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| Halloween
Greeting Cards |
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to 101 Halloween. Whether you want to scare your friend silly,
trick or treat or wish all your friends and family members a
very Happy Halloween, we hope we can help you reach out with a
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| Halloween
History |
Halloween
(All hallows Even) is the evening of October 31. In its strictly
religious aspect this occasion is known as the vigil of
Hallowmas or All Saints' Day, November 1, observed by the Roman
Catholic and Anglican churches. In the fourth decade of the 8th
century, Pope Gregory III assigned this date for celebrating the
feast when he consecrated a chapel in St. Peter's basilica to
all the saints. Gregory IV extended the feast to the entire
church in 834. In Latin countries the evening of October 31 is
observed only as a religious occasion, but in Great Britain,
Ireland, and the United States, ancient Halloween folk customs
persist alongside the ecclesiastical observance.
Students of folklore believe that the popular customs of
Halloween show traces of the Roman harvest festival of Pomona
and of Druidism. These influences are inferred from the use of
nuts and apples as traditional Halloween foods and from the
figures of witches, black cats, and skeletons commonly
associated with the occasion. In pre-Christian Ireland and
Scotland, the Celtic year ended on October 31, the eve of
Samhain, and was celebrated with both religious and harvest
rites. For the Druids, Samhain was both the "end of
summer" and a festival of the dead. The spirits of the
departed were believed to visit their kinsmen in search of
warmth and good cheer as winter approached. It was also an
occasion when fairies, witches, and goblins terrified the
populace. The agents of the supernatural were alleged to steal
infants, destroy crops, and kill farm animals. Bonfires were
lighted on hilltops on the eve of Samhain. The fires may have
been lighted to guide the spirits of the dead to the homes of
their kinsmen or to kill and ward off witches.
During the middle ages when the common folk believed that
witchcraft was devoted to the worship of Satan, this cult
included periodic meetings, known as witches' Sabbaths, which
were allegedly given over to feasting and revelry. One of the
most important Sabbaths as held on Halloween. Witches were
alleged to fly to these meetings on broomsticks, accompanied by
black cats who were their constant companions. Stories of these
Sabbaths are the source of much folklore about Halloween.
Pranks and mischief were common on Halloween. Wandering groups
of celebrants blocked doors of houses with carts, carried away
gates and plows, tapped on windows, threw vegetables at doors,
and covered chimneys with turf so that smoke could not escape.
In some places boys and girls dressed in clothing of the
opposite sex and, wearing masks, visited neighbors to play
tricks. These activities generally resembled the harmful and
mischievous behavior attributed to witches, fairies, and
goblins. The contemporary "trick or treat" custom
resembles an ancient Irish practice associated with Allhallows
Eve. Groups of peasants went from house to house demanding food
and other gifts in preparation for the evening's festivities.
Prosperity was assured for liberal donors and threats were made
against stingy ones. These contributions were often demanded in
the name of Muck Olla, an early Druid deity, or of St. Columb
Cille, who worked in Ireland during the 6th century. In England
some of the folk attributes of Halloween were assimilated by Guy
Fawkes day celebrated on November 5. Consequently Halloween lost
some of its importance there.
Immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland brought secular
Halloween customs to the U.S., but the festival did not become
popular in this country until the latter part of the 19th
century. This may have been because it had long been popular
with the Irish, who migrated here in large numbers after 1840. |
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