The Irish standard., 1895-11-02
old | GH0S2sAND| ! \. III lBS 4
The Origin Of Halloween And
the Sports And Pastimes
Attending 1t
Looking For Lovers, Ducking For
Apples And Playing Snap
Dragon

Dragon.
An Event Beginning On Piety
And. Ending In Playfulness
And FairyIand.
AS to origin, Halloween is another Of
the dates that must be ken b on pcq trust. & |l
Originally the day was May i. Now. it is
Oct. 81. Originally it was a day set aside
for the celebration fthe conYaErshi Il IS s, OF
the Pantheon at Rome sEntos a Christian
place Of worship, an event which took
place in the seventh century. The orig
inal Of the term was All Hallows' even
ing, and was the night preceding that
sacred festal day. The word Hallows is
Anglo-Saxon, and it's nearest Latin equiv
alent is sanctus, from which our word
saint is derived. So we may understand
that Halloween means the evening before
a day devoted to the honor of all the
saints, says the Chicago Tsmes-Herald.
In other ways than the date the day
has changed from it's original character.
1t was at the beginning one of the most
piously regarded of days. Now it is set
aside for sport that does not miss barbar-
ism by so very much. That is, the even
ing before the day is so devoted. The
day itself is quite lost sight of. Some
where along IN the history odf the day
it must have caught a German eontagion
from Walpurgis might, that grisly time
when at midnight all the witches congre-
gated on the summit Of the Brocken in
the Hartz Mountains, and reveled there
till the first streaks of dawn sent them
skurrying away to their deep and fearful
resting places.
Fot witchcraft clings to Halloween, and
we are to believe that ghosts Of the de-
parted-both good and bad spirits
abroad that night, and the bad ones per-
form all sort of annoying tri cks,@ ugh
they are seldom charged with downright
destruction. And if any man doubts the
truth Of this assertion he, has only, to look
about his neighborhood on the morning Of
Nov. Q, when he will find a gate; here and
there hanging in the treetops and a tomb
stone reposing on the front doorstep of
some estimable citizen. Doors are taken
from their hinges, and school houses are
- 81 nv, e.oo,, in tho n, nrpin o. with q common
lumber wagon riding the ridge pole. Now,
nothing but bad boys and ghosts could do
these things, and the moth hers will all tell
you their hopeful sons went to bed on
Halloween at the usual hour, and bade all
their relatives an innocent and cherubic
good night. :.
The festival of the Halloween is widely
observed in the English speaking coun-
tries. In Scotland and in England the
time is taken advantage of for many
games that would be more fitting in
other nights than Christmas tree would
be in midsummer. The customs are fol-
lowed in America to some extent, and
pretty parties are often arranged with
this as the basis In the old country it
was-and is-a custom to float a number
of apples in a tub of water and compel the
members of the party to take out the
fruit with their teeth. It is not an easy
task.
'.snap dragon is another of the games.
It is arranged by providing broad, shall
low vessel in which a quantity OF alcohol
is poured. A handful Of raisins is thrown
in the liquid, and then a match is applied.
AS the alcohol flames up the revelers are
required to pick out the raisins without
burning their hands. Those only are ia
vored by the deities Of the night who can
escape burning. And as the game pro-
crosses the scene is vastly Increased in
dramatic interest by the addition of a
handful of salt to the burning alcohol.
The effect of it is to change the coler OF
the flame. All other lights in the room
are extinguished, and the Fight from the
bowl lends a greenish glare to every OBJ
ject Nothing nearer a NValpurgis scenic
effect can be hoped for in a parlor.
Burns, TO whom the traditions Of the
night appealed forcefully, and who felt
a peculiar fascination for everything bear
ing on the supernatural, gives Us valuable
information concerning the event in his
poem entitled Halloween"
Upon that might when fairies light
On Cassillis Duwnans dance,
Or owre the lays in splendid blaze
On sprightly coursers prance;
Or for Colean the ro,It is Ia en-,
Beneath the moons pale beams;
There, UP the cove3to stray and rove
Amang the rocks and streams
TO sport that night. ..s5
Cassillis Downans were certain little,
rocky green hills in the neigh borhoud Of
the ancient castle of the Earls Of Cassil
lis. The cove was a noted cavern III tiiles
ne.ghborhood, famous Tor the of
fairies: sxs,I j5s@is 81
4 The lasses feat, and cleanly neat,
/ Mair Draw than when they're fine, #
Their faces blithe. fl' sWeetly kythe, i
Hearts leal an warm an kin
% The lads sac trig WI Wooer-babs
Weel knottsd on their garten, L
Some uneo blate, an some wi gabS
s.3 Gar lasses' hearts gang startin
yVhiles fast that nigh. A:
first cerensony 1fr q aIloween was
plll phi II 4