Games and other
activities
There are several games traditionally associated with
Halloween. Some of these games originated as divination rituals or ways of
foretelling one's future, especially regarding death, marriage and children.
During the Middle Ages, these rituals were done by a "rare few" in
rural communities as they were considered to be "deadly serious"
practices. In recent centuries, these
divination games have been "a common feature of the household festivities"
in Ireland and Britain. They often
involve apples and hazelnuts. In Celtic mythology, apples were strongly
associated with the Otherworld and immortality, while hazelnuts were associated
with divine wisdom. Some also suggest
that they derive from Roman practices in celebration of Pomona.
Children bobbing for
apples at Hallowe'en
The following activities were a common feature of Halloween
in Ireland and Britain during the 17th–20th centuries. Some have become more
widespread and continue to be popular today. One common game is apple bobbing
or dunking (which may be called "dooking" in Scotland) in which
apples float in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants must use
only their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. A variant of dunking
involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to
drive the fork into an apple. Another common game involves hanging up treacle
or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands
while they remain attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to
a sticky face. Another once-popular game involves hanging a small wooden rod
from the ceiling at head height, with a lit candle on one end and an apple
hanging from the other. The rod is spun round and everyone takes turns to try
to catch the apple with their teeth.
Several of the traditional activities from Ireland and
Britain involve foretelling one's future partner or spouse. An apple would be
peeled in one long strip, and then the peel tossed over the shoulder. The peel
is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's
name. Two hazelnuts would be roasted near a fire; one named for the person
roasting them and the other for the person they desire. If the nuts jump away
from the heat, it is a bad sign, but if the nuts roast quietly it foretells a good
match. A salty oatmeal bannock would be
baked; the person would eat it in three bites and then go to bed in silence
without anything to drink. This is said to result in a dream in which their
future spouse offers them a drink to quench their thirst. Unmarried women were told that if they sat in
a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their
future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before
marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated
on greeting cards from the late 19th century and early 20th century.
In Ireland and Scotland, items would be hidden in food –
usually a cake, barmbrack, cranachan, champ or colcannon – and portions of it
served out at random. A person's future would be foretold by the item they
happened to find; for example, a ring meant marriage and a coin meant wealth.
Up until the 19th century, the Halloween bonfires were also
used for divination in parts of Scotland, Wales and Brittany. When the fire
died down, a ring of stones would be laid in the ashes, one for each person. In
the morning, if any stone was mislaid it was said that the person it
represented would not live out the year.
Telling ghost stories and watching horror films are common
fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and Halloween-themed
specials (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or
before Halloween, while new horror films are often released before Halloween to
take advantage of the holiday.
Haunted attractions
Haunted attractions are entertainment venues designed to
thrill and scare patrons. Most attractions are seasonal Halloween businesses
that may include haunted houses, corn mazes, and hayrides, and the level of
sophistication of the effects has risen as the industry has grown.
The first recorded purpose-built haunted attraction was the
Orton and Spooner Ghost House, which opened in 1915 in Liphook, England. This
attraction actually most closely resembles a carnival fun house, powered by
steam. The House still exists, in the
Hollycombe Steam Collection.
It was during the 1930s, about the same time as
trick-or-treating, that Halloween-themed haunted houses first began to appear
in America. It was in the late 1950s that haunted houses as a major attraction
began to appear, focusing first on California. Sponsored by the Children's
Health Home Junior Auxiliary, the San Mateo Haunted House opened in 1957. The
San Bernardino Assistance League Haunted House opened in 1958. Home haunts
began appearing across the country during 1962 and 1963. In 1964, the San Manteo
Haunted House opened, as well as the Children's Museum Haunted House in
Indianapolis.
The haunted house as an American cultural icon can be
attributed to the opening of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland on 12 August
1969. Knott's Berry Farm began hosting
its own Halloween night attraction, Knott's Scary Farm, which opened in 1973. Evangelical Christians adopted a form of these
attractions by opening one of the first "hell houses" in 1972.
The first Halloween haunted house run by a nonprofit
organization was produced in 1970 by the Sycamore-Deer Park Jaycees in Clifton,
Ohio. It was cosponsored by WSAI, an AM radio station broadcasting out of
Cincinnati, Ohio. It was last produced in 1982. Other Jaycees followed suit with their own versions
after the success of the Ohio house. The March of Dimes copyrighted a
"Mini haunted house for the March of Dimes" in 1976 and began
fundraising through their local chapters by conducting haunted houses soon
after. Although they apparently quit supporting this type of event nationally
sometime in the 1980s, some March of Dimes haunted houses have persisted until
today.
On the evening of 11 May 1984, in Jackson Township, New
Jersey, the Haunted Castle (Six Flags Great Adventure) caught fire. As a result
of the fire, eight teenagers perished. The backlash to the tragedy was a tightening
of regulations relating to safety, building codes and the frequency of
inspections of attractions nationwide. The smaller venues, especially the
nonprofit attractions, were unable to compete financially, and the better
funded commercial enterprises filled the vacuum. Facilities that were once able
to avoid regulation because they were considered to be temporary installations
now had to adhere to the stricter codes required of permanent attractions.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, theme parks entered the
business seriously. Six Flags Fright Fest began in 1986 and Universal Studios
Florida began Halloween Horror Nights in 1991. Knott's Scary Farm experienced a
surge in attendance in the 1990s as a result of America's obsession with
Halloween as a cultural event. Theme parks have played a major role in
globalizing the holiday. Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Studios
Japan both participate, while Disney now mounts Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween
Party events at its parks in Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo, as well as in the
United States. The theme park haunts are
by far the largest, both in scale and attendance.
Food
On All Hallows' Eve, many Western Christian denominations
encourage abstinence from meat, giving rise to a variety of vegetarian foods
associated with this day.
A candy apple
Because in the Northern Hemisphere Halloween comes in the
wake of the yearly apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside
North America), caramel apples or taffy apples are common Halloween treats made
by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling
them in nuts.
At one time, candy apples were commonly given to
trick-or-treating children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of
widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and
razor blades in the apples in the United States. While there is evidence of such incidents,
relative to the degree of reporting of such cases, actual cases involving malicious
acts are extremely rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless,
many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant because of the
mass media. At the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free X-rays of
children's Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually
all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their
own children's candy.[
One custom that persists in modern-day Ireland is the baking
(or more often nowadays, the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish: báirÃn breac),
which is a light fruitcake, into which a plain ring, a coin, and other charms
are placed before baking. It is
considered fortunate to be the lucky one who finds it. It has also been said that those who get a
ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the
tradition of king cake at the festival of Epiphany.
List of foods associated with Halloween:
·
Barmbrack (Ireland)
·
Bonfire toffee (Great Britain)
·
Candy apples/toffee apples (Great Britain and
Ireland)
·
Candy apples, candy corn, candy pumpkins (North
America)
·
Chocolate
·
Monkey nuts (peanuts in their shells) (Ireland
and Scotland)
·
Caramel apples
·
Caramel corn
·
Colcannon (Ireland)
·
Halloween
cake
·
Sweets/candy
·
Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins,
bats, worms, etc.
·
Roasted pumpkin seeds
·
Roasted sweet corn
·
Soul cakes
Christian religious
observances
On Hallowe'en (All Hallows' Eve), in Poland, believers were
once taught to pray out loud as they walk through the forests in order that the
souls of the dead might find comfort; in Spain, Christian priests in tiny
villages toll their church bells in order to remind their congregants to
remember the dead on All Hallows' Eve. In Ireland, and among immigrants in Canada, a
custom includes the Christian practice of abstinence, keeping All Hallows' Eve
as a meat-free day, and serving pancakes or colcannon instead. In Mexico children make an altar to invite the
return of the spirits of dead children (angelitos).
The Christian Church traditionally observed Hallowe'en
through a vigil. Worshippers prepared themselves for feasting on the following
All Saints' Day with prayers and fasting. This church service is known as the Vigil of
All Hallows or the Vigil of All Saints; an initiative known as Night of Light
seeks to further spread the Vigil of All Hallows throughout Christendom. After the service, "suitable festivities
and entertainments" often follow, as well as a visit to the graveyard or
cemetery, where flowers and candles are often placed in preparation for All
Hallows' Day. In Finland, because so
many people visit the cemeteries on All Hallows' Eve to light votive candles
there, they "are known as valomeri, or seas of light".
Halloween Scripture
Candy with gospel tract
Today, Christian attitudes towards Halloween are diverse. In
the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian
traditions associated with All Hallow's Eve. Some of these practices include praying,
fasting and attending worship services.
O LORD our God,
increase, we pray thee, and multiply upon us the gifts of thy grace: that we,
who do prevent the glorious festival of all thy Saints, may of thee be enabled
joyfully to follow them in all virtuous and godly living. Through Jesus Christ,
Our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
ever one God, world without end. Amen. —Collect
of the Vigil of All Saints, The Anglican Breviary
Other Protestant Christians also celebrate All Hallows' Eve
as Reformation Day, a day to remember the Protestant Reformation, alongside All
Hallow's Eve or independently from it. This is because Martin Luther is said to have
nailed his Ninety-five Theses to All Saints' Church in Wittenberg on All Hallows'
Eve. Often, "Harvest
Festivals" or "Reformation Festivals" are held on All Hallows'
Eve, in which children dress up as Bible characters or Reformers. In addition to distributing candy to children
who are trick-or-treating on Hallowe'en, many Christians also provide gospel
tracts to them. One organization, the American Tract Society, stated that
around 3 million gospel tracts are ordered from them alone for Hallowe'en
celebrations. Others order
Halloween-themed Scripture Candy to pass out to children on this day.
Some Christians feel concerned about the modern celebration
of Halloween because they feel it trivializes – or celebrates – paganism, the
occult, or other practices and cultural phenomena deemed incompatible with
their beliefs. Father Gabriele Amorth,
an exorcist in Rome, has said, "if
English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one
night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm
in that." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of
Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on Halloween. Similarly, many contemporary Protestant
churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their
churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get
candy for free. To these Christians, Halloween holds no threat to the spiritual
lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the
Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of
their parishioners' heritage. Christian minister Sam Portaro wrote that
Halloween is about using "humor and ridicule to confront the power of
death".
In the Roman Catholic Church, Halloween's Christian
connection is acknowledged, and Halloween celebrations are common in many Catholic
parochial schools. Many fundamentalist
and evangelical churches use "Hell houses" and comic-style tracts in
order to make use of Halloween's popularity as an opportunity for
evangelism. Others consider Halloween to
be completely incompatible with the Christian faith due to its putative origins
in the Festival of the Dead celebration. Indeed, even though Eastern Orthodox
Christians observe All Hallows' Day on the First Sunday after Pentecost, The
Eastern Orthodox Church recommends the observance of Vespers or a Paraklesis on
the Western observance of All Hallows' Eve, out of the pastoral need to provide
an alternative to popular celebrations.
Analogous
celebrations and perspectives
Judaism
According to Alfred J. Kolatch in the Second Jewish Book of
Why, in Judaism, Halloween is not permitted by Jewish Halakha because it
violates Leviticus 18:3, which forbids Jews from partaking in gentile customs.
Many Jews observe Yizkor communally four times a year, which is vaguely similar
to the observance of Allhallowtide in Christianity, in the sense that prayers
are said for both "martyrs and for one's own family". Nevertheless, many American Jews celebrate
Halloween, disconnected from its Christian origins. Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser has said that
"There is no religious reason why contemporary Jews should not celebrate
Halloween" while Orthodox Rabbi Michael Broyde has argued against Jews'
observing the holiday. Jews do have the
holiday of Purim, where the children dress up in costumes to celebrate.
Islam
Sheikh Idris Palmer, author of A Brief Illustrated Guide to
Understanding Islam, has argued that Muslims should not participate in
Halloween, stating that "participation
in Halloween is worse than participation in Christmas, Easter, ... it is more
sinful than congratulating the Christians for their prostration to the crucifix". Javed Memon, a Muslim writer, has disagreed,
saying that his "daughter dressing
up like a British telephone booth will not destroy her faith as a Muslim".
Hinduism
Hindus remember the dead during the festival of Pitru
Paksha, during which Hindus pay homage to and perform a ceremony "to keep
the souls of their ancestors at rest". It is celebrated in the Hindu month
of Bhadrapada, usually in mid-September.
The celebration of the Hindu festival Diwali sometimes conflicts with
the date of Halloween; but some Hindus choose to participate in the popular
customs of Halloween. Other Hindus, such as Soumya Dasgupta, have
opposed the celebration on the grounds that Western holidays like Halloween
have "begun to adversely affect our indigenous festivals".
Neopaganism
There is no consistent rule or view on Halloween amongst
those who describe themselves as Neopagans or Wiccans. Some Neopagans do not
observe Halloween, but instead observe Samhain on 1 November, some neopagans do
enjoy Halloween festivities, stating that one can observe both "the
solemnity of Samhain in addition to the fun of Halloween". Some neopagans
are opposed to the celebration of Hallowe'en, stating that it "trivializes
Samhain", and "avoid Halloween, because of the interruptions from
trick or treaters". The Manitoban
writes that "Wiccans don't officially celebrate Halloween, despite the
fact that 31 Oct. will still have a star beside it in any good Wiccan's day
planner. Starting at sundown, Wiccans celebrate a holiday known as Samhain.
Samhain actually comes from old Celtic traditions and is not exclusive to Neopagan
religions like Wicca. While the traditions of this holiday originate in Celtic
countries, modern day Wiccans don't try to historically replicate Samhain
celebrations. Some traditional Samhain rituals are still practiced, but at its
core, the period is treated as a time to celebrate darkness and the dead – a
possible reason why Samhain can be confused with Halloween celebrations."
Around the world
The traditions and importance of Halloween vary greatly
among countries that observe it. In Scotland and Ireland, traditional Halloween
customs include children dressing up in costume going "guising",
holding parties, while other practices in Ireland include lighting bonfires,
and having firework displays. In Brittany children would play practical
jokes by setting candles inside skulls in graveyards to frighten visitors. Mass transatlantic immigration in the 19th
century popularized Halloween in North America, and celebration in the United
States and Canada has had a significant impact on how the event is observed in
other nations. This larger North American influence, particularly in iconic and
commercial elements, has extended to places such as Ecuador, Chile, Australia,
New Zealand, (most) continental Europe, Japan, and other parts of East Asia. In the Philippines, during Halloween,
Filipinos return to their hometowns and purchase candles and flowers, in
preparation for the following All Saints Day (Araw ng mga Patay) on 1 November
and All Souls Day – though it falls on 2 November, most of them observe it on
the day before. In Mexico and Latin
America in general, it is referred to as " DÃa de Muertos " which
translates in English to "Day of the dead". Most of the people from
Latin America construct altars in their homes to honor their deceased relatives
and they decorate them with flowers and candies and other offerings.
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