Halloween's spooky history revealed

By Michelle L. Young
Daily Forty-Niner

History has seen many variations of Halloween that have evolved into Halloween as we know it.

In ancient Europe, Halloween marked the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter by celebrating late in autumn. Pagans would celebrate and thank the gods for the harvest, according to the Encarta Web site.

The Celtic pagan religious festival of the Druids called Samhain, celebrated an important transition in the annual cycle of the seasons beginning at sundown on the eve of October 31st. Spirits roamed the earth as Celts sought to ward off these spirits with offerings of food and drink. Bonfires were built on sacred hilltop sites as human and animal sacrifices honored Druid deities.

Pomona, goddess of the fruit trees, was worshipped during Samhain by the Romans and Celtics. The practice of bobbing for apples may derive from this association of Pomona.

Pope Gregory IV marked All Saints' day, a day to worship dead saints, in 835 A.D. to replace Samhain.

All Souls' day was instituted in place of Halloween by a French Monastery in 998 A.D.

Besides black cats, bats and spiders, one of the most common decorations used to celebrate the holiday is the Jack-O'-Lantern, a pumpkin with a face carved on it. According to British folk tale, the soul of the diseased Jack O'Lantern was barred from both heaven and hell. He was condemned to wander the earth with his lantern. The black and orange colors associated with Halloween are derived from the pumpkin.

British folklore also associated Halloween mischief with small magical fairies. Halloween was also a time to use various methods of predicting the future, especially concerning romance and marriage.

Later in the 15th to 17th centuries, fear of witchcraft led to the persecution of thousands of innocent women, as witches were thought to ride brooms and assume the form of black cats.

The United States in the 18th and 19th centuries celebrated Halloween as young people vandalized sheds and broke windows.

The 1930s tamed Halloween with the modern ritual of trick-or-treating we know today.

The 1970s awakened parents to the idea of children being given poisoned treats or possible kidnapping and murder. Often trick-or-treating only occurred in schools or during twilight hours.

Today Halloween harkens supernatural forces and spirits of the dead revolving around dark imagery of witches, werewolves, vampires and ghosts.

The pagan holiday filled with hopeful trick-or-treaters is celebrated and  elaborate satirical costumes are common among adult Halloween parties as most adults seem to celebrate a fun evening whether at a clubs, bars or houses.