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October 30, 2004
Hallow Weenies
Give us something Good to Eat
The history of Halloween is fascinating, particularly its Christian connection. The origins of this holiday lie with the ancient Celtic tribes. According to AmericanCatholic.org, "For the Celts, November 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before the new year, they celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead."
Pope Gregory IV, made November 1st the celebration of all the martyrs, which became known later as All Saints Day. The night before became known as "All Hallow's Even" or Holy Evening. Eventually the name was shortened to Hallow'een.
The Sacrificial Pumpkin
Again the history of this tradition can be traced back to the Celts. PumpkinCarving101.com states "On this magical night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by candles."
The Irish brought this tradition to the new world and found that the pumpkin was perfect for the jack-o-lantern. According to an old Irish legend a man named Stingy Jack who was too mean to get into heaven and had played too many tricks on the devil to go to hell. When he died, he had to walk the earth, carrying a lantern made out of a turnip with a burning coal inside. Stingy jack became known as "Jack of the Lantern," or "Jack-o'-lantern".
The Frankenstein Files
A new Halloween music CD for children has been released by Neeka records. It is reminiscient of those good old scary horror flicks; campy and catchy. Check it out!
Posted by photocartoonist at October 30, 2004 7:17 PM