Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-31
How Halloween Began
Celtic Peoples of Pastoral Age 1000 Years Before
Christ First Observed Day as Opening
of New Year.

Halloween night Of carnival revelry,
as Washington and much of the civil
lied world will celebrate 1t tonight
began as a New Year eve observance by
Celtic peoples in the pastoral age more
than 200 years before Christ, histo-
rians believe
Soaped windows. disappearing gates,
mysteriously ringing doorbells and mas
querade dances for the more sophisti-
brations perpetuated through the ages
by song.
On the last day Of what Is now known
as October. lowing kline trooped back
from Summer pastures to be cared for
and fed in crude stalls as bleak winds
whistled in hollows and trees thrust
denuded limbs skyward. Winter had
come. Pastoral Celts determined the
season by activities of their herds.
Walpurgis night, or the following
day, May l, were thought to begin Sum-
n1er, for it was then that cattle were
turned back into open pasture.
Was First Of New Year.
Samhain, or All Saints day, Novem-
Der /, began the new year. All Hallows
Even, the night before, came to be
known as Halloween. Until recent times,
the first day of November was regarded
as the first day of the new year on the
Isle of Man, where Celtic lore and
language held out longest against the
siege of Saxon invaders Many num-
mers would go about singing Tonight
Is New Years Night"
With the beginning Of each H.
month period, superstitious minds be-
gan to wonder what the coming days
had In store. And they sought super
natural aid to learn. In the days Of
the Druids augury and divination were
resorted to In order to foretell events
to come.
The present day Halloween amuse-
ment of diving for apples originated in
ancient times In the Scottish highlands,
where it was believed the lucky divers
would have good fortune for the coming
IL months In similar manner, many
present day amusements have evolved
from superstitious customs. Throwing
Of rice upon the newly married couple
was originally supposed to make the
mating fruitful. as rice was considered
the favorite food of the God Of fertility.
Fire was thought to be q life source,
and in Ireland many ancients kindled
huge bonf1res on Halloween, hoping the
blessed influence of the fresh blaze
would prevail through the year. check
ing baneful influences of witches and
0CNho, oAA "a Ai6A48 AACh4tAAJ OaOtAC ehAd
prolific crops.
Watched Stones in Ashes.
Up until few years ago building Of
big fires was considered q regular Hal
loween sport. Police regulations In
Washington, as In many American
cities, have since prohibited such cele-
bration, after damaging blazes resulted.
But back In the days when cromlech
and stone altar in woodlands took the
place of churches and temples families
would compete to see which could build
the largest Halloween FIRE In order to
WOO good fortune. It was q common
custom when the flames had died down
to make a huge circle Of the ashes.
Within the circle a marked stone was
placed for every one interested In the
FIRE. Next morning If any of these
stones were broken or had disappeared,
it was thought that the person who
marked the stone would die before the
next Halloween.
How ghosts and witches became as
sociated with the night has been a mat
ter of conjecture. Some writer's be-
lieve that such association developed
through efforts of the Celts to see into