The Spooky Origins of Halloween

CATCH THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT
WITH GHOST STORIES!

 A witch silhouetted against a full moon, chains rattling, goblins giggling, a jack-o-lantern's glow reflected in the wide eyes of young and old alike...don't you just love a good ghost story? Mankind's fascination for supernatural stories goes back to prehistoric times, when our first ancestors huddled around a fire, listening as the first storytellers told of the strange, hungry things that lurked in the dark just beyond the fire's glow. Many of these ghost stories have endured down the ages, surprisingly intact, with a power to chill us even today.

When I explain this to children on a professional storytelling "gig" at their school or library, their expressions clearly show their disbelief that some musty old folktale could scare them. Then I tell my award-winning story, "The Liver." A wife steals a dead woman's liver for her husband's dinner, only to have the vengeful ghost come back to wail, "Whooooo's got myyyy liverrrr?!" Versions of this ghost story have been traced back to nearly every culture on every continent on earth, yet despite its ancient origins - perhaps even prehistoric - the hair-raising finale never fails to elicit a chorus of "Oooohs!" even among the selfproclaimed "tough" kids.

What Lies Behind Our Fascination for Ghost Stories?
Why do we love to be scared? There are many theories, but no one really knows for sure.* One fact I've learned based on my storytelling experience is that everyone has their own "fright tolerance" levels. The same story that a five year old finds enjoyable might terrify a seven year old and bore a twelve year old. The hardest part of my job is choosing a mix of stories that will give everyone delightful shivers, neither scaring nor boring them to death. My rule of thumb is to scare on the side of caution.

Are Ghost Stories Bad for Children?
Are frightening ghost stories...whether told by a campfire, seen on TV or the movies, or whispered at slumber parties...bad for children? Recent scientific studies say no...and yes. Thrills brought on by scary stories or death-defying roller coasters subconsciously teach us to control and channel fear into cool-headed, lifesaving logic instead of blind panic or anger when faced with an actual terrifying situation. One reason why humans love to be scared may be an instinctive need to hone this gift of fear now and then, else we lose its vital edge.

The key words are now and then. Fear can be addictive, and too much at too intense a level has been proven to lead either to anxiety phobias or to a numbed tolerance that forces the fear addict to seek even greater thrills. Taking a young child to a PG-13 or R-rated movie is risking a phobia that could haunt them into adulthood. And if you wonder whether letting your child play super-violent video games for hours on end could harm them, the answer is an emphatic YES!

What Kinds of Ghost Stories Should Your Children Read?
Ghost stories can be a fun and healthy outlet for children, and you too! Libraries and bookstores overflow with sweet Halloween storybooks that have the added benefit of teaching safety lessons and life values. As your child matures, read them ghostly folktales from around the world. China numbers more ghost stories than any other nation, but America, with its history of adopting many cultures and their stories, has soared past Africa and even the British Isles into the number two position!

Teens avidly read R.L. Stine, Roald Dahl, Christopher Pike and Alvin Schwartz, but introduce them to the classic authors of the ghostly genre, namely Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker, Ambrose Bierce, Washington Irving and Charles Dickens (did you know the English have an old tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas? As Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol shows, Christmas is a perfect time for supernatural wonder and mystery). Then there are the modern authors, from Stephen King and Clive Barker to the superb short stories of Steve Rasnic Tem, Adam Troy-Castro, Phyllis Eisenstein and Yvonne Navarro.

So catch the spirit of Halloween and read aloud a good ghost story to your kids! Better still, check your newspaper for a ghost storytelling event in your area...and connect back in time to our ancient ancestors, listening to a storyteller weave tales of ghosts around a glowing campfire by the light of a full moon.

Boo.

THE SPOOKY ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN

Stingy Jack was the tightest man with a shilling in all Ireland. It was said he'd be more likely to part with his soul than with a penny in his pocket. Hearing this, the Devil paid Jack a visit one night at the pub. Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him, but Jack didn't want to pay. He convinced Old Scratch to change himself into a coin to fool the tavern keeper. As soon as the Devil transformed himself, Jack put the coin in his pocket along with a silver cross - so the Devil couldn't change back. Eventually, Jack let the Devil go, on the condition that Scratch wouldn't take his soul nor trouble him for 10 years and a day.

Ten years later, Stingy Jack died. Heaven wouldn't let him enter, for charity is a great virtue and Jack never gave a penny to help another soul. But the Devil wouldn't take him either, and chased him off by throwing a burning coal at him. Jack placed the coal in a hollowed-out turnip, and to this day, "Jack 'o the Lantern" roams the Earth on dark nights. And that's how the jack-o-lantern came to be.

Halloween is a very ancient holiday, originated by the Celts of Britain 2,000 years ago. The turning of the year into winter was associated with death - of nature and humans, for winter was a hard time. Their New Year began November 1st, and they believed on the night before the New Year the boundaries between the worlds of the dead and living blurred. Ghosts could return and damage crops and raise mischief, but it also allowed their druid priests to peer into the future. They called it Samhain (prounounced sow-in), and celebrated it by burning sacrifices on bonfires to appease the ghosts, wearing costumes of animal skins and masks so the ghosts wouldn't recognize them, and telling scary stories and fortunes all night. In the morning, they'd re-light their hearth fires from the sacred bonfire to protect them throughout the long, dark winter ahead.

When the Romans conquered the Celts in A.D. 43, Samhain merged with two late Autumn Roman festivals: Feralia, the commemoration of the dead, and the festival to Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. Her symbol, the apple, now appears today in the practice of bobbing for apples.

Between 800 and 1000 A.D., the rapidly expanding Christian church put a religious spin on this beloved pagan holiday, naming November 1st as "All Saint's Day" to revere all the hallowed saints and martyrs. In the Middle English language this translated into Alholowmesse, or All-Hallows-Mass. When that didn't quite go over well with the common folk, the church expanded the solemn occasion by declaring November 2nd "All Souls Day" to commemorate the dead. But the lively spirit of ancient traditions lingered, and people chose to honor their dead with rowdy village parties, big bonfires, parades, and dressing up like angels, devils and saints. They expanded the festivities even further by including the evening before All Saint's Day in the fun - Hallow's Eve'n, or as we know it today, Halloween.

Centuries passed, and this ancient festival came to America in the hearts of immigrants the world over, but most particularly the Irish and English. They taught us their practice of "trick-or-treating," going from house to house in costumes and asking for food or money...or else they'd play a prank on the household! Young women - unknowingly following in the path of Druid priests - would try to learn the name of their future husband by following superstitious divination practices using yarn, apple parings, mirrors, eggs, or even reading his initials from the slimy trail of snails!

From the 1800s, Halloween became less of a religious festival and more a community-oriented secular event. Vandalism became rife, but soon ceased after a police crackdown during the 1950s, and the ages-old practice of trick-or-treating was revived. But trick-or-treating is showing signs of fading away again, due in part to stories of lunatics putting razor blades into apples and poison into candy. Though there has never been one police-documented instance of this vile act anywhere, this frightening urban legend persists. As a result, Americans are turning back to the joyful community celebrations of long ago, gathering together in the village with costumes, treats, bonfires, and telling scary stories late into the night.

Today Americans spend $2.5 billion annually at Halloween, making it the second largest commercial holiday after Christmas. So this Halloween gather with your friends and neighbors, share a few ghost stories, pass the candy corn, and have yourself a merry little Samhain!

This article appeared on the Collectibles Today website on October 2001. To see their frightfully fun Halloween collectibles and home decor, visit their website at collectiblestoday.com.

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