Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-11-01
HALLOWEEN AND
ITS SUPERSTITIONS


Halloween has come with It's mys
tic lore and quaint traditions AND
has slipped into the elsewhere. The
holiday was observed In Salem last
night in the usual manner. Many OF
the pretty and superstitious customs
which cluster around "All Saints
Eve" were reviewed The younger
set enjoyed their Halloween pranks
and full many a gate was made 70
hang elsewhere than on its hinges,
and the witty and hilarious moving
of signs and other new and enjoy
able jests were INDUCED In. Not only
were the boys busy, but many Of the
business houses noted the occasion
by appropriate window decorations
Several ghostly pumpkin heads
kept watch in the show window os
the Moir grocery store last night.
They will probably be turned into
pies and served "a la carte" by some
of the bewltchlng house wives of sa-
lem.
The Fuller & Douglas candy store
window was last night appropriately
decorated in honor OF Cali Saints"
with witches and black cats which
sit as sentinels among candy gobllns
and noddlng imps.
At the Spa for the past week one
window has been devoted to little
pumpkins with big eyes and flaming
mouths, and two larger ones were
used as shades for the electric lights
and each sported a small red incan-
descent globe for a nose and were
ugly enough to have scared the good
schoolmaster of Sleepy Hollow much
farther than the New York legisla-
ture.
Az many other places IN the city
window decorations took the Halo
we'en form and presented pretty and
attractive exhibits.
Commenting on Halloween the
following from an exchange covers
the subject pretty thoroughly:
This world-old holiday has many
names in different countries and in
various ages. Halloween Is merely
a form OF All Hallow even, otherwise
known as All Saints Eve. November
l is and has been for centuries cele-
brated in many places and ways as
All Saints day, consequently the
night before is All Saints Eve, just
as. December 25 Is Christmas or
Chrlst's Mass day. the especial day
set aside for mass TO be said for
Christ.
Almost, II not every day in the
year in some country or at some time
has been devoted TO some particular
god or saint. depending on the age
and religion. And II is practically n
custom in such places TO
devote one day to the delties I'm gem
eral, much as the Athenians erected
an altar "to the Unknown God" that
Paul spoke OF. This is done, II Is as
sumed in general, so that II any gods Il,
exist that are not known, or II for
any reason some particular god has
been somewhat neglected on his par
iicular day, then he is sure OF not
being overlooked entirely because the
whole family. so TO speak, is honor
ID In a bunch on some especial day.
Halloween has come down 20 4,
from two fairly clear
sources, but In II is undoubtedly
mixed many customs that cannot be
asily or certainly traced. After the
Holiday became established In Chris :,
endom many church practices were
deserved in connection with the other :
ustoms.. Some holidays are practi-
ally alike the world over, New Years
or instance. but Halloween is prob .
ably the most mixed up one of the
Dt.
Going away back 10 the root OF
hings, Halloween is probably the
uryival OF the harvest home festi-
ais, when primitive man gave
hanks TO his gods, usually the sun
nd this orb's understudy in the