Halloween

[[File:Trick or treat in sweden.jpeg|right|thumb|165px|Wouldn't they just love it if someone put some [[Jack Chick|Chick tracts]] in their bags?]]{{folklore}}
[[File:"Hallowe'en." (Devil-demon seated on top of a Jack-O-Lantern).jpg|right|thumb|165px|Proof that Halloween is the most Satanic of all holidays.]]
{{cquote|[[WWJD|What would Jesus drop]] into her pumpkin? Would Jesus run off to church or hide back in the TV room with the front lights off?... Or would He use this golden opportunity to share His love with her?|||Caption to a photo of a little girl trick-or-treating on Chick.com<ref>[http://fstdt.net/QuoteComment.aspx?QID=46257 Quote] on [[Fundies Say the Darndest Things]]</ref>}}

'''Halloween''' is a traditional celebration that takes place on 31<sup>st</sup> October each year. It is mostly widely celebrated in the [[United States|USA]], [[Canada]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. A celebration of all that is [[ghost]]ly, ghoulish and long-leggedy, it involves such activities as [[children]] (and sometimes adults) dressing up in costume, faces being carved into pumpkins, and horror films of varying quality being shown on television.

The name comes from the Scots ''Hallow E'en'', meaning "All Hallows Eve",<ref>[https://www.etymonline.com/word/halloween "Halloween"] on Etymology Online</ref> the day before the [[Christianity|Christian]] holiday of All Hallows or {{wpl|All Saints' Day}} on November 1<sup>st</sup>.

==It's evil, I tells ya! Evil!==
[[Fundamentalist Christianity|Fundamentalist Christians]] often oppose Halloween, claiming it's a celebration of death and darkness next to the light of God<ref group=notes>Of course, Bible verses such as {{bible|Isaiah|45|7}} and {{bible|1 Kings|8|12}} are ignored.</ref> and Jesus. A prime example was [[Jack Chick]]; in his tract ''The Devil's Night'', Chick claimed that Halloween originated in pre-Christian [[England]], where [[pagan]] priests of [[Satan]] (pre-Christian beliefs and devil-worship being interchangeable in Chick's world as well as in the one of a good number of Fundies) worshipped a death god named Saman, portrayed in an illustration as a grim reaper figure. According to the tract, trick-or-treating derives from the pagan priests' practice of going door-to-door and asking for offerings of food for their gods; if food was not given to them they sacrificed one of the household's children instead, leaving behind a jack-o-lantern to show that no-one else in the house would be harmed.<ref>[https://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1053/1053_01.asp ''The Devil's Night''] on Chick.com</ref> Another of his tracts, ''Boo'', delivers a similar story but also claims that the human sacrifices are still being committed by modern [[Satanism|Satanists]], and muddies its history even further by showing one of the pre-Christian [[Druid|druids]] carrying an [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] ankh.<ref>[https://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0058/0058_01.asp ''Boo!''] on Chick.com</ref> Both tracts depict pumpkins being used as jack-o-lanterns, despite pumpkins being unknown in Britain (and Europe) at the time, but this is really the least of the problems.<ref group=notes>And, to be fair, the text in ''The Devil's Night'' does describe "something like a pumpkin" being used. It seems the illustrator was just being unimaginative.</ref> The same [[pagan survival|claims about Halloween]] were earlier published by Chick in his 1978 Crusaders comic book ''Spellbound?'', which also claims to locate the origin of [[rock music]] in the Druids. Chick's main source for ''Spellbound?'' was [[John Todd]].

Similar claims were made by David Brown in a 1998 book on Halloween. Brown claims that trick-or-treating is derived from the practice of offering food to [[demon]]s;<ref name=brownorigins>David Brown, [http://logosresourcepages.org/HalloweenBook/h_origins.htm "Halloween Specifics"] on Logos Resource Pages</ref> that the modern image of the grim reaper was based on the Celtic death god Saman or Samhain;<ref>David Brown, [http://logosresourcepages.org/HalloweenBook/history.htm "The History of Halloween"] on Logos Resource Pages</ref><ref group=notes>Although it appears that this should be pronounced "Sam-hane", it is in fact, spelled with the insanely weird Irish orthography, and thus is properly pronounced "Shah-jig-a-ma-fig-la-mar" ... no, not really. Although, it is actually pronounced "Sah-win" which still doesn't seem to make any sense to anyone who speaks English.</ref> that Halloween costumes date back to a practice of wearing animal skins during sacrificial ceremonies; and, citing an unnamed book, that jack-o-lanterns originated as signs that households were sympathetic to Satanists.<ref name=brownorigins/>

In response to Brown's book, [[Neopaganism|neopagan]] commentator Kerr Cuhulain argues that Samhain was not a death god, but rather a minor deity associated with cattle - the Celtic death god was named Gwynn Ap Nudd, Bile, Donn, Beli, or Arawn, depending on the location. Cuhulain suggests that the idea of Samhain as a death god originated in Ray Bradbury's 1973 novel ''The Halloween Tree''.<ref>Kerr Cuhulain, [http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_article.html?a=cabc&id=4642 "David Brown (1)"] on Witches' Voice</ref> The name ''Samhain'' is in fact of ancient attestation; a month ''Samonios'' appears on the Coligny Calendar from [[Roman Empire|Roman]] Gaul, where it marks a summer month.<ref>{{wpa|Coligny calendar}}</ref> ''Samhain'' as a month or time of the year is well attested, but there is no evidence that ''Samhain'' was the name of a deity. The entire notion of ''Samhain'' being associated with a Celtic deity originates from British military engineer Charles Vallancey, who had inaccurately documented the lore and language of the ancient Celts in his book, ''Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis'' in 1786.<ref>Morton, Lisa (2012) ''Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween''. Reaktion Books Ltd, p. 9.</ref> As with Beltane, the chief means of observing ''Samhain'' was the building of bonfires. This part of the tradition in the [[British Isles]] got handed off to [[Gunpowder Plot|Guy Fawkes Day]] five days later. In many places of the British Isles both Halloween and ''Samhain'' were neglected until the custom was (re)-imported from the United States in the late twentieth century.<ref name="Hutton">Hutton, Ronald (1996) ''Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain'', Oxford, Oxford University Press {{Isbn|0192880454}}, p. 363.</ref>

The actual source of the association of Halloween with the dead is the fact that it is, like the name says, the eve of All Hallows Day. This [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] liturgical feast commemorates the Communion of the [[Saint]]s, the body of believers who have died and are now with [[Jesus|Christ]] in Heaven.<ref>Hutton, Ronald. ''The Wheel of the Year: The ritual year in England'' (Oxford, 1993)</ref> The same Catholic commemoration was exported to [[Mexico]], where, under possible Mesoamerican influence, it became the {{wpl|Day of the Dead}}. The Aztecs may be entitled to part of the credit for that festival, which in turn influenced Halloween in the [[United States]], but ancient Celts had nothing to do with it.<ref name="Hutton" /> The demonizing of All Hallows by Christian fundamentalists is especially peculiar, given the fact that [[death]], [[resurrection]], and the [[afterlife]] loom fairly large in Christian belief, and the existence of a holy day meant to call these things to mind seems like something you would expect.

Other sources of fundamentalist misinformation about Halloween include [[Mike Warnke]]'s 1979 album ''A Christian Perspective On Halloween'', and [[Phil Phillips]]' 1987 book ''Halloween and Satanism''.

In 2011, Paul Ade, a pastor from Calgary, Canada, put forward the idea of Jesus Ween as a Christian alternative to Halloween. According to Ade, participants in Jesus Ween should shun costumes on 31<sup>st</sup> October and should wear white clothes as a symbol of righteousness instead. They should also give out [[Bible]]s instead of candy to trick-or-treating children.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/10/jesus-ween-christian-halloween_n_1003395.html "'Jesus Ween': Christian Group Promotes Godly Alternative to Halloween"], [[The Huffington Post]], 10 October 2011</ref> Jesus Ween drew some media attention in October 2011. It was even parodied in a sketch on the American late night talk show ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' The sketch features unhappy-looking children dressed in white. A boy says that Jesus Ween is better than Halloween without any enthusiasm. A girl is obviously not pleased when she is given a Bible instead of candy. Towards the end of the sketch, all of the children proclaim, "I'm a Jesus Weener."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXFrIDUdh-Q Sketch about Jesus Ween from ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''] on [[YouTube]]</ref> The stupid name<ref group=notes>As previously noted, the word "Halloween" [https://www.etymonline.com/word/halloween derives from "Hallow" and E'en"], not from "Hallo" and "Ween". </ref> that does nothing but invite dick jokes might be one of the reasons why Jesus Ween failed to catch on.

Of course, it's not just Christians that get their knickers in a twist over Halloween. [[Islam|Muslims]] can sometimes be found spouting the same bollocks about the evils of the holiday as its most outspoken Christian opponents.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j82_id9EnA0 "Why Muslims should have nothing to do with Halloween"] on [[YouTube]]</ref> Some [[Wicca]]ns and other [[Neopagan]]s dislike it too, either because it promotes the stereotype of the wicked [[witch]], that causes people to mistrust actual neopagans and witches, or see it as just a celebration about dressing up in cheap, spooky costumes (that will most likely end in the trash) and getting plastered with the religious significance diluted.

==Traditions==
===Jack o' lanterns===
[[File:Das Halloween-Schaufenster, Sanok 2014..JPG|right|thumb|225px|Boo!]]
Faces carved into autumn vegetables are a common part of Halloween, with pumpkins popular for their large size and ease of carving, although in [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]] other local vegetables such as turnips were traditionally carved. They are generally believed to have originated in Ireland or Britain, later to spread to the US, where they were adapted to local gourds.

There are claims that this is a [[pagan survival]], but this is dubious as there is no evidence that the tradition is anywhere near as old as pre-Christian Ireland. They are sometimes linked with medieval Irish myths of a trickster called Stingy Jack who played tricks on the Devil, and was not allowed into [[Heaven]] or [[Hell]] and forced to wander the earth forever, carrying a burning coal to light his way.<ref>[https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins How Jack O’Lanterns Originated in Irish Myth], History.com</ref> However this theory has been disputed due to the lack of a clear link with the carved vegetable.<ref name=mwpumpkin/> It's not clear how old the tradition is, but links to pre-Christian practices are tenuous - [[Wikipedia]] mentions various 19th century sources from Ireland, and a ''Smithsonian Magazine'' article also mentions 19th century sources.<ref>{{wpa|Jack-o'-lantern}}</ref><ref>[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-people-carved-turnips-instead-of-pumpkins-for-halloween-180978922/ When People Carved Turnips Instead of Pumpkins for Halloween], Smithsonian Magazine, October 22, 2021</ref> Linguistic evidence shows the term "jack o' lantern" was formerly a name for a watchman, dating back to the 17th century, and also applied to will o' the wisps, before in the 19th century being linked to illuminated vegetables.<ref name=mwpumpkin>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-jack-o-lantern The History of 'Jack-O'-Lantern'], Merriam-Webster</ref> Perhaps it is a 19th century custom.

===Dressing up===
[[File:Littlewitch.JPG|right|thumb|175px|Don't have nightmares.]]
Dressing up in costumes is sometimes linked to pre-Christian Samhain rites, when people would probably dress up (although possibly not as sexy zombie schoolgirls).<ref>[https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween History of Halloween], History.com</ref> An alternative explanation lies in the Christian practice of "souling" which involved dressing up like the spirits of the dead, going door to door, saying prayers for the dead, and begging for food (hence perhaps a connection with trick or treating), connected with All Soul's Day on November 2.<ref>[https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/history-of-costume-in-england/ History of Costume in England], English Heritage</ref><ref>[https://www.history.com/news/halloween-trick-or-treating-origins How Trick-or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition], History.com</ref> In [[Poland]] there is an old tradition of wearing masks, going to cemeteries, and communing with the dead on the festival of Dziady, held at the same time as Halloween; this is also claimed to be pagan in origin (but presumably not the same pagans as in [[Celts|Celtic]] tradition).<ref name=culturepl>[https://culture.pl/en/article/the-polish-halloween-all-you-need-to-know-about-dziady The Polish Halloween: All You Need to Know About Dziady], Culture.pl</ref>

===Trick-or-treating===
The practice of going door-to-door asking for sweet treats (or occasionally money) is another part of Halloween that is somewhat controversial but still very popular. Often children will do a song or similar party piece: people in [[United Kingdom|Britain]] get very upset with the idea that Americans just ask for money and are given it, while [[Scotland|Scottish]] children will give a half-hearted, tone-deaf version of the shortest ditty they can think of.<ref>[https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19655339.halloween-guising-scotland-meaning-different-trick-treating/ Halloween guising Scotland: Meaning and is it different from trick or treating?], The Herald (Glasgow), Oct 18, 2021</ref> But if they wouldn't beg for sweets how would they get candy stuffed with razor blades?<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/halloween-candy-tampering-urban-legend-truth-1.5341734 Trick or truth? The real story behind Halloween candy tampering], CBC, Oct 31, 2019</ref>

==Alternative festivals==
Halloween has features in common with other late autumn and winter traditions; these come after harvest rituals celebrated around October and November in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and probably mark the start of winter when farming is over and people do little other than stay indoors and tell stories.

The Day of the Dead (''el Día de los Muertos'') is a [[Latin America]]n festival celebrated at the start of November, involving commemorating the dead with altars decorated with effigies and symbols of the dead; skulls; butterflies; flowers; dancing and music. It appears to derive from pre-Colombian traditions remembering the dead, linked with the Catholic rites of All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2).<ref>[https://www.si.edu/stories/5-facts-about-dia-de-los-muertos-day-dead Five facts about Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead)], Smithsonian</ref>

Dziady is a [[Slavic religion|Slavic]] tradition where people go to graveyards to remember the dead and leave offerings, as well as lighting fires. Although opposed by Christian authorities, it was popularised in the [[Romanticism|Romantic]] era (early 19th century) by [[Poland|Polish]] [[Literature|literary]] titan Adam Mickiewicz. It is often linked with pagan Slavic traditions.<ref name=culturepl/>

[[File:Lewes Bonfire, Guy Fawkes effigy.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Remember, remember the Fifth of November.]]
[[Samhain]] (or Samain) was a pre-Christian Irish seasonal feast held at the start of winter, reckoned the most important festival of the year, with a gathering at Tara every third year, feasting, lighting of fires, and possibly fertility rites.<ref name=oxfordsamhain>"Samain, Samhain, Samhuinn (ScG), Sauin (Manx)", A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, James MacKillop, OUP, 2004</ref> In legend it was strongly associated with the dead, monsters, human sacrifice, and evil forces, with many such events being stated to have happened at Samhain.<ref name=oxfordsamhain/> Some traditions say it is the night when those who died over the previous year moved onto the afterlife, or when the dead returned to walk the earth, and is commonly said to be the source of Halloween traditions in the United States, via Irish immigrants (although it is unlikely to the only source). It is associated with various spooky stories such as the tenth century ''Nera and the Dead Man'', about a man who is dared to hang branches on the body of a dead man, and the body comes to life. Exact details of Samhain worship are unknown, but it appears to have involved food and costumes.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/26348788 Samhain Revival], Erin Mullally, ''Archaeology'', Vol. 69, No. 6 (November/December 2016), pp. 34-37 (4 pages)</ref>

Souling and the giving of soul-cakes were, and in some cases still are, Christian traditions associated with Allhallowtide (All Saints Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day) in many parts of Europe. It often involved drinking [[beer]], going door to door, children begging for food, and giving or receiving soul-cakes, a shortbread-like cookie. It was associated with Roman Catholic doctrine about helping the souls of the dead through [[Purgatory]].<ref>[https://aleteia.org/2019/10/31/souling-for-cakes-and-beer-the-catholic-tradition-of-trick-or-treating-on-halloween/ Souling for cakes and beer: The Catholic tradition of trick-or-treating on Halloween], Aletia, October 31, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.historytoday.com/archive/saints-and-soul-caking Saints and Soul Caking], History Today</ref>

[[Guy Fawkes]] Night (or Bonfire Night), celebrated in Britain on November 5 to mark the failure of Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up parliament, or if you prefer to celebrate the chance of blowing up parliament, has become confused with Halloween. Similarities include the tradition of begging "penny for the guy" similar to the tradition of asking for money or food on Halloween; the practice of bonfires; and general merriment.<ref>[https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/history/true-story-behind-penny-guy-22079936 The true story behind 'penny for the guy' and how it originated], Glasgow Live, 5 Nov 2021</ref> As always happens with popular culture, elements are mixed freely and folk traditions concocted to meet both the desire for entertainment and deeper political and sectarian needs, as in [[Northern Ireland]], an area particularly fond of setting fire to things.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/1500482 Light up the Sky: Halloween Bonfires and Cultural Hegemony in Northern Ireland], Jack Santino, ''Western Folklore'', Vol. 55, No. 3 (Summer, 1996), pp. 213-231 (19 pages)</ref>

There are also traditions around wassailing linked with midwinter, such as {{wpl|Mari Lwyd}} in Wales (which has spooky elements, principally a horse's skull carried from house to house), and {{wpl|Wassailing}} (and [[Christmas|Yulesinging]]) in England, in which people go house to house seeking refreshments, singing, and engaging in tomfoolery.<ref>[https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/nostalgia/wales-mari-lwyd-creature-scary-15297617 The terrifying and weird tradition of the Mari Lwyd which is celebrated every December], The Daily Post, Dec 6, 2018</ref>

And as far as moralistic concerns from religious groups are concerned, some Catholic congregations and parochial schools–alarmed by the sight of children wearing glowing devil's horns and witch costumes–have come up with alternatives to trick-or-treating such as the "March of Saints" or "Parade of Saints" where children and adults alike are encouraged to cosplay as their favourite religious and biblical figures instead of the usual ghoulish if not outright demonic characters (no words about if such figures can include [[Noah]] while drunk and [[Nudity|skyclad]], Queen [[Jezebel]], Jephthah about to sacrifice her daughter to Yahweh, or the [[Whore of Babylon]]).<ref>[https://scjphil.org/tag/parade-of-saints/ Parade of Saints - SCJ Philippines Region]</ref><ref>[https://stanthonyschooldc.org/photoalbums/all-saints-day-parade All Saints Day Parade - St. Anthony Catholic School - Washington, DC]</ref>

==See also==
{{fun}}
{{div col|2}}
*''[[Frankenstein]]''
*[[Hell House]]
*[[Ouija board]]
*[[Poltergeist]]
*[[Vampire]]
*[[Lycanthropy|Werewolf]]
*[[Witchcraft]]
*[[Zombies|Zombie]]
{{div col end}}
{{otherlang
|eo=Haloveno
|es=Halloween (español)
|fr=Halloween (français)}}

==External links==
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml All Hallows' Eve] on [[BBC]] Religion
*[https://www.snopes.com/?s=Halloween Halloween rumors and urban legends] on [[Snopes|Snopes.com]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=notes|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Holidays]]
[[Category:Horror]]
[[Category:Moral panics]]

Categories: Holidays, Horror, Moral panics