The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-30
ALL-aALLOW-E'EN.
Ancient Superstitions Associated with the
Day-Hlstorical "Reminiscences.

Ancient Superstitions Associated with the
Day-Hlstorical "Reminiscences.
william Sharpe, in Harper's Magazine.
Old supersttions die hard and it will certainly
be long before the festival Of Halloween be-
comes as much thing of the past as has prac-
ticaily become the Guy Fawkes celebration on
the 9TH of November Long before the Chris
tan faith made way among the untutored
peoples of ancient Britain, the Druids had per-
formed special rites what is now known as
Hallowmas eve; fires were lit deep in remote
forests, upon outlying spurs of hills. even upon
the great plains that stretched between dense
forests and partally-cle woodlands; mystic
rites were performed, the help of the true God
was mplored the Vaccinations of evil powers
were protested against. The earliest records
bear witness to universal belief that on this
night the powers of darkness muster in great
force, that all supernatural beings hold
revel within the sphere of humanity, and that.
therefore, it behooved all persons to be
careful on this night of ali nights, for any sin
committed rendered the psrpetrator liable to be
brought under the influence of some evil spirit
throughout whole year thereafter. To this
day any child born in Scotland on the eve of the
31st of October is supposed to be in possession
of certain mysterious faculties, to hold-if not
consciously, least unconsciously in the midnight
hours, when the senses are obscured in sleep
communion with the supernatural world, and to
be at all times person whose actions, however
eccentric, must be regarded charitaby. Those
remember that he has made use of this circum-
stance. "She's as fyte as Halloween wean." is a
phrase that may even yet be occasionally heard
north of the Tweed, and in the most popular &C.
counts of wizards and all uncannv folk the date of
their births is generally set down as on the last
day of October When, later on, All-hailow Eve
became Christian observance the old customs
pertinent to its celebration did not pass into dis
use; on the contrary, they became more and
more deeply established every here and there
accommodating some new superstition, or annex
ing some old belief that had long fingered with
out direct association with any special day. sea-
son or locality. Bonfres are still lit on Hallow-
mas Eve, though perhaps only one or two here
and there among the members of the innumera-
BILE village communities who thus celebrate the
great event know that the practice is a remnant
of paganism; indeed it is surprising. in the use
of this as of many other popular customs, to ind
how few know anything whatever of the
significance of their celebrations. ''We do
as our fathers did before u.s." is sufficient
to account for everything. In Protestant
countries the virgil of All-souls is no longer q
religious observance, or, at any rate, is not so
in Scotland, England and Germany. It may be
said that Halloween. as we understand it, is
only celebrated by the Teutonic and Celtic
race. with the Latins it is merely religious
| vigil. round its observance clinging few if any
| of those wild legends or superstitions that are
| SO plentiful in Scandinavia, Scotland and Ire
land The nearest approach to the Northern
| SOi0LuulIys AHu even WAcEuueSS, ~ tl0 N6D6LlaL
notte dele morti, or night of all the dead; bu
| the religious ceremonies attendant thereon
| take place not on the 31st of October, but or
| the eve of Al-souls' Day, that u.s. the day follow
| ing It is in Scotland and Ireland that Hal
| lowe'en is kept in ITS entirety; in the former
] curiouslv enough. more in the east, mid-countr,
| and lowiands than Ia the remoter highland
districts; in other words, more among the Scot
| proper than among the pure Celts. The bes
chronicle of Hallowmas Eve that exists is tn,
well-known poem of Burns, containing as it doe
some record of the most generally practiged Gus
toms in connection with this really apcient vigil
but, considering the popularity Of the subject
erature. The succeeding threefold chronicle ma
| possibly. then, contain something novel as we
as of interest TO many readers. 1t may be tia
the time is NOT 2 ,~hen All-hallows Ev
| Wiz ampletely az j
-ssrea s,-ii