Friday, 3 November 2017

Friday Follies - Boo! A Look Back at Halloween


I probably should have written this before Halloween - maybe this was what I forgot last week?

Growing up in Canada meant that Halloween is an integral part of your childhood.  The Halloween celebration is growing in Australia, becoming more popular every year, but it still doesn't feel like those Canadian Halloweens.  Maybe its the lack of frigid air and threat of a blizzard that is missing.

Although firmly established in modern culture, the history of Halloween is often overlooked.  Below is a very, very brief history.

Who wouldn't want that cute present?
The basis of Halloween began in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-en) and celebrated on a full moon around the 1st November. Samhain heralded the start of a new year, and the Celts believed that on this night the souls of the dead were restless and on the move, making it possible to cross into the world of the living.

As time progressed, the holiday evolved with the Roman and Christian influences.  Pope Gregory IV changed the date of a festival honouring all Christian saints to the 1st November and renamed it the Feast of All Saints.  In England this celebration was called All Hallow Mass or Hallomas and the 31st October became All Hallows Eve. 
Even though the name and the celebration had changed over time, the belief that the spirits were restless and more open to communication still survived.  To ensure that the spirits were kept at bay, church masses were conducted and as the sun set, the church bells rung for the souls left in purgatory.  During this time, the rich in England would hand out food to the poor in return for prayers.


Drunk on the left...foreshadowing.
During the Protestant Reformation, Hallowmas fell out of favour, but All Hallows Eve remained and by the 18th century became known as Halloween.  Children would dress up as spirits of the dead and go door to door in search of treats. 

North American embraced Halloween in the 1840's as immigrants from rural Ireland flooded into Canada and America.  Eventually the religious overtones fell by the wayside and it became a community-oriented celebration for families.  The phrase 'trick or treat' came into fashion in the 1930's.

Today Halloween, like other holiday celebrations, has become highly commercial, and once over, signals the start of the Christmas season in the stores - although the Christmas-creep seems to be coming earlier and earlier each year.


Halloween was such a fun time growing up.  I can remember planning our costumes with Mum, the results being an explosion of crepe paper, cardboard, glitter and foil. Despite our creativity, we were always disappointed when the Superman or Princess costume had to be covered with a parka and warm boots.  It was never a guarantee that there would be no snow by Halloween, and we often had to trudge door to door through slushy and cold conditions.

I know I'm the princess, but the kid on the right is creeping me out!
We would have an early dinner, and then would hit the streets, Mum and Dad waiting on the sidewalk while we walked up to the door, shouting 'Trick or Treat'.  Such anticipation as you looked down into your basket or bag (we used pillow cases) to see what tempting treats were handed out.  As we walked back to our parents, we'd either have a 'yes' or 'yuck' look on our faces.  'Yes!' was usually reserved for a chocolate bar or bag of chips or Sweethearts or sours, and the 'Yuck!' was for that gross candy corn or fruit.  Back in those days, people still made candied popcorn balls and other types of homemade treats.  These days you couldn't do it - everyone is afraid of being poisoned or sued.

Mum got busy with the crepe paper this year.
Back home with our heavy burdens, we joyously upended our booty onto the floor for inspection.  Dad always insisted that he 'inspect' our gains to ensure there were no embedded razor blades or other dangerous things.  Truthfully, he picked out his favourite candy for himself and confiscated it.  I believe many other children had to endure these type of candy inspections from their fathers too.

My brother and I were typical of other families - one was an indulger of candy and the other was the hoarder of candy.  I was the hoarder.  I would parcel out the candy to myself, eating only small bits at a time, making it last as long as possible.  My brother ate his as quickly as possible, and then spent the next month or two trying to get mine as well.  I got good at hiding my Halloween candy from both sibling and father, and would often be finishing it just before Christmas.

There have been some great costumes over time - some traditional and some creative.   One of my favourite costume ideas was used a couple of times by Mum and Dad.  Mum was a brick and Dad was the brick layer...get it?  I also had fun being caviar one year (black balloons attached to an old shirt) and really enjoyed the year that I was a cereal-killer (small boxes of cereal glued to an old shirt with plastic knives stabbed through them.  Cereal dribbled out of the boxes like blood oozing from wounds.). 

Brick and Brick |Layer
Halloween can be a fun time of make-believe and creativity.  I hope that today's kids still feel the same magic that we used to, even though times have changed and everyone is more cautious of the dangers.

Deja vu...more Christmas at Halloween

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