Welcome back to the Randomizer!
So once again, I’ve been stuck on what to talk about this
month (isn’t that always the way?), and flip-flopped in between what to talk
about. Either talking my favourite moments from the recently ended This Is
England, or looking into the roots of every child-adult, or child and adult’s
favourite excuse to dress up, Halloween. I decided to do Halloween because,
really, it’s something that’s probably quite unknown in the mainstream, and
despite admittedly my own lack of passion into this subject, beside some
interest, there might be something lurking underneath that will spark my
attention further, as if it hasn’t done already. So perhaps I will talk about
This is England next month, don’t worry! Although I might have to appease Mibs
Bayliss somehow…I’ll think of something.
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| Yes, that'll do |
Anyway, yes. Halloween.
When the human creatures of the night come out to play,
dressed in various costumes of pop culture, historical period pieces and
different animals, to get drunk in the appropriate manner at home or parties
across towns and cities, or go out Trick or Treating and gorging on chocolate
as soon as you get back. You got sick the day after if you did either one, but
it was always worth it. You even get to meet celebrities as you go along. I
even got to meet Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy last year!
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| The melodies in the Duchess were pleasant |
But like many holidays in our calendar, Halloween has become
a commercialisation, where we embrace the culture spoon-fed to us, and don’t
really follow up on the basics of what this time of year is particularly about.
We seem to have lost an understanding, amongst the other parts of our lives. To
me, we seem to have no proper understanding of what Halloween is truly about. Unlike
Christmas, we all know what happened there. Or do we?..........yes, yes we do.
Or………perhaps another day. All Halloween may appear to be nowadays is an excuse
to dress-up, because it’s ingrained in our mind, without question, and get
chocolate or drink, without question. That’s really the point, without
question. We don’t really ask why we do this, we just do. Just like zombies.
This is what this article is about, to show what are the
roots of Halloween, and develop a better understanding into what the day is
actually about, amid the costumes, chocolate, and alcohol. Only by questioning,
we find the meaning of Halloween, and why it has become what it is today.
So…come and join me on this journey through time, costumes and hell,
if…you…dare. Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! (cough) sorry…need a glass of water. Bear
with me a moment.
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| Mustn't keep my audience waiting |
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So, where do the origins of Halloween lie? It’s apparent
that many of the traditions and folklore of Halloween, came from the Celtic
nations of the British Isles over 2,000 years ago, perhaps even more than that.
These include Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany (in the
north west of France, and considered part of the Celtic Isles), and perhaps
more specifically, Ireland. This makes for a happy Simon, especially the latter!
The tradition in particular for Halloween, was the festival of Samhain,
pronounced (sah-win) or (sow-in).
Samhain was marked as the beginning of winter, and hence the
harvest crops grown would be collected, and taken in for food supplies during
the cold months, along with perhaps cattle in addition. At the same time, the
Celts believed that certain boundaries overlapped each other, between the
living, and the mythological. Those mythological spirits were called Aos Si
(ees shee), who lived in underground mounds or trees or anywhere particularly
sacred, and were both respected and feared, possibly even capable of destroying
livestock and crops. So offerings of food and drink were made to appease the
Aos Si, so that possibility would go away for at least another year. It was
also when it was said the dead would rise back up and return to their homes.
Apparently, places at the dinner table, or by the fireplace, were set aside for
their return. Well to be fair, they will have had long journeys to make. Maybe
even after trick or treating.
It is pretty cool to see how many similarities there are, in
giving offerings to those mythological Aos Si, and giving chocolate out to the
Avengers if they showed up on your doorstep. It’s just a transfer of seeing
mythologies played out before you in culture.
As time passed to the Dark Ages, Samhain was adopted into the
Christian calendar, and given the name ‘All Hallow’s Eve’, before the holy days
of ‘All Saints’ and ‘All Souls’, all collectively known together as
Allhallowtide. By the end of the 12th century, they were recognised
holy days, with the added addition of the ringing of church bells, for those
who were yet to reach Heaven, with criers clad in black walking the streets to
remember the dead.
The recognisable additions, similar to our
trick-or-treating, came in the 15th and 16th centuries in
the form of ‘souling’, and ‘guising’. ‘Souling’ in the former century has been
suggested as the first form of ‘trick-or-treating’, baked soul cakes for any
christened people, dating in England, Germany, Italy, Austria and Belgium.
Children went around collecting them, in exchange for praying to the dead, more
for the giver’s relatives and friend’s souls. ‘Guising’ came in the latter, in
the Celtic nations, when people dressed in costume, singing verses and songs,
in exchange for food. It’s possible that as well in the Middle Ages, some
churches could not afford showing off relics of martyred saints, and allowed
parishioners to dress up as the saints. One tradition that seems to have been
continued on unrecognisably was ‘mumming’, or folk plays, going door-to-door
performing house visits and going to public houses. So looking back to this,
these traditions seem exactly the same as what would happen today.
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| TRICK OR TREAT! |
Thus far we have an understanding of where the origins of
Halloween lie. Samhain was an important time of the year for many Celtic
supporters…oops, sorry, people. It was a difficult time to be in the winter
cold, especially with knowing that mythological creatures were out and about maybe
ruining your crops, and the dead coming back home to sit by the fire. But the
way it has changed over two millenniums, is remarkable in how little it seems
to resemble itself nowadays. The basics of giving food and dressing up are
there, but as we’ve become more knowledgeable, you could argue the original
meaning is just gone, more to the dead then the Aos Si. That day to respect
those who have died has really gone (I’m not really counting Remembrance Day
because that’s really for the armed forces). So perhaps it might be nice to do
something similar on Halloween to do that again, even as something simple as
lighting a candle. I’m considering doing that. Anyone else up for that?
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As perhaps something that has happened in history, many
other different cultures and aspects have become intertwined with Halloween,
some possibly apparent from Samhain, which are still continued on this day. Apple
bobbing was merged into Halloween, thanks to the Romans who had conquered
Britain and brought apple trees with them, representation the goddess Pomona.
But there are definitely some popular examples.
One popular aspect of Halloween are the Jack-O-Lanterns. In
the Middle Ages, it’s possible the lanterns could have been related to guiding
the dead back to home. Fires and candles were lit, some at home, to guide them
on their way away from Christians, back to their homes, known as soul lights.
Many Christians on the continent believed the dead would rise up for a, ‘wild,
hideous carnival’, known as the ‘Dance Macabre’. That would explain the ‘Night
on Bald Mountain’ segment from ‘Fantasia’.
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| He does the carnival for free. Still good numbers go every year! |
Another folklore about the Jack-O-Lantern comes from
Ireland, of how a man called Dave…no, not really, Jack, tricked the Devil into
going up a tree and etched the cross into the bark, trapping him. When he died
after a good sinful life, he was denied both into Heaven and Hell, since the
Devil kept his promise, and chucked a coal from the fires of hell at him. Jack
placed the coal into a hollowed out turnip, and has carried on roaming for a
place to rest ever since. I hope he knows Shelter exists, they can give a bed
to rest. In Ireland and Scotland, turnips are the traditional vegetable to
carve faces into. When immigrants came to America, they used the native pumpkin
to carve in because it was softer and larger to use.
However from what research I could gather, it’s difficult to
understand properly where the idea for the Jack-O-Lantern originated, as a
Halloween custom. It’s possible that because Americans used pumpkins to carve
around harvest time, and Thanksgiving, it became absorbed into Halloween
culture later on. This is my speculation, unless proven otherwise.
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| Would he be as desperate to go to Justin Bieber's house? |
Another aspect, that has been claimed in relation to
Halloween as well, is a skull. Usually we associate a skull with death, an
understanding that life is finite, one of many destinies that we cannot deny,
as shown by different historical drawings of the personification of Death as a
skeleton, from the 15th century onwards, having been personified as
different versions in multiple cultures. Yet that image has remained engrained
in our heads easily enough. Considering the connections with the dead already
on Halloween, perhaps it made sense for the skull to be the theme for death,
and also becoming a personification for Halloween itself, along with souling
and guising? Who really knows? Stephen Fry probably.
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| I think the skeletons are there to stop him leaving the show. Ever. He will never move from that spot. .........Please? |
One final aspect I want to talk about is specifically horror
fiction, and why they’re easily associated with Halloween in general. Giving an
example, the Universal Monster Series, with the most recognisable characters of
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and The Wolf Man. Their first films released in
the 30s and 40s, and not during the time when Halloween was nearby, Dracula
being released in February, Frankenstein in November, and The Wolf Man in
December. It’s the same with their respective source materials, the books,
Dracula by Bram Stoker being released in January in 1897, Frankenstein being
released in 1819, unfortunately with no idea of a release date.
So why are they associated with Halloween? It’s more likely
because they are obviously part of the horror genre, using many elements
including body-snatching, blood-sucking, and transforming into another
creature, things that are viewed as inhuman. I think it was because it was easy
enough to throw those elements into Halloween, because its symbolisms were
quite clear anyway. Chuck them all into a witches boiling cauldron of the
finest Jack Daniels ever made. Red Blood Cherry Spirit. Hmmmmm, I think Alice
would love that.
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| Hubble, bubble, Jack Daniels and Trouble. This will give out good hangovers. |
From looking at a few of these aspects, it’s certain that
Halloween is a grand mixture of everything. Historical folklores becoming appropriated
for the day, with a number of mythological creatures joined in simply because
they are part of the horror genre. It’s interesting to make how much is mixed
and shown off in splendour, to bring out the most recognisable horrific elements
on one day of the year. Not that it means it’s all doom and gloom. For some,
Halloween is a fun time of year, to revel in the fictional creatures that give
us such joy, to dress up and roam streets all around the world, and gorge on
chocolate. That’s the main thing. It’s become a fun day in all.
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The third, and final, question is this. What is the meaning
of Halloween?
I think, for certain and obvious reasons, that the meaning
of Halloween has irrevocably changed over two millenniums, but definitely more
so in recent memory. We don’t think of
the idea of thinking about our loved ones and paying our respects anymore,
instead basking in the fun and expressing our love of the horror genre. It’s like
many words of the past, they can change definitions, and the meaning of
Halloween is no exception, despite death remaining a significant symbol either
way.
Like I said a moment ago, it’s not all bad. Halloween has
become a more or less a social day, to dress up and have a bit of fun on the
night. But with that we do lose some kind of meaning to it, regarding
remembering those who have passed on. You could argue that’s because of
Christianity being kind of faded out to a point, and perhaps even extend that
to Remembrance Day, like shouldn’t anyone be remembered, not just armed forces?
It is a tough argument because of fighting for a country against being a
singer, farmer, gamer etc. Although those are social constructs, and I think
that argument might have lost a bit of meaning. I must be that good at punching
holes haha! Though I do hate wasps. Punch holes in myself.
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| You should work on your arguments more....oh that's right, use that spray can. Solves all your problems- HOLY HELL WHAT THE F*** WAS IN THAT STUFF? ARGHH!!! |
Going back to Samhain, it’s easy to see why those kind of
meanings have changed over the years. Some of us aren’t in that difficult
position of trying to survive the winter cold anymore, and society won’t stay
the same as always throughout the years. But I think because of death being a
significant power during this day, it’s still something that resonates within
us.
It’s a difficult stance to make. I’d say when it comes to
it, really, it’s up to you now you understand a bit more of the history. I’d
think I’d still light a candle for all those who have passed on, but I’d still have
a bit of fun dressing up because that’s still part of how I remember Halloween.
Decisions, decisions, that’s what it really comes down to.
So in the end, Halloween is a choice in celebration. I think
I have my plans sorted. What about yooooOOOOOuuuuuuu? Sorry I had to do that.
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| Your puns are worthy of me |
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That’s it for this month. I apologise if there was any
information I got wrong, and will update accordingly if called out. Happy Halloween!
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