tragic fable. In Celtic folklore, the story
tells of a drunken farmer named Jack who tricked the devil but this trickery
resulted in him being turned away from both heaven and hell after he died. Wandering
as a lost soul, he fashioned a lamp from a turnip and a burning lump of coal
that the devil had tossed from hell. Jack used the lanterns to guide lost
souls. The Celts believed that putting Jack-O’-Lanterns out would guide lost
souls home when they wandered the streets on Halloween.
BATS
Bats have gotten a bad rep even though they eat tons of
mosquitoes. There is just something eerie about them. Add the fact that you
only see them at night, adds another aire of mystique. Medieval folklore
described bats as witches’ familiars and seeing a bat on Halloween was an
ominous sign. One myth has it that if a bat was seen flying around a home three
times, someone would soon die. If a bat flew into a home on Halloween, the
house was believed haunted because ghosts had let the bat in.
SPIDERS
Most folks perceive spiders as creepy, crawly anytime they
are sighted and are a common source of fear. As Halloween staples, the fear
factor is doubled. Joining black cats and bats, they are evil companions of
witches. One superstition has it that if a spider falls into a lit candle and
is consumed by the flame, witches are nearby. If a spider is seen on Halloween,
it is believed that the spirit of a deceased loved one is watching over you.
WITCHES
Ahh, witches, they are the epitomy of Halloween. The image
of a haggard witch with a pointy black hat with a warty nose stirring a magical
potion in a cauldron stems from a pagan goddess known as “the crone.”
Ironically, the crone was also known as “Earth Mother’ who symbolized wisdom,
change, and the turning of the seasons. Today, the good witch image has been
replaced by the menacing, cackling and spell-casting wicked witch.
CAULDRONS
The Celts believed that, after death, all souls went into
the crone’s cauldron which symbolized the mother’s womb and the earth. There,
souls awaited reincarnation. The goddess stirring the contents of the cauldron
allowed new souls to enter and old ones to be reborn. Just like with the bad
witch replacing the good witch, the good image of the cauldron of life has gone
by the wayside and been replaced by the ominous, steaming brew of evil.
WITCH’S BROOMSTICK
In the early days, elderly and introverted women who were
accused of witchcraft were often poor and could not afford horses. Thus, they
went through the woods on foot assisted with walking sticks. Sometimes these
were substituted with brooms, hence the witch’s broomstick.
TRICK OR TREAT IN COSTUMES
It was believed that the veil between our world and the
spirit world was the thinnest around this time of year. Ghosts of the deceased
would mingle with the living and these visiting ghosts would disguise
themselves in human form as beggars and would roam the streets begging. If they
were turned away, they risked a curse. The actual act of trick or treating
evolved when people dressed as ghosts and demons would dance around a bonfire
and received treats to appease evil spirits.
ALL HALLOWS EVE
Eventually, what started as a fun day for kids, Halloween
became rowdier and pranks became more mischievous, sometimes bordering on
destructive. So, adults began to hand out treats to curb the pranks, the
evolution of trick or treating. So, the destructive troublemakers chose the
night before Halloween, All Hallows Eve, as the night to wreak havoc.
COLORS
The colors orange and black have long been symbols of autumn
pagan celebrations. Orange symbolizes the crops and the turning leaves while
black represents the death of summer and the changing seasons.
HEAVENLY CROWNS
Heavenly crowns, also known as feather crowns and angel
wreaths, is a regional belief that is rooted deep in the Ozarks. When a good
and saintly person sleeps on a feather pillow for years and it comes time for
them to pass, feathers in the pillow form themselves into a crown. These crowns
are symbolic of the heavenly crowns that a person will wear in heaven.
Variations of this tale are heard in many places over the length and breadth of
Ozark country.
There you have it, a little history behind the customs of
our Halloween celebrations. Some can be a little eerie and on the dark side,
but when taken all in fun, they can help make for a spirited night of celebration.
So, give me the candy and the costumes along with a little sprinkling of these
scary customs.
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