The Origins of Halloween

Halloween is all about witches, ghosts, ghouls and dark evil creatures that lurk in the night. Its also about dressing up, Trick or Treat and to a saddening degree, commercialism. Pendle Hill, close to where I live, will always be indelibly linked with The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, and every year thousands of revelers descend on the sleepy Ribble Valley to soak up the atmosphere, visit the local hostilities for a pint of (excellent) Moorhouses Pendle Witches Brew, and walk the paths and lanes around this famous hill. Perhaps, if they are lucky, they will catch of glimpse of a witch skirting the hedgerows on her broomstick, or glimpse a spectral figure floating silently through a deserted graveyard. My own village has been bedecked for the last week with all sorts of grisly apparitions - witches, mummies, cobwebs - on every street corner and outside the village shop. My earliest memories of Halloween were as a small child, sitting in my Grandparents kitchen carving out a Turnip in readiness for a candle to placed inside, string around the top as a makeshift handle. Costumes in 1970's East Lancashire were a bed sheet with two eye holes cut in it, thrown over a poor child's head to resemble a ghost ! We would then wander the streets swinging our Turnip lantern making ghostly noises. There was no banging on doors, no Trick or Treat and invariable it rained. The build up to the evening was often more exciting than the reality !

But what is the history of Halloween and why do we celebrate this night night in particular ?

In The UK, the tradition of honouring the dead goes back to the Celtic times, some 2000 BC. The festival of' Samhain' marked the beginning of , Winter and the chronological year where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off evil spirits. It was also a time when the veil between the living and the dead was at its most flimsy, allowing creatures and spirits from the other side to slip unnoticed into our world. Much like the pagan mid winter celebration, which was held on the shortest day (21st December) it was an affirmation of the ancient Gods who they believed held the fate of the coming years harvest in their hands. Show deference to the Gods and the weather would be kind, in turn ensuring a good harvest. Christianity has hijacked this festival and turned it into Christmas, although many of the symbolism and practices still continue. Decking the house with evergreens such as Holly and Mistletoe ushered in the turning of the year and represented new life and the hope of the coming spring, and perhaps having a celebration in the darkest of days with singing, dancing and drinking lifted their otherwise gloomy spirits. Halloween has been similarly hijacked and commercialised.

Samhain was an important festival for the Pagans. Several Halloween traditions such as 'Apple Bobbing' can be traced by to these times. Apples and nuts were often used in magical spells, thought to ward off evil spirits and help to foretell the future, particularly marriage. Bonfires also helped to drive out unwanted demons and roasting nuts released a smoke that they believed would banished evil spirits. It was also a time of fortune telling, particularly around death and marriage.

In the 18th century, children in Yorkshire would embark on 'Mischief Night', usually around the 4th November when children and teenagers would run amok, causing all sorts of mischief and havoc in the local villages and towns. One theory is that it was at the opposite end of the year to May Day, a celebration of 'The Green Man' and fertility, and that is why it took on darker connotations. Another that is was particularly popular amongst 13 year old boys, who saw it as a 'coming of age' time. It was also known as 'Chievous Night', 'Miggy Night', 'Tick-Tack Night', 'Corn Night', 'Trick Night' or 'Micky Night' (perhaps where the phrase 'Taking the Mickey' comes from !). Of course, no Mischief maker was complete with a Jack-O'-Lantern, the precursor to my childhood Turnip and today's Pumpkin.

As the 5th November Bonfire Night celebrations became more popular, Mischief Night slipped to 31st October. This was the night before the Christian celebration of All Saints Day (or 'All Hallows day') on 1st November, hence the name 'Halloween'. Interestingly, the tradition of lighting bonfires on 5th November harks back to a decree made by James I following the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot, infamous of Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby. James, who was also fascinated by witches and instrumental in the instigation of The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 decreed that every year fires should be lit to remember the day, and the saving of The King and Parliament.

The tradition of Halloween continued unchanged until it was exported to America by the Irish immigrants following the Potato Famine of the 19th century. The Irish had always had their own tradition of Halloween. The origins of 'Mumming' or 'Souling' can be traced back to at least the 16th century, when revelers would dress up and go from house to house impersonating Aos SI (the Souls of the Dead), accepting gifts for departed family and friends, often accompanied by a Hobby Horse. In Scotland, youths would go from house to house with painted, blackened or masked faces and threatening to do mischief of not welcomed. The blackened faces were made from ash, taken from sacred bonfires lit at this time of the year.

Several of the traditional activities from Ireland and Britain involve foretelling one's future partner or spouse. An apple would be peeled in one long strip, then the peel tossed over the shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's name. Two hazelnuts would be roasted near a fire; one named for the person roasting them and the other for the person they desire. If the nuts jump away from the heat, it is a bad sign, but if the nuts roast quietly it foretells a good match. A salty oatmeal bannock would be baked and the person would eat it in three bites and then go to bed in silence without anything to drink. This is said to result in a dream in which their future spouse offers them a drink to quench their thirst. Unmarried women were told that if they sat in a darkened room and look into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear.

The tradition of eating sweet things on Halloween harks back centuries. The Christian Church encouraged abstinence of meat on All Hallows Eve, giving rise to a number of vegetarian foods associated with the day. As I child, my Grandad would make Treacle Toffee and Cinder Toffee (made with Golden Syrup) which would often last for weeks in an old metal biscuit tin. I can still remember the smell as I opened the tin and the grease proof paper parcel inside, to revel chunks of hard, sweet, black toffee - 'Filling Finders' as my grandad used to say !

As the popularity of Halloween took hold in America, many of the traditions stretching back to pagan times took on new meaning. Jack-O'-Lanterns became Pumpkins, Mumming became Trick Or Treat . It's popularity spread in the 20th Century and was gradually assimilated into society and many of the old traditions died out in favour of commercialism. Today, Halloween is a celebration of all things spooky rather than an acknowledgement of pagan traditions stretching back Millennia. It will always be associated with Witchcraft, and here in Lancashire, The Pendle Witch Trials. Villages such as Downham, Chatburn and Barley, nestled as they are at the foot of Pendle Hill, will always be synonymous with those dark days and as the nights draw in, and Winter approaches, the hill takes on a more sinister appearance.......

.....And the most sinister night of all is Halloween.

Photograph - Statue of Alice Nutter, 'Pendle Witch', Barley, Lancashire. (c) Craig Bryant.