Halloween History

Halloween Parade in Chicago, 1960

2010-12-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

Original image available (at time of posting) from here: Chicago Halloween Parade

Halloween Decorations on a Chicago Porch, 1962

2010-12-12T17:40:00.001-08:00

Original image available (at time of posting) from here: Halloween 1962

Halloween -- Samhain, the Fire of Peace

2010-09-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

This rather rich passage is from Highland Superstitions by Alexander MacGregor, originally published in 1901.

Hallowe'en: The only other season noted for superstitious observances is that of Hallowe'en. Hallowe'en in Gaelic means "Samhuinn," that is "Samhtheine," the fire of peace. It is a Druidical festival, at which the fire of peace was regularly kindled. There is no night in the year which the popular imagination has stamped with a more peculiar character than Hallowe'en. It was the night, above all others, when supernatural influences prevailed. It was the night for the universal walking abroad of all sorts of spirits, fairies, and ghosts, all of whom had liberty on that night.

It was customary in many parts of Scotland to have hundreds of torches prepared in each district for weeks before Hallowe'en, so that, after sunset on that evening, every youth able to carry a blazing torch, or "samhnag," ran forth to surround the boundaries of their farms with these burning lights, and thereby protect all their possessions from the fairies. Having thus secured themselves by these fires of peace, all the households congregated to practice the various ceremonies and superstitious rites of that eventful evening. As these are pretty fully alluded to in Bums' poem of "Hallowe'en," it is unnecessary to enlarge here. There is still a remarkable uniformity in these fireside customs all over the kingdom. Nuts and apples are everywhere in requisition. These the old matron of the house has generally in store beforehand for the youngsters' good luck on that night, or as the Ayrshire Bard has so naturally expressed it—

The auld guidwife's weel hoordit nits

Are round and round divided,
And mony lads' and lasses' fate

Are there that night decided.
Some kindle couthie, side by side,

And burn thegither trimly ;
Some start awa' wi' saucy pride,

And jump out-owre the chimley,
Fu' high that night.

The ceremonies of the evening were numerous—such as, ducking for apples in a tub of water, the pulling of kail stocks, the three dishes or "luggies," the wetting of the shirt sleeve, the sowing of hemp seed, pulling the stalks of corn, throwing the clue of blue yarn into the pit of the kiln, the white of eggs put into a glass of water, reading of fortunes in teacups; these and many more were the superstitious ceremonies of Hallowe'en.

Perhaps there is no part of the Highlands of Scotland where the practice of using the flaming torches of Hallowe'en is so much observed, even still, as in the braes of Aberdeenshire. Not later than last year, our Gracious Majesty, no doubt in order to preserve those relics of ancient times, caused these blazing torches to be kindled by the youth of the place, around Balmoral Castle. The torches are considered by the natives to be the means of protecting, not only their farms and other possessions from the ravages of the fairies, but likewise mothers and newly-born infants. While the landed possessions were duly surrounded that evening by the torch-bearers, the dwellings where children had been born were encompassed with still greater care, for the safety of the mothers and their young offspring, which the fairies were on the watch to snatch away.

The torch-bearers used great care in carrying their fire in the right-hand, and therewith running around their premises from right to left, thus observing the "Deas-iuil," or the right hand direction. The "Tuath-iuil," being the left-hand, or wrong direction, would render their precautions entirely abortive. In this manner they protected their properties, and prevented the fairy thieves from snatching away the unbaptised infants from their mothers' bed, placing in their room their own ugly and deformed children. Martin, in his History of the Western Isles, informs us, "That this was considered an effectual means to preserve both the mother and infant from the power of evil spirits, who are ready at such times to do mischief, and sometimes carry away the infants, and return poor, meagre skeletons; and these infants have voracious appetites. In this case it was usual for those who believed that their children were thus taken away, to dig a grave in the fields on quarter-day, and there to lay the fairy-skeleton till next morning, at which time the parents went to the place, where they doubted not to find their own child instead of the skeleton." They had also, in other localities, recourse to the barbarous charm of burning, with a live coal, the toes of the suffering infant, the supposed changeling. The Fairies were not contented with abstracting handsome children— beautiful maidens and wives sometimes disappeared.

"The Miller of Menstrie," in Clackmannan, who possessed a charming spouse, had given offence to the fairy court, and was, in consequence, deprived of his fair helpmate. His distress was aggravated by hearing his wife singing in the air—

Oh! Alya woods are bonnie,
Tillicoultry hills are fair;
But when I think o' the bonnie braes o' Menstrie,
It male's my heart aye sair.

After many attempts to procure her restoration, the miller chanced one day, in riddling some stuff at the mill-door, to use a posture of enchantment, when the spell was dissolved, and the matron fell into his arms. The wife of the Blacksmith of Tullibody was carried up the chimney, the fairies, as they bore her off, singing—

Deidle linkum doddie;
We've gotten drucken Davie's wife,
The smith o' Tullibody.

"Those snatched to Fairyland," says Dr. Buchan, "might be recovered within a year and a day, but the spell for the recovery was only potent when the fairies made, on Hallowe'en, their annual procession." Sir Walter Scott relates the following:— "The wife of a Lothian farmer had been watched by the fairies. During the year of probation, she had repeatedly appeared on Sundays in the midst of her children, combing their hair. On one of these occasions she was accosted by her husband, when she instructed him how to rescue her at the next Hallowe'en procession. The farmer conned his lesson carefully, and, on the appointed day, proceeded to a plot of furze to await the arrival of the procession. It came, but the ringing of the fairy bridles so confused him, that the train passed ere he could sufficiently recover himself to use the intended spell. The unearthly laugh of the abductors, and the passionate lamentations of his wife informed him that she was lost to him for ever."

"A woman," says Dr. Buchan, "who had been conveyed to fairyland, was warned by one she had formerly known as a mortal, to avoid eating and drinking with her new friends for a certain period. She obeyed, and when the time expired, she found herself on earth restored to the society of mankind."

A matron on another occasion was carried to fairyland to nurse her new-born child, which had been previously abducted. She had not been long in her enchanted dwelling when she furtively anointed an eye with the contents of a boiling cauldron. She now discovered that what had previously seemed a gorgeous palace, was, in reality, a gloomy cavern. She was dismissed, but one of the wicked wights, when she demanded her child, spat in her eye, and extinguished its light for ever.

About the middle of last century, a clergyman at Kirkmichael, Perthshire, whose faith was more regulated by the scepticism of philosophy, than the credulity of superstition, would not be prevailed upon to yield his assent to the opinion of the times. At length, however, he felt from experience that he doubted what he ought to have believed. One night, as he was returning home at a late hour, from a meeting of Presbytery, and the customary dinner which followed, he was seized by the fairies, and carried aloft into the air. Through fields of ether and fleecy cloud he journeyed many a mile, descrying the earth far distant below him, and no bigger than a nut-shell. Being thus sufficiently convinced of the reality of their existence, they let him down at the door of his own house, where he afterwards often recited to the wondering circle, the marvellous tale of his adventure. Some people will believe that "spirits" of a different sort had a little to do with the worthy minister's conviction, and that his "ain gude grey mare" had more to do with bringing him to his own door than the fairies.

It is difficult to describe a Hallowe'en as enjoyed by a family circle in olden times. An eye-witness has given the following account of it:— "When I entered the house, the tide of enjoyment was rolling on in full career. I listened and thought I heard an unusual noise in the apartment immediately above. The noise, however, was by no means of an alarming kind. It appeared to be the obstreperous romping of a parcel of youngsters. I found that the ladies of the house had brought together a number of young friends to burn nuts and duck for apples. I ascertained that previous to my appearance, they had already gone through the greater part of the ceremonies of the evening. They had pulled stocks, burnt nuts, and were now collected with earnest and somewhat awe-stricken faces, round a table on which stood two or three wine-glasses full of pure water. They were, in fact, about to commence the ceremony of dropping the egg—a ceremony which is performed by puncturing a fresh egg with a pin, when the person whose destiny is to be read holds it over a glass of pure water, into which he allows a few drops from the egg to fall. The glass is then held up to the candle, and some important event in the future life of the inquirer is found exhibited hieroglyphically in the glass,—the egg droppings assuming an endless variety of shapes, in which the skilful in these matters discover a resemblance to things, which, by association, clearly point out coming circumstances and events. All this was done by an old, weird sybil, who had been invited for the special purpose of reading to the young folks the various signs and indications of this privileged right. We all tried our fortunes after the most approved manner of egg-dropping, by the direction of the withered sybil already alluded to, and who, indeed, looked the very 'beau ideal' of a witch, or fortune-teller of coming events. She was old, shrivelled, and haggard—had a shrill, sharp voice, and was withal marvellously, loquacious. She seemed to be deeply in earnest, and to be strongly impressed with the solemnities which were going forward, and was more than once highly displeased with what she considered our irreverence for these matters, and the unbecoming and ill-timed levity with which we heard each other's fortunes foretold. We had all now tried our luck, with various results, but there was one young gentleman, who, I thought, seemed rather disinclined to go through the ceremony—and indeed, he finally endeavoured to back out altogether by a forced joke. We all urged him on, however, and at length fairly drove him to the experiment. 'Come awa, come awa, my bonny man,—excuse me for speaking that way, but ye ken I've kent ye sin ye was a bairn, and hae dandled ye mony a time on my knee. Come awa, and lat's see what luck is to be yours. I'm sure it'll be gowd in goppins, and true love to brook it—a bonnie lady wi' a bonnier tocher.' Whilst the old woman was speaking, the youth, having advanced close to the table, was in the act of dropping, with rather an unsteady hand, the egg into the glass. This done: 'Here Janet,' he said, with an affected laugh, and at the same time handing the glass to her across the table—' Now, give me all the good things of this life, let not one be awanting on your peril.' Well, all awaited in silence the announcement of our friend's future fortune, as we felt a degree of interest, nay of awe, stealing in upon us, which gradually allayed the light spirit with which we had entered the apartment. The old woman had now gently raised the glass between her eye and the candle, and having peered through it for a second—'Eh! gude guide us, Sirs,' she exclaimed, ' Gude guide us, what's this we hae here; but it canna be, it canna be, let me see,' and she looked with an increased intensity at the fatal signs. 'Ay! ay!' she said again, ' it's but owre true, my bairn, my bairn,' she added, and laying down the glass on the table. ' Are ye sure it was your glass ye gae me?' 'Sure enough, Janet, sure enough, what's all this fuss about?' 'What is it, Janet, what is't, what is't?' now burst from both old and young, all being wound up to a pitch of the most intense interest to know what was that fate which Janet's expressions so particularly and fearfully hinted at. 'I insist on knowing,' said the young gentleman, striking his hand on the table with a sort of good-natured energy, for he affected to be laughing at the time. 'I insist upon it,' he said,'for the edification of all present. Come then, Janet, any thing you like short of permature death and ruin, and crossed love.' 'But it's short o' neither, my bairn! Alas! it's short o' neither,' said the old woman gravely and seriously. 'It's indeed short o' neither—there's a winding sheet there wi' a fearful rent in it, and that ye ken, betokens a violent death; there's a'—here, perceiving that things were getting rather serious, I suddenly burst in with an affected shout of hilarity, overturned the glass, talked loudly and obstreperously, and insisted upon our adjourning to the apartment we had left. So, with a wild, but assumed glee, we hurriedly descended to the room below.

"We endeavoured to enjoy ourselves, but still a weight seemed to have been laid upon the spirits of us all, which nothing could remove. We all felt the absurdity of permitting such a frivolous circumstance as the egg-dropping to depress us, but we could not hide from ourselves the fact that it had depressed us, and more particularly so, as our excellent host—a kind-hearted youth of twenty-three—had evidently taken the sybil's vaticinations too severely to heart. Under this feeling, and after our kind host had made such ineffectual attempts to restore the gaiety of the evening, the party broke up, each went his own way, and I retired to bed. 'Confound that old hag,' said my friend, just as I was about to part with him for the night; 'confound her, she has spoiled our evening's enjoyment with her nonsense. Wasn't it evident,' he said, 'that our friends were damped by the fooleries up-stairs?' I said, avoiding a direct answer, 'that we had spent a very pleasant night, and if there was any feeling of the kind he alluded to, a night's sleep would entirely remove it.' I met my friend and his aunts next morning at breakfast, where he more than once alluded to the circumstance during our meal; and indeed fairly allowed that, in despite of the contempt with which he viewed such things, he could not help the idea of the rent winding-sheet still retaining its hold on his imagination.

"It will serve no purpose to relate the history of this unfortunate youth. The impression of the old hag's prediction never left him, but increased in intensity as some years passed on. He became addicted to intemperate habits, and utterly heedless of his worldly affairs. He squandered his patrimonial estate, and ruined his aged aunts, who lived with him. Ultimately, he wandered in beggary to a neighbouring city, and frequented the lowest haunts of dissipation, where he was found by a friend, who had gone in search of him, but found exactly an hour after he had swallowed a vial of laudanum. He opened his eyes, and knew his friend, who had just procured a surgeon; but all in vain. His last words were—' Oh! the winding sheet; the rent winding-sheet!' and in less than two hours, he gently expired."

There are instances of the minds of some having been unhinged through the influence of undue credulity in certain practices of this nature. It has frequently happened besides, that personal injury has been inflicted, unintentionally no doubt, by the frolics and fooleries of that evening. The throwing of cabbage runts and large round turnips down the "lums," or chimneys of the cottars' dwellings, have often struck violently upon the family group around the cosy ingle, and inflicted serious injuries. The ceremony of throwing the clue of blue yarn into the pit of the kiln is one that has been attended with unhappy results. Kilns for drying corn are generally erected in lonely places, apart from the other dwellings, owing to their liability to catch fire. On the other hand, the kiln-logies or pits, are dreary, dark, deep receptacles, of circular form, narrow below and wide above, like hollow cones inverted. During the romping frivolities of the domestic circle in performing as many of the games as they can, lots are cast as to the maiden who must resort to the kiln at the dark hour of midnight, with her clue of blue thread in her hand, to meet with her sweetheart, or to hear his name. The selected " lass" mast go, and go alone, however dark and stormy the night. It requires no small fortitude to enter the damp, dark kiln, to climb to the upper ridge of the kiln-logie, and to sit in that weird position in utter darkness. By this time, however, a number of the young men, unknown to the girl, had resorted to the kiln, and concealed themselves in and around the place. The girl, with palpitating heart cast her clue in to the kiln-logie, retaining the end of the thread in her hand, and exclaiming, with tremulous voice, "Co e sud th'air ceann mo rbpain?' (Who is there at the end of my rope or thread?) Some of the youths, hidden in the kiln, would enter the aperture or fire-place below, lay hold of the clue in the pit, and cry with a feigned-unnatural voice, " I am here, what want ye with me?" "Who art thou, and what thy name, bold swain ?" The replies to this query were various. Some said that they were the girl's sweetheart, others, that they were wizards or beings of the supernatural order. Some even wickedly feigned to be the prince of darkness, when the preconcerted shrieking and howling of the hidden fellows so terrified the trembling young female above, as to render her a helpless maniac for life.

Pumpkin Lore and Legend

2010-09-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

PUMPKIN.—Among the East Indians, there is a legend that there once existed a mighty man named lata, whose only son died. The father wished to bury him, but did not know where. So he placed him in an enormous Pumpkin, which he conveyed to the foot of a mountain, not far from his habitation. Impelled by his love for the departed one, he one day had the curiosity to revisit the spot, and, desirous of once again seeing his son, he opened the Pumpkin. Immediately whales and other immense fish jumped out. Iai'a, affrighted, returned home, and told what he had seen to his neighbours, adding that the Pumpkin appeared to be filled with water and quantities of fish. Four brothers who had been born at one time rushed off in haste to the spot indicated, in order to secure the fish for food. Iai'a followed, to prevent them from injuring the Pumpkin. The brothers, who had succeeded in lifting the gigantic vegetable, were frightened at seeing Iai'a approach, and let fall the Pumpkin, which was, in consequence, cracked in several places. From the fissures thus made poured forth such a volume of water, that the whole earth was inundated: and from this circumstance the oceans were formed. The Chinese honour the Pumpkin or Gourd as the emperor of vegetables. The vegetable was considered by the ancients to be an emblem of abundance, fecundity, prosperity, and good health. To dream of Pumpkins, however, is considered a very bad omen.

From Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics. Embracing the Myths, Traditions, Superstitions, and Folk-Lore of the Plant Kingdom (and lyrics.)

Recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2010-09-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Don't throw those pumpkin seeds away, roast them! They're a delicious and nutty treat. Here's how:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water; the sooner you do this, the better, as they're harder to clean when dry. Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (I use olive oil) and spread out pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and bake until toasty, about 25 minutes. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

About Pumpkin Seeds

A pepita (from Mexican Spanish: pepita de calabaza, "little seed of squash") or pumpkin seed is an edible seed of a pumpkin or other cultivar of squash (genus Cucurbita), typically rather flat and asymmetrically oval, and light green in color inside a white hull. The word can refer either to the hulled kernel or unhulled whole seed, and most commonly refers to the roasted end product. The pressed oil of the roasted seeds of a specific pumpkin variety is also used in Central and Eastern European cuisine (see Pumpkin seed oil).

Pepitas are a popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine and are also roasted and served as a snack. Marinated and roasted, they are an autumn seasonal favorite in the rural United States, as well as a commercially produced and distributed packaged snack, like sunflower seeds, available year-round. Pepitas are known by their Spanish name (usually shortened), and typically salted and sometimes spiced after roasting (and today also available as a packaged product), in Mexico and other Latin American countries, in the American Southwest, and in specialty and Mexican food stores. In the Americas, they have been eaten since at least the time of the Aztecs and probably much earlier, since squash was one of the three earliest plant domesticates in the Western Hemisphere, along with maize (corn) and common beans (collectively, the Native American agricultural "Three Sisters", originating in Mexico).

They are often simply called pumpkin seeds in English. As an ingredient in mole dishes, they are known in Spanish as pipian. Lightly roasted, salted, unhulled pumpkin seeds are popular in Greece with the descriptive Italian name, passatempo ("pastime").

Nutrition

The seeds are also good sources of protein, and the essential minerals iron (25 grams (about a US quarter-cup) can provide over 20 per cent of the recommended daily iron intake) as well as zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and potassium. The seeds also provide essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (including at least one ω-3 unsaturated fatty acid and at least one ω-6 unsaturated fatty acid).

Lightly roasted seeds provide better nutrition than dark ones, as excessive heat destroys some of their nutritive value.

Old-Fashioned Halloween Fun by Marie Irish, a Facsimile Reprint

2010-09-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

Joanne, your host for this blog, works as an editor for the Folklore and Mythology Archive, which publishes--among other things--facsimile reprints of classic folklore, fairy tale, and mythology texts. Just in time for Halloween is a new one, Old Fashioned Halloween Fun by Marie Irish. Check it out!

If you have any old Halloween books to share, please e-mail us. We may be interested in purchasing them. And, if you have any recipes, we'd love to test them out!

Halloween Gingerbread

2010-09-18T02:45:00.000-07:00

We found this recipe in an old Scottish cookbook. It's deliciously moist and very, very gingery.

Halloween Gingerbread

5 cups flour

1 1/4 oz ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon superfine sugar

3 oz Maraschino Cherries

4 oz almonds

4 oz citron peel

1 oz crystallized sugar

1/4 pound butter

1 pound treacle

2 beaten eggs

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 pint warm milk

Sift the flour with the ginger and the salt. Stir in sugar. Quarter cherries. Blanch and chop the almonds and chop the citron peel and ginger. Stir into dry ingredients. Melt butter slowly with the treacle. Stir gradually into the eggs, then stir into the dry ingredients. Dissolve the soda in the milk, and stir in quickly. When thoroughly blended, pour into a 10 inch square well greased shallow baking tin, smoothly lined with greased paper. Bake in a moderate oven, 350 F., for about 1 hour.

If you're interested in Irish and Scottish cooking, try Celtic Folklore Cooking or visit http://recipesofireland.blogspot.com.

If you have an old Halloween recipe to share, drop us a line!

Your True Love's Name ... Discover it on Halloween!

2010-09-14T16:34:00.001-07:00

Halloween Magic: The First Letter of Your True Love's Name is Revealed by Apple Peeling

Purchase poster here

Halloween Witch Dressmaker Postcard

2010-09-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hallowe'en Witch Offers Suitable Costume a Shopkeeper Provides Appropriate Eats

Check here for availability of poster

October's Party -- A Halloween Poem

2010-09-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Said October, "I'm a cheerful month,
With colors brightly glowing
From trees in gold and crimson dressed—
To bad I must be going.

November comes with sobs and sighs,
And dull days, dark and gloomy,
With scudding clouds, and dismal storms,
That make earth sad and tomb-y.

"I ought to give folks, 'fore I leave,
A party, gay and jolly,
Something cheerful to remember
Through November's melancholy."

Said October with a chuckle,
I will brighten up the scene
And make a jolly party of
The old-fashioned Halloween.

I'll get the Pumpkins to help me—
They're really handsome fellows,
And they'll be quite decorative
With their hues of orange-yellows.

Then the witches, too, shall help me,
And their black cats, sly and cunning;
With orange I'll offset their black
And the contrast will be stunning.

Yes, I'll give a Halloween party
That the young folks will remember;
A night of mirth to brighten up
The gloom of gray November.

From "Old Fashioned Halloween Fun" by Marie Irish

The Place to Be on Halloween

2010-09-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is the night when pixies
And elves their antics begin
With Jack-lanterns at the windows,
On the outside, looking in.

So, while the witches wander,
And black cats are about,
Just to be safe I'd rather be
On the inside, looking out.

—From "Old Fashioned Halloween Fun" by Marie Irish, 1927

Halloween Fortunes

2010-09-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

If the prophecies of Halloween
Foretell good luck for you
Enjoy them with the fond belief
That they'll certainly come true.

But if the baneful fates should suggest
That bad luck is coming your way,
Just comfort yourself with the thought that
They don't mean a word that they say.

—From "Old Fashioned Halloween Fun" by Marie Irish, 1927

Halloween Greetings -- Bobbing for Apples

2010-09-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hallowe'en Game: Bobbing for Apples in a Bowl of Water

Check here for current availability

The Discontented Pumpkin -- A Story for Halloween

2010-09-11T00:50:00.000-07:00

JACK FROST visited Farmer Crane's field one night, and the next morning the gold of the pumpkins shone more brilliantly than ever through their silver coverings.

"It is of no use," said one large pumpkin to another lying be-side it. "It is of no use. I was never made to be cut up for pumpkin pies. I feel I was put here for something higher."

"Why, what do you mean?" said the other. "You never seemed dissatisfied before. You quite take my breath away."

"Well, to tell the truth, I do not like the thought of being cut up and served on a table like an ordinary pumpkin. See how large I am, and what a glorious colour. Tell me, did you ever see a pumpkin more beautiful?"

"You are beautiful, indeed, but I never thought of being made for anything but pies. Do tell me of what other use can one be?"

"Well, I have always thought that I am not like the other pumpkins in this field, and when Farmer Crane pointed me out as the finest one he had, I heard him say, That would be a fine one for a fair.' It was not till then that I really knew for what I was intended."

"I do remember," answered the other. "Yes, I do remember hearing about some pumpkins being taken to a county fair once, but I never heard how they liked it. As for myself, I should be proud to be made into delicious pies and served on a beautiful plate."

"How can you be satisfied with that thought? But there is Farmer Crane now. He is gathering some of the smaller pumpkins to make pies with, I think."

"Perhaps he knows best what you are made for," answered the other.

Farmer Crane was soon at their side, and was looking from one to the other.

"What fine pies they will make. I had better take them now, I think," he said, and they were quickly added to the golden heap already on the wagon.

How happy they all were—all but one that lay on the top of the large pile.

"It is hard to be thrown in with these ordinary pumpkins. If I could only slip off by myself. Perhaps there is at least a place at the bottom of the wagon where I can be alone."

It was a long way from the top of the pile to the bed of the wagon, but it was very little trouble to slip away from the rest. It would take only a second, and then he could be away from the others. But alas! the discontented pumpkin slipped a little too far, and I'm sorry to say, soon lay on the frozen ground, a shattered heap.

"Dear me," said the pumpkins in one breath; "see, that fine fellow has slipped off, and is broken to pieces. What a feast the cows and pigs will have."

"It is too bad," said one.

"And he was so anxious to be taken to a fair," added another.

From "Old Fashioned Halloween Fun" by Marie Irish, 1927

Origin of Indian Corn -- Legends and History of Autumn and Halloween

2010-09-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

ONCE upon a time an Indian chief sat alone in his wigwam think-ing about the needs of his tribe. For more than a year food had been very scarce, and they were suffering from a scanty fare of roots, herbs, and berries. Many of the people had come to him in their misery.

"We ask you to help us, brave chief," they cried. "Will you not entreat the Great Spirit to send us some of the food from the Happy Hunting Grounds where it is so plentiful? See how weak and thin our young braves are. Help us or we shall die."

"I'll go into the depths of the forest," said the chief. "There I'll live until the Great Spirit tells me how to relieve the misery of my people."

He left his wigwam and walked far into the forest, where he waited for several days before the Great Spirit spoke these words to him:

"In the moon of rains take thy family and go to the stretch of land which joins this forest. Wait there until I send thee a message."

The chief went back to the Indian village, and told what he had heard from the Great Spirit. And in the Moon of Rains he called together his honoured wife, his fleet-footed sons, and his graceful daughter, and said, "Follow me to the stretch of land beyond the forest."

When they reached the great plain, they stood in a group waiting for a message from the Great Spirit. For three suns they stood patiently without once changing their positions.

The Indians of the tribe grew anxious to know what had happened to their chief and his family, and some of them slipped through the wood to the plain where they knew he had been directed to go. There they saw the group of figures standing with their hands uplifted, and their eyes closed. The Indians were filled with awe.

"The Great Spirit is talking to them," they whispered, as they went back to their wigwams.

In a few days they returned to the plain. A marvelous sight met their eyes. Instead of the chief and his family standing like images of sleep, they saw wonderful green plants, tall and straight, with broad, flat leaves, and in place of uplifted hands they beheld ears of corn with silken fringe.

"The Great-Spirit has called our chief and his family to the 'Happy Hunting Grounds,' they said, "and has sent us this food as a symbol of their sacrifice."

They saved some of the kernels and planted them in the fields, and each year when they reaped a golden harvest they remembered the brave chief whose thoughtful care brought them the rich blessing of the Indian corn.

Sing, O Song of Hiawatha,
Of the happy days that followed,
In the land of the Ojibways,
In the pleasant land and peaceful!
Sing the mysteries of Mondamin,
Sing the Blessing of the Corn-fields!

HENRY W. LONGFELLOW.

The Pumpkin Giant -- History and Legends of Halloween

2010-09-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

MARY WILKINS FREEMAN

A VERY long time ago, before our grandmother's time, or our great-grandmother's, or our grandmothers' with a very long string of greats prefixed, there were no pumpkins; people had never eaten a pumpkin-pie, or even stewed pumpkin; and that was the time when the Pumpkin Giant flourished.

There have been a great many giants who have flourished since the world began, and, although a select few of them have been good giants, the majority of them have been so bad that their crimes even more than their size have gone to make them notorious. But the Pumpkin Giant was an uncommonly bad one, and his general appearance and his behaviour were such as to make one shudder to an extent that you would hardly believe possible.

The convulsive shivering caused by the mere mention of his name, and, in some cases where the people were unusually sensitive, by the mere thought of him even, more resembled the blue ague than anything else; indeed was known by the name of "the Giant's Shakes."

The Pumpkin Giant was very tall; he probably would have overtopped most of the giants you have ever heard of. I don't suppose the Giant who lived on the Bean-stalk whom Jack visited was anything to compare with him; nor that it would have been a possible thing for the Pumpkin Giant, had he received an invitation to spend an afternoon with the Beanstalk Giant, to accept, on account of his inability to enter the Bean-stalk Giant's door, no matter how much he stooped.

The Pumpkin Giant had a very large, yellow head, which was also smooth and shiny. His eyes were big and round, and glowed like coals of fire; and you would almost have thought that his head was lit up inside with candles. Indeed there was a rumour to that effect amongst the common people, but that was all nonsense, of course; no one of the more enlightened class credited it for an instant. His mouth, which stretched half around his head, was furnished with rows of pointed teeth, and he was never known to hold it any other way than wide open.

The Pumpkin Giant lived in a castle, as a matter of course; it is not fashionable for a giant to live in any other kind of a dwelling— why, nothing would be more tame and uninteresting than a giant in a two-story white house with green blinds and a picket fence, or even a brown-stone front, if he could get into either of them, which he could not.

The Giant's castle was situated on a mountain, as it ought to have been, and there was also the usual courtyard before it, and the customary moat, which was full of bones! All I have got to say about these bones is, they were not mutton bones. A great many details of this story must be left to the imagination of the reader; they are too harrowing to relate. A much tenderer regard for the feelings of the audience will be shown in this than in most giant stories; we will even go so far as to state in advance, that the story has a good end, thereby enabling readers to peruse it comfortably without unpleasant suspense.

The Pumpkin Giant was fonder of little boys and girls than anything else in the world; but he was somewhat fonder of little boys, and more particularly of fat little boys.

The fear and horror of this Giant extended over the whole country. Even the King on his throne was so severely afflicted with the Giant's Shakes that he had been obliged to have the throne propped, for fear it should topple over in some unusually violent fit. There was good reason why the King shook; his only daughter, the Princess Ariadne Diana, was probably the fattest princess in the whole world at that date. So fat was she that she had never walked a step in the dozen years of her life, being totally unable to progress over the earth by any method except rolling. And a really beautiful sight it was, too, to see the Princess Ariadne Diana, in her cloth-of-gold rolling-suit, faced with green velvet and edged with ermine, with her glittering crown on her head, trundling along the avenues of the royal gardens, which had been furnished with strips of rich carpeting for her express accommodation.

But gratifying as it would have been to the King, her sire, un-der other circumstances, to have had such an unusually interesting daughter, it now only served to fill his heart with the greatest anxiety on her account. The Princess was never allowed to leave the palace without a body-guard of fifty knights, the very flower of the King's troops, with lances in rest, but in spite of all this precaution, the King shook.

Meanwhile amongst the ordinary people who could not pro-cure an escort of fifty armed knights for the plump among their children, the ravages of the Pumpkin Giant were frightful. It was apprehended at one time that there would be very few fat little girls, and no fat little boys at all, left in the kingdom. And what made matters worse, at that time the Giant commenced taking a tonic to increase his appetite.

Finally the King, in desperation, issued a proclamation that he would knight any one, be he noble or common, who should cut off the head of the Pumpkin Giant. This was the King's usual me-thod of rewarding any noble deed in his kingdom. It was a cheap method, and besides everybody liked to be a knight

When the King issued his proclamation every man in the kingdom who was not already a knight, straightway tried to contrive ways and means to kill the Pumpkin Giant. But there was one ob-stacle which seemed insurmountable: they were afraid, and all of them had the Giant's Shakes so badly, that they could not possibly have held a knife steady enough to cut off the Giant's head, even if they had dared to go near enough for that purpose.

There was one man who lived not far from the terrible Giant's castle, a poor man, his only worldly wealth consisting in a large potato-field and a cottage in front of it. But he had a boy of twelve, an only son, who rivaled the Princess Ariadne Diana in point of fatness. He was unable to have a body-guard for his son; so the amount of terror which the inhabitants of that humble cottage suffered day and night was heart-rending. The poor mother had been unable to leave her bed for two years, on account of the Giant's Shakes; her husband barely got a living from the potato-field; half the time he and his wife had hardly enough to eat, as it naturally took the larger part of the potatoes to satisfy the fat little boy, their son, and their situation was truly pitiable.

The fat boy's name was Aeneas, his father's name was Patroclus, and his mother's Daphne, It was all the fashion in those days to have classical names. And as that was a fashion as easily adopted by the poor as the rich, everybody had them. They were just like Jim and Tommy and May in these days. Why, the Princess's name, Ariadne Diana, was nothing more nor less than Ann Eliza with us.

One morning Patroclus and Aeneas were out in the field dig-ging potatoes, for new potatoes were just in the market. The Early Rose potato had not been discovered in those days; but there was another potato, perhaps equally good, which attained to a similar degree of celebrity. It was called the Young Planta-genet, and reached a very large size indeed, much larger than the Early Rose does in our time.

Well, Patroclus and Aeneas had just dug perhaps a bushel of Young Plantagenet potatoes. It was slow work with them, for Patroc-lus had the Giant's Shakes badly that morning, and of course Aeneas was not very swift. He rolled about among the potato-hills after the manner of the Princess Ariadne Diana; but he did not present as imposing an appearance as she, in his homespun farmer's frock.

All at once the earth trembled violently. Patroclus and Aeneas looked up and saw the Pumpkin Giant coming with his mouth wide open. "Get behind me, O my darling son!" cried Patroclus.

Aeneas obeyed, but it was of no use; for you could see his cheeks each side his father's waistcoat.

Patroclus was not ordinarily a brave man, but he was brave in an emergency; and as that is the only time when there is the slightest need of bravery, it was just as well.

The Pumpkin Giant strode along faster and faster, opening his mouth wider and wider, until they could fairly hear it crack at the corners.

Then Patroclus picked up an enormous Young Plantagenet and threw it plump into the Pumpkin Giant's mouth. The Giant choked and gasped, and choked and gasped, and finally tumbled down and died.

Patroclus and Aeneas, while the Giant was choking, had run to the house and locked themselves in; then they looked out of the window; when they saw the Giant tumble down and lie quite still, they knew he must be dead. Then Daphne was immediately cured of the Giant's Shakes, and got out of bed for the first time in two years. Patroclus sharpened the carving-knife on the kitchen stove, and they all went out into the potato-field.

They cautiously approached the prostrate Giant, for fear he might be shamming, and might suddenly spring up at them and Aeneas. But no, he did not move at all; he was quite dead. And, all taking turns, they hacked off his head with the carving-knife. Then Aeneas had it to play with, which was quite appropriate, and a good instance of the sarcasm of destiny.

The King was notified of the death of the Pumpkin Giant, and was greatly rejoiced thereby. His Giant's Shakes ceased, the props were removed from the throne, and the Princess Ariadne Diana was allowed to go out without her body-guard of fifty knights, much to her delight, for she found them a great hindrance to the enjoyment of her daily outings.

It was a great cross, not to say an embarrassment, when she was gleefully rolling in pursuit of a charming red and gold butterfly, to find herself suddenly stopped short by an armed knight with his lance in rest.

But the King, though his gratitude for the noble deed knew no bounds, omitted to give the promised reward and knight Patroclus.

I hardly know how it happened—I don't think it was anything intentional. Patroclus felt rather hurt about it, and Daphne would have liked to be a lady, but Aeneas did not care in the least. He had the Giant's head to play with and that was reward enough for him. There was not a boy in the neighbourhood but envied him his possession of such a unique playth-ing; and when they would stand looking over the wall of the potato-field with longing eyes, and he was flying over the ground with the head, his happiness knew no bounds; and Aeneas played so much with the Giant's head that finally late in the fall it got broken and scattered all over the field.

Next spring all over Patroclus's potato-field grew running vines, and in the fall Giant's heads. There they were all over the field, hundreds of them! Then there was consternation indeed! The natural conclusion to be arrived at when the people saw the yellow Giant's heads making their appearance above the ground was, that the rest of the Giants were coming.

"There was one Pumpkin Giant before," said they; "now there will be a'whole army of them. If it was dreadful then what will it be in the future? If one Pumpkin Giant gave us the Shakes so badly, what will a whole army of them do?"

But when some time had elapsed and nothing more of the Giants appeared above the surface of the potato-field, and as moreover the heads had not yet displayed any sign of opening their mouths, the people began to feel a little easier, and the general excitement subsided somewhat, although the King had ordered out Ariadne Diana's body-guard again,

Now Aeneas had been born with a propensity for putting everything into his mouth and tasting it; there was scarcely anything in his vicinity which could by any possibility be tasted, which he had not eaten a bit of. This propensity was so alarming in his babyhood, that Daphne purchased a book of antidotes; "and if it had not been for her admirable good judgment in doing so, this story would probably never have been told; for no human baby could possibly have survived the heterogeneous diet which Aeneas had indulged in. There was scarcely one of the antidotes which had not been resorted to from time to time.

Aeneas had become acquainted with the peculiar flavour of almost everything in his immediate vicinity except the Giant's heads; and he naturally enough cast longing eyes at them. Night and day he wondered what a Giant's head could taste like, till finally one day when Patroclus was away he stole out into the potato-field, cut a bit out of one of the Giant's heads and ate it. He was almost afraid to, but he reflected that his mother could give him an antidote; so he ventured. It tasted very sweet and nice; he liked it so much that he cut off another piece and ate that, then another and another, until he had eaten two-thirds of a Giant's head. Then he thought it was about time for him to go in and tell his mother and take an antidote, though he did not feel ill at all yet.

"Mother," said he, rolling slowly into the cottage, "I have eaten two-thirds of a Giant's head, and I guess you had better give me an antidote."

"O, my precious son!" cried Daphne, "how could you?" She looked in her book of antidotes, but could not find one antidote for a Giant's head.

"O Aeneas, my dear, dear son!" groaned Daphne, "there is no antidote for Giant's head! What shall we do?"

Then she sat down and wept, and Aeneas wept, too, as loud as he possibly could. And he apparently had excellent reason to; for it did not seem possible that a boy could eat two-thirds of a Giant's head and survive it without an antidote. Patroclus came home, and they told him, and he sat down and lamented with them. All day they sat weeping and watching Aeneas, expecting every moment to see him die. But he did not die; on the contrary he had never felt so well in his life.

Finally at sunset Aeneas looked up and laughed. "I am not going to die," said he; "I never felt so well; you had better stop crying. And I am going out to get some more of that Giant's head; I am hungry."

"Don't, don't!" cried his father and mother; but he went; for he generally took his own way, very like most only sons. He came back with a whole Giant's head in his arms.

"See here, father and mother," cried he; "we'll all have some of this; it evidently is not poison, and it is good—a great deal better than potatoes!"

Patroclus and Daphne hesitated, but they were hungry, too. Since the crop of Giant's heads had sprung up in their field instead of potatoes, they had been hungry most of the time; so they tasted.

"It is good," said Daphne; "but I think it would be better cooked." So she put some in a kettle of water over the fire, and let it boil awhile; then she dished it up, and they all ate it. It was delicious. It tasted more like stewed pumpkin than anything else; in fact it was stewed pumpkin.

Daphne was inventive; and something of a genius; and next day she concocted another dish out of the Giant's heads. She boiled them, and sifted them, and mixed them with eggs and sugar and milk and spice; then she lined some plates with puff paste, filled them with the mixture, and set them in the oven to bake.

The result was unparalleled; nothing half so exquisite had ever been tasted. They were all in ecstasies, Aeneas in particular. They gathered all the Giant's heads and stored them in the cellar. Daphne baked pies of them every day, and nothing could surpass the felicity of the whole family.

One morning the King had been out hunting, and happened to ride by the cottage of Patroclus with a train of his knights. Daphne was baking pies as usual, and the kitchen door and window were both open, for the room was so warm; so the delicious odour of the pies perfumed the whole air about the cottage.

"What is it smells so utterly lovely?" exclaimed the King, sniff-ing in a rapture.

He sent his page in to see.

"The housewife is baking Giant's head pies," said the page, returning.

"What?" thundered the King. "Bring out one to me!"

So the page brought out a pie to him, and after all his knights had tasted to be sure it was not poison, and the King had watched them sharply for a few moments to be sure they were not killed, he tasted too.

Then he beamed. It was a new sensation, and a new sensation is a great boon to a king.

"I never tasted anything so altogether superfine, so utterly magnificent in my life," cried the King; "stewed peacocks' tongues from the Baltic are not to be compared with it! Call out the housewife immediately!"

So Daphne came out trembling, and Pa-troclus and Aeneas also.

"What a charming lad!" exclaimed the King, as his glance fell upon Aeneas. "Now tell me about these wonderful pies, and I will reward you as becomes a monarch!"

Then Patroclus fell on his knees and related trie whole history of the Giant's head pies from the beginning.

The King actually blushed. "And I forgot to knight you, oh, noble and brave man, and to make a lady of your admirable wife!"

Then the King leaned gracefully down from his saddle, and struck Patroclus with his jeweled sword and knighted him on the spot.

The whole family went to live at the royal palace. The roses in the royal gardens were uprooted, and Giant's heads (or pumpkins, as they came to be called) were sown in their stead; all the royal parks also were turned into pumpkin-fields.

Patroclus was in constant attendance on the King, and used to stand all day in his ante-chamber. Daphne had a position of great responsibility, for she superintended the baking of the pumpkin pies, and Aeneas finally married the Princess Ariadne Diana.

They were wedded in great state by fifty archbishops; and all the newspapers united in stating that they were the most charming and well-matched young couple that had ever been united in the kingdom.

The stone entrance of the Pumpkin Giant's Castle was securely fastened, and upon it was engraved an inscription composed by the first poet in the kingdom, for which the King made him laureate, and gave him the liberal pension of fifty pumpkin pies per year.

The following is the inscription in full:

"Here dwelt the Pumpkin Giant once. He's dead the nation doth rejoice, For, while he was alive, he lived By eating dear, fat, little boys."

The inscription is said to remain to this day; if you were to go there you would probably see it.

Scarf of the Lady -- Legends for Fall and Halloween

2010-09-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Scarf of the Lady
(A French Harvest Legend)

Translated by Hermine de Nagy

THE Field of the Lady was the name which the peasants gave to a large tract of land belonging to a rich estate. The lord of the castle had given these fertile acres to his daughter and had told her to do as she pleased with the grain which the field produced. Each year at harvest time she invited the poor peasants of the neighbourhood to come and glean in her field, and take home with them as much grain as they needed for winter use.

Sometimes when the gleaners were busily at work one of them would cry out joyfully, "Ah, there comes the lady of the castle." They could see her coming in the distance, for she always wore a simple dress of white wool, and over her head was thrown a scarf of white silk striped with many colours. She loved to come into the field while the people were at work and speak words of encouragement and cheer to them.

One sultry afternoon there were many peasants gleaning in the field. The lady of the castle had been with them for several hours. Suddenly she looked up into the threatening sky and said, "My friends, see what large clouds are gathering. I'm afraid we shall have a storm before long. Let us stop gleaning for today and seek shelter." The peasants hastened a\vay and the lady started toward the castle.

As she drew near the green hedge which bordered the field she saw coming toward her a beautiful young woman and a fair child whose hand she held. The little boy's golden hair fell in waves over his white tunic.

"You came to glean," said the lady of the castle in her sweet voice, full of welcome. "Come then, we'll work together for a little while before the rain falls."

"Thank you," said the young woman.

The three began to pick up the ripe ears and pile them in small heaps. They had worked but a little while, however, when a gust of wind swept over the field and great rain-drops began to fall. The thunder rumbled in the distance and streaks of lightning rent the sky.

"Come, my friends," said the lady of the castle. "We must seek shelter. See, there near the wood is a great oak, thick with foliage. Let us hasten to it and stand there until the storm is over.'

In a short time they reached the tree and stood together un-der the shelter of its great branches.

With his chubby hand the child took hold of the end of his mother's veil and tried to cover his curly head with it.

"You shall have my scarf," said the lady of the castle, smiling.

She slipped it off, wrapped it tenderly around the dear child's head and shoulders, and kissed his fair young brow.

Suddenly the great clouds seemed to roll away. The lady of the castle stepped out from the shelter of the tree to look at the sky. The storm had ceased and the birds were beginning to twitter in the trees. She stood still, looking at the wonderful golden light which flooded the harvest field. And in the calm silence there came floating through the air the sweetest music she had ever heard. At first it seemed far, far away. Then it came nearer and nearer until the air was filled with harmonious voices chanting tenderly in the purest angelic tones. She turned toward her companions and lo! they had disappeared.

In the distance there was a sound like the light fluttering of wings. The lady of the castle looked toward the hedge where she had first seen her mysterious companions. There she saw them again—the lovely woman and the golden-haired child. They were rising softly, softly upon fleecy clouds. Around them and mounting with them was a band of angels chanting a joyful Hosanna!

The marvelous vision rose slowly into the clear blue of the heavens. Then on the wet ears of grain in the harvest field the lady of the castle knelt in silent adoration, for she knew she had seen the Virgin and the Holy Child. While she worshipped in breathless silence the heavenly choir halted and in clear, ringing tones the an-gels sang out:

"Blessed be thou!

"Blessed be the good lady who is ever ready to help the poor and unfortunate! Blessed be this Field of Alms."

The Virgin stretched forth her hands to bless the lady and the harvest field. At the same time the Holy Child took from his head and shoulders the silk scarf which the lady of the castle had wrapped about him, and gave it to two rosy-winged cherubim. Away they flew—one to the right, the other to the left, each holding an end of the scarf which stretched as they flew into a marvelous rainbow arch across the blue vault of the sky. The Virgin and the Holy Child, followed by the angelic choir, rose slowly, slowly into the sky.

Softly and gently as wood breezes the heavenly music died away and the vision disappeared.

The lady of the castle rose to her feet A marvelous thing had happened. The small heaps of grain gathered by the gleaners had changed into a harvest richer than the field had ever produced before. Over all in the sky still shone the lovely rainbow arch— the arch of promise across the Field of Alms.

The Discontented Pumpkin -- A Poem Presented by Halloween History

2010-09-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Out in the field a pumpkin vine
Trailed along the ground,
And on this vine a pumpkin
Grew green, and plump, and round.

Through the days of summer sunshine
The pumpkin took on size,
And when its coat turned yellow
It could scarce believe its eyes.

"I'm a beauty," said the pumpkin,
"Since I'm no longer green;
Why can't I get out in the world,
To be admired and seen?"

Through autumn days the pumpkin
Became more discontent
And half its time, I'm sad to say,
In murmuring was spent.

The pumpkin on the next vine
Said, "Do not fret and sigh;
Just wait a while and some good cook
Will make you into pie."

"Into pie? Ah what a fate
For such a handsome fellow!
I won't be pie," the pumpkin cried,
And daily grew more yellow.

To the field there came one day
A maiden fair to see,
And said to the grumbling pumpkin,
"You're just the one for me."

She took him home and gave him
Big eyes and a grinning smile;
He became a Jack o' Lantern
Of the very latest style.

He swelled with pride and pleasure,
Through the revels of Halloween;
He said, "At last I've found my place
Where I'm admired and seen."

—From "Halloween Fun" by Marie English, 1927

Best Be Careful

2010-09-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

I am not afraid of ghosts
'Cause I'm getting big, you see,
An' bats, an' cats, an' witches
Needn't think that they scare me.

I'm not 'fraid of Hallowe'en spooks,
That 'round the country roam,
But I think I'd best be careful
Not to wander far from home.

—From "Halloween Fun" by Marie English, 1927

Halloween Children and Jack o' Lantern

2010-09-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Halloween, Children behind Jack O'Lantern

Purchase a reproduction of this vintage here

When the Frost is On the Pumpkin

2010-09-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

When the frost is on the punkin' and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guiney's, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylcoyer as he tiptoes on the fence,
O, it's then's the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin' and the fodder's in the shock.

JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

A Nice Witch for Halloween

2010-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

A recitation for Halloween.

(Little girl carries a broom)

This is my trusty broom, (Holds it forward)
A Hallowe'en witch am I,
But I'll sweep the floor for mother,
Not fly off through the sky.

—From "Halloween Fun" by Marie English, 1927

Vintage Halloween Pinup Girl, 1958

2010-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Blighty, Glamour Pin-Ups Models Halloween Magazine, UK, 1958

Purchase this lovely pin-up girl here.

Antique Halloween Cookie Cutters, with My Mom's Sugar Cookie Recipe

2010-09-08T23:07:00.000-07:00

You can find the antique cookie cutters (at time of writing) from here: Cookie Cutters

Every holiday...including Christmas, New Year's, Fourth of July, and Halloween...my mother makes the most delicious sugar cookies. Here's the recipe she follows.

Special note: The dough needs to be refrigerated before baking to give the cookies nice, sharp definition. Makes approximately two dozen cookies.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons brandy, or milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Orange zest (optional)
Royal icing (optional)

Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream butter and sugar; mix until light and fluffy. Add egg, brandy, vanilla, and orange zest; mix until well blended. Blend in flour mixture until just combined. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Mom usually leaves it in overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick parchment paper; set aside. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch or so in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more, but I tend to nibble on the raw leftovers if I happen to be in her kitchen. Bake about 10 minutes, until golden. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Decorate with icing, if desired.

On Halloween You Will See the Reflection of the One You'll Marry

2010-09-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Original postcard available for purchase from here: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Jack o' Lantern

2010-09-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jack o' Lantern
Grins with all his might
Peeping in at windows
In the dark of night.

He's a jolly fellow,
So don't have a fright
When he tries to scare you
In the dark of night.

—From "Halloween Fun" by Marie English, 1927

Halloween Party Magazine, 1929

2010-09-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Parties, Halloween Magazine, USA, 1929

Purchase print here

Hurrah for Halloween!

2010-09-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

Owls and black cats,
Jack Lanterns and bats
Bogies that lurk unseen;
witches on brooms,
Pale ghosts from the tombs,
Hurrah for weird Hallowe'en!

Young Witch with Jack o'Lantern

2010-09-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

Young Girl Witch with Jack O'Lantern

Purchase a reproduction print of this vintage Halloween postcard

The Thing to Do

2010-09-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

When owls go who-whoo,
The dogs howl boo-woo,
And ghosts sigh oo-oo,
What can children do
But join with the bats,
The witches and cats,
Put on their tall hats
And keep Halloween, too?

—From "Halloween Fun" by Marie English, 1927

The Best Jack -- A Halloween Poem

2010-09-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jack Sprat has long been famous,
Jack Straws is an old-time game;
Jack-who-stands-in-the-pulpit
Is as charming as his name.

Jack Frost has often nipped you,
Jack Knife is a friend of boys,
But it takes bright Jack o' Lantern
To furnish us Halloween joys.

—From "Halloween Fun" by Marie English, 1927

Signs of Halloween -- Halloween History Poem

2010-09-04T04:50:00.000-07:00

There are ghosts in robes of white,
A-lurking here and there;
There are witches riding brooms,
Suspended in the air.

Black and orange streamers hang
From ceiling and the wall;
There are black cats of all sizes—
Large, medium, and small.

Bats and staring hoot owls
Adorn the festive scene;
In the darkest corner stands
A spectre, grim and lean.

The candles on the mantel
Shine with a spooky glow,
And jolly Jack o' Lanterns
Their grinning faces show.

Although the scene is awesome
Don't let it cause you fear—
These signs are but a warning
That Halloween is here.

—From "Halloween Fun" by Marie English, 1927

Devil Girl with Imps

2010-09-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

Devil Girl with Imps

Halloween Greetings Print--Get it Here

Circleville Pumpkin Show, Celebrated Since 1903

2010-08-31T15:18:00.000-07:00

2009 champion pumpkins, with their weights in pounds written on them

The Circleville Pumpkin Show is an annual festival dedicated to the local agriculture. The festival headed up by the Circleville Pumpkin Show Corporation. Although many states have pumpkin festivals, the largest of these is situated in Circleville, Ohio. The Circleville Pumpkin Show is billed as The Greatest Free Show On Earth.

Dates

The Pumpkin Show is held every 3rd Wednesday through Saturday in October, however, local citizens are encouraged to preview the festival on Tuesday.

Locations

Starting on the Sunday before the festival, work begins to restrict traffic in the downtown area of Circleville. The restricted areas dedicated to the show are from South Scioto Street on the west to Pickaway Street on the east, and Watt/Pickney Street on the north to Franklin Street on the south. More than 12 blocks are restricted by this event, which causes massive detours throughout a major portion of the city, including Ohio State Route 56 and U.S. Route 22. Because there is no organized parking system, many small businesses and non-profit organizations provide parking for the throngs of people that attend this festival.

History

In October 1903, Mayor George Haswell decided to hold a small pumpkin & corn exhibit in front of his store to celebrate the local harvest. This small exhibit featured corn, carved pumpkins and other harvest-themed displays. Because of the prominence of pumpkins in this first exhibit, the name "The Pumpkin Show" was then coined. In the following years local merchants were attracted to improve the size, scope and attendance of the festival. By 1905, the first ride was installed, the carousel was first to be featured in the festival. Soon after, with the success of the shows, an annual festival was organized to be held on the city streets to attract merchants, patrons and improve the quality of the festival.

The Pumpkin Show has been held annually since 1903. Despite it still being held during the influenza outbreaks of 1918-1919, The Pumpkin Show was silenced for one year during World War I and two years during World War II. Aside from this three-year gap, there have been no other recorded occurrences of the Circleville Pumpkin Show being halted - by snow, sleet, or scorching heat.

Traditions

Every year, Lindsey's Bakery creates the "world's largest" pumpkin pie. Visitors can be in line for over an hour to see the pie. At the 100th anniversary Pumpkin Show in 2006, the bakery had to make a much bigger pie compared to previous years as word had it that their world record had been broken for the biggest pie, due to Michigan college students asking about the size and how the pie is made. The pie pan was so large that it was moved outside of the bakery window and into a tent out on the street. The previous record size pie remained in the bakery window and its size doesn't even come close to what was revealed in 2006.

Another long-standing tradition of the Circleville Pumpkin Show is a pageant for Miss Pumpkin Show Queen, a tradition shared by more than a half dozen other pumpkin shows/festivals in various American states.

Several parades are held each day of the show. These parades feature performances by many local high school and middle school bands. The 2006 Pumpkin Show welcomed The Ohio State University Marching Band to play in their parade of bands, which is probably the most popular evening parade of the festival.

Barnesville Ohio Pumpkin Festival

2010-08-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

King Pumpkin of the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival in 2008.

The Barnesville Pumpkin Festival is an annual festival in Barnesville, Ohio, dedicated to the growing and harvesting of pumpkins and other fall harvests. The festival, which has been held since 1964, is conducted by a locally appointed committee and attracts an average of 100,000 people during the four-day event

Dates

The Pumpkin Festival is held the last full week in September. The official ribbon cutting is held on Thursday, but the local citizens are encouraged to preview the festival on Wednesday.

Locations

The Pumpkin Festival begins preparations the Monday before the festival and restricted areas are placed from the center of town at the junction of Chestnut Street and Main Street, west along Main Street to the junction of Main Street and Gardner Street; and from where W. Church Street and N. Broadway Street meet, south to the junction of South Broadway and South Street. This however only comprises the downtown section, several other events and locations dot the town. There is abundant parking, but most is private and requires a parking and safety fee.

History

The Barnesville Pumpkin Festival began in 1964 as the Ohio Fall Festival and was held in the basement of the Church of the Assumption. The name changed to the Ohio Pumpkin Festival and the event was held out of doors in the center of town in the 1970s and changed to the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival later that same decade.

Traditions

The Barnesville Pumpkin Festival holds its annual weigh-in on the Wednesday preceding the event. The event has seen pumpkins with weights breaking and matching state and local records. The official ribbon cutting is held the following day and is done by either the committee president, city mayor, parade marshall or other notable local figure. The Annual Pumpkin Auction is held on the last day, Sunday, where the local business compete bids to display the winning pumpkin and sell off the seeds as they see fit.

There are many games, rides, and other activities set up during the festival. Some of the usual rides are the G-Force, The Pumpkin Ride, The Umbrellas, and the Monkey Cages.

Keene New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival, a.k.a. P-Fest

2010-08-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

The Pumpkin Festival (a.k.a. Pumpkin Fest or P-Fest amongst teens) is a yearly celebration held in Keene, New Hampshire, United States around Halloween. Each year, Keene residents and other citizens from around the area attempt to amass the largest number of lit jack-o'-lanterns in one place, trying to meet or beat the world record (which they held for many years).

The Pumpkin Fest previously held the record (as recognized by the Guinness World Records) of 28,952 set at this celebration on October 25, 2003, but this was broken when Boston, Massachusetts collected 30,128 on October 21, 2006. The organizers attempt yearly to beat this record by encouraging businesses and individuals to create and donate jack-o'-lanterns which are displayed on many enormous banks of shelves and all available surfaces around the center of town.

The festivities also include fireworks, music, and food, and draw in people from all over New Hampshire and adjoining states.

Almost immediately after the pumpkin festival is over, the jack-o-lanterns are hauled away by volunteer work crews and given to pig farmers, to use as food.

The event is held on a Saturday in mid- to late October. Pumpkin Fest 2009 was held on Saturday October 17, and an estimated 70,000 people attended the event. The official total, announced on October 21, was 29,762 pumpkins, a new Keene record, but not enough to beat the world record. The largest ever crowd to attend the event was Pumpkin Fest 2006, which drew an estimated 80,000 people from around the world to downtown Keene.

By comparison, the population of Keene is nearly 23,000.

1920s Halloween Costumes -- Great Frog Costume!

2010-08-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

Love this one, the frog costume is particularly charming.

Original image available here: Halloween Costumes

Dress Up Day in a Chicago High School

2010-08-23T00:17:00.000-07:00

Barney Berlin, 4-A chemistry teacher, who's shocked at what he sees in his classroom at Von Steuben High School, April 1, 1960. It was dress-up day for the 4-A class, a traditional day at the school which also happened to fall on April 1 that year. Original photo available from here: High School Dressup

1920s Girls in Fairy Costumes, with Their Reflections in a Pond

2010-08-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

Purchase original photograph here: Fairy Costumes

Girls Dressed as Sprites with Parasols

2010-08-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Original photograph can be purchased here: 1920s Girls Dressed as Fairies

1920s Photo Two Little Girls Dressed in Fairy Costumes

2010-08-21T20:41:00.001-07:00

Purchase original photograph here: 1920s Girls Dressed as Fairies

1912 Costume Girl Dressed as Fairy

2010-08-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

Original photograph can be purchased here: 1912 Girl Dressed as a Fairy

1930s Halloween Costume Boy Dressed as a Sprite

2010-08-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

Original photograph can be found here: 1930s Boy in Fairy Costume

1930s Halloween Costume Three Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf

2010-08-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf...

This original photo, circa 1930 based on the cars in the background, is available here: Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf

Teenage Halloween Party, circa 1890

2010-08-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

A terrific nineteenth-century image currently up for auction at Vintage Halloween Photo, circa 1890

From the seller's description:

Great group photo of a costume party at “Dr. Gorden’s” house if I read it right. Location unknown, acquired in western New York State. Wonderful group of young adults with one dressed as a jester, a fortune teller, a bum, an Uncle Sam, an Indian, a sheriff, two nuns (one holds a “Common Prayer” book), a founding father (or Ichabod Crane), a gypsy, a graduate, and several that are hard to read. The best is the gentleman in the center with the two vintage face masks, one of which looks like a Mexican character and the other looks like a “Black” face. Possibly a Halloween party.

Children in Indian (Native American) Halloween Costumes, 1912

2010-08-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

To purchase the original photo, go to Vintage Halloween Photo of Children

Elaborate Halloween Costumes, Buenos Aires Argentina, circa 1930

2010-08-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

These are some of the most elaborate Halloween costumes I've seen. To purchase the original photo, go to Vintage Halloween Photo from Argentina

Halloween 1959, Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy

2010-08-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

1930s Halloween Costumes, Patriotic, Witches, Clowns, Little Bo Peep

2010-08-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

1930s Halloween Costumes, Pirate, Mickey Mouse, and More

2010-08-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

1930s Halloween Costume, Boy in Cat Suit

2010-08-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

Halloween Ghost and Clown Costumes, circa 1930

2010-08-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

Group of Boys in Halloween Costume, circa 1930

2010-08-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

1920s Children's Halloween Party

2010-08-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

1920s Halloween Costumes -- Uncle Sam and More

2010-08-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in purchasing the original of this photo, visit Vintage Halloween Photo.

1920s Halloween Cat / Tiger Costume

2010-08-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

To purchase the original photo, go to Vintage Halloween Photo

A BIt of Halloween Advice

2010-08-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Halloween has long been famous
For its wise, prophetic lore,
From which one gets some timely tips
On what the future has in store.

Statistics show that men have been
Assisted by the hand of fate
And picked up hints that gave them courage
To obtain the wished-for mate.

I am not a Halloween prophet,
But I'll give you some advice:
Before you trust too much to fate—
Think twice, my friend, think twice.

Life's choicest gifts are hard to win,
One must get them by hard work;
Courting takes both time and courage
But the task you should not shirk

There's a proverb, you've all heard it,
And it fits you every one;
It says, with language quaint and truthful:
Faint heart hath ne'er fair lady won.

A la mode should be your hair cut,
Wear a tie of latest style,
Then besiege a girl who suits you,
Court her with your bravest smile.

If she seems a wee bit frosty,
Do not make a humble clearance;
Many girls who were not willing
Have been won by perseverance.

Feed her up with chocolate candy,
Feed her blarney—girls like praise;
Perhaps she means yes when she says no—
Women have some curious ways.

We grant that on mystic Halloween
Men have been assisted by fate,
And there have been chicken-hearted fellowsw
Who buckled up and found a mate.

But do not place too much dependence
On aid of fairy, witch, or elf;
If you want a mate, remember,
The fates help him who helps himself.

Moore-McCormack Lines Halloween Pumpkin, Arlyn Stuart Aboard the S. S. Brazil Ship 1952

2010-08-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

Photo showing the singer Arlyn Stuart aboard the S. S. Brazil, New York, 1952. Arlyn is standing aboard the ship and sporting a pumpkin for the upcoming Halloween season on the Moore McCormack Lines.

Original photo available for purchase here: Moore-McCormack

Early 1900s Halloween Costumes

2010-08-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Most Popular Halloween Costumes from 2009

2010-08-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

Deluxe Halloween costume from costumes4less.com

Halloween costumes are outfits worn on or around October 31, the day of Halloween. Halloween is a modern-day holiday originating in the Celtic pagan holiday of Samhain (in Christian times, the eve of All Saints Day). Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them.

Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the US in the early 1900s, as often for adults as for children. The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s, when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States.

What sets Halloween costumes apart from costumes for other celebrations or days of dressing up is that they are often designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Costumes are traditionally those of monsters, such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils; in more recent years science fiction-inspired characters, such as aliens and superheroes, have become popular. There are also costumes of pop culture figures, like presidents, athletes, celebrities, or film, television, and cartoon characters. Another popular trend is for women (and in some cases, men) to use Halloween as an excuse to wear sexy or revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise.

Halloween costume parties generally fall on, or around, 31 October, often falling on the Friday or Saturday prior to Halloween.

The most popular Halloween costumes for both kids and adults in 2009 were:

* Michael Jackson
* Kate and Jon Gosselin (from Jon and Kate Plus 8)
* Sarah Palin
* Bernie Madoff
* Edward Cullen (from the Twilight book and film series)
* Sick Pigs (from the H1N1 swine flu pandemic)
* G.I. Joe
* Transformers (from the Transformers film series)
* Barack Obama
* Michelle Obama
* High School Musical 3 characters
* Star Wars and Star Trek characters
* Hannah Montana
* Vampire characters

Should You Disclose if Your House is Haunted to a Potential Buyer?

2010-08-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Haunted houses are often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property. Supernatural activity inside homes is said to be mainly associated with violent or tragic events in the building's past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide.

In 2005, Gallup polls conducted in three countries—the United States, Canada, and Great Britain—showed that more people believe in haunted houses than any of the other paranormal items tested, with 37% of Americans, 28% of Canadians, and 40% of Britons believing.

Legal aspects

In the case Stambovsky v. Ackley, the Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division ruled in 1991 that a seller must disclose that a house has a reputation for being haunted when there is a fiduciary relationship or in cases of fraud or misrepresentation, because such a reputation impairs the value of the house:

“In the case at bar, defendant seller deliberately fostered the public belief that her home was possessed. Having undertaken to inform the public at large, to whom she has no legal relationship, about the supernatural occurrences on her property, she may be said to owe no less a duty to her contract vendee.”

Carbon monoxide as an explanation for perceived hauntings

Some of the phenomena generally associated with haunted houses, including strange visions and sounds, feelings of dread, illness, and the sudden, apparently inexplicable death of all the occupants, may be attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

In one famous case, carbon monoxide poisoning was clearly identified as the cause of an alleged haunting. Dr. William Wilmer, an ophthalmologist, described the experiences of one of his patients in a 1921 article published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. "Mr. and Mrs. H." moved into a new home, but soon began to complain of headaches and listlessness. They began to hear bells and footsteps during the night, soon accompanied by strange physical sensations and mysterious figures. When they began to investigate, they found the previous residents had experienced similar symptoms. Upon examination, their furnace was found to be severely damaged, resulting in incomplete combustion that produces carbon monoxide and forcing most of the fumes into the house rather than up the chimney. After the stove was fixed, the family fully recovered and did not experience any further unusual events.

A report published in 2005 described a 23-year-old female victim of carbon monoxide poisoning, found delirious and hyperventilating, who claimed to have seen a ghost while in the shower. A new gas water heater had just been installed in her home, apparently improperly, which flooded the house with carbon monoxide when the victim closed all the exterior windows and doors and took a shower.

Kids, a Goat, and Fancy Costumes — It Must Be Halloween

2010-07-31T01:12:00.000-07:00

eBay is a great place to find vintage Halloween memorabilia, such as this 1905 German photo of kids in Halloween costume.

1905 Kids in Halloween Costume with Goat; Bid on it Here

Fake Moustache (Mustache) -- A Classic Costume Component

2010-07-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Comical Portrait of British Music Hall Comedian Harry Tate Wearing Big Fake Mustache for an Act

A fake moustache or false moustache is an item of prosthetic make-up used in dressing-up, acting, espionage and crime. Fake moustaches are made in different ways, but usually require the wearer to use spirit gum to affix the moustache to his face. Some have a self-adhesive backing.. National fake moustache day is on the 7th of May.

Notable false moustaches

The most notable fake moustache of all-time was probably worn by Charlie Chaplin for his role as The Tramp. He initially wore it as a means of disguising his youth for the role.

Groucho Marx also used a fake moustache during his years in vaudeville and in the early Marx Brothers movies. However, his was drawn onto his lip with grease paint, containing no hairs or bristles. In later life he grew his own, real moustache. It, along with his cigar and waggling eyebrows, were his famous trademark.

In Dayton, Ohio, there is a group who gathers to celebrate the joys of the fake moustache. The Gem City Fake Mustache Society meets monthly for various events, some events include 5K races, Dayton Bombers games or local parades.

Kansas City has been said to have the premiere fake moustache club in North America. The Kansas City Fake Mustache Club has over 500 members throughout the world, including KCFMC Chapters in Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Pittsburgh, Kansas.

Snap Apple Night by Daniel Maclise -- An 1830s Halloween Party

2010-07-30T02:46:00.000-07:00

Snap-Apple Night is a synonym for halloween.

Snap-Apple Night, painted by Irish artist Daniel Maclise in 1833. It was inspired by a Halloween party he attended in Blarney, Ireland, in 1832. The caption in the first exhibit catalogue:

There Peggy was dancing with Dan
While Maureen the lead was melting,
To prove how their fortunes ran
With the Cards ould Nancy dealt in;
There was Kate, and her sweet-heart Will,
In nuts their true-love burning,
And poor Norah, though smiling still
She'd missed the snap-apple turning.

On the Festival of Hallow Eve.

Want to Buy a Haunted House?

2010-07-30T00:42:00.000-07:00

By Holden Lewis • Bankrate.com

Oh, no, not the attic. Anywhere but the attic. But the visitors insisted on going in. The house's owner reluctantly opened the attic door and stepped aside as her two visitors trod into the gloomy room.

"All I know is we walked into the attic with her, and it's cavernous, and we were just looking hard, and, I don't know, this feeling came over me -- this warm feeling," Craig Schaible says. "I looked at my wife and she felt it, too."

Craig and Yvonne Schaible were thinking of buying this 111-year-old Victorian house on a tree-shaded street in Fanwood, N.J. The owner had grown up in the house and was trying to sell it, now that her parents had died. But an uncanny presence threatened to scare away buyers and drive down the house's value. The owner had not yet told the Schaibles about the mysterious sounds and frightful sights that unnerved her -- and which terrified her husband...

Read complete article here.

Kids in Chicken (?) Costumes, and One Puppy Dog for Halloween

2010-07-29T01:18:00.000-07:00

This 1930s photo of children in their fancy dress for Halloween is entirely too cute.

1930s Halloween Costume Photo; bid on it here

History of Trick or Treating

2010-06-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

Trick-or-treating is a custom for children on Halloween. Children proceed in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy, or sometimes money, with the question, "trick or treat?" The "trick" is a (usually idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given.

In the United States and Canada, trick-or-treating is now one of the main traditions of Halloween and it has become socially expected that if one lives in a neighborhood with children one should purchase treats in preparation for trick-or-treaters. The National Confectioners Association reported in 2005 that 80 percent of adults in the United States planned to give out confectionery to trick-or-treaters, and that 93 percent of children planned to go trick-or-treating.

The tradition of going from door to door receiving food already existed in Britain and Ireland, in the form of souling, where children and poor people would sing and say prayers for the dead in return for cakes. Guising — children disguised in costumes going from door to door for food and coins — also predates trick or treat, and was traditional at Halloween in late 19th century Scotland and Ireland. While going from door to door has remained popular among Scots and Irish, the North American custom of saying "trick or treat" has recently become common. The activity is prevalent in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and northwestern and central Mexico (where it is called calaverita, Spanish for "little skull"; instead of "trick or treat", children ask ¿me da mi calaverita?, "can you give me my little skull?"). In the last twenty years, amid controversy, the custom has spread to other countries, such as Italy, Australia and New Zealand, possibly due to the ubiquity of American TV shows and movies in those countries.

History

Origin

The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays dates back to the Middle Ages and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of souling, when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling [whimpering or whining] like a beggar at Hallowmas." The custom of wearing costumes and masks at Halloween goes back to Celtic traditions of attempting to copy the evil spirits or placate them, in Scotland for instance where the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white.

American historian and author Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts wrote the first book length history of the holiday in the US; The Book of Hallowe'en (1919), and references souling in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America";

The taste in Hallowe'en festivities now is to study old traditions, and hold a Scotch party, using Burn's poem Hallowe'en as a guide; or to go a-souling as the English used. In short, no custom that was once honored at Hallowe'en is out of fashion now.

Kelley lived in Lynn, Massachusetts, a town with 4,500 Irish immigrants, 1,900 English immigrants, and 700 Scottish immigrants in 1920. In her book, Kelley touches on customs that arrived from across the Atlantic; "Americans have fostered them, and are making this an occasion something like what it must have been in its best days overseas. All Hallowe'en customs in the United States are borrowed directly or adapted from those of other countries"

At the time of substantial Scottish and Irish immigration to North America in the late 19th century, Halloween had a strong tradition of "guising" - children in Scotland and Ireland disguised in costumes going from door to door requesting food or coins.

The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street "guising" (see below) on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. Another isolated reference to ritual begging on Halloween appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920.

The earliest known use in print of the term "trick or treat" appears in 1927, from Blackie, Alberta, Canada:

Hallowe’en provided an opportunity for real strenuous fun. No real damage was done except to the temper of some who had to hunt for wagon wheels, gates, wagons, barrels, etc., much of which decorated the front street. The youthful tormentors were at back door and front demanding edible plunder by the word “trick or treat” to which the inmates gladly responded and sent the robbers away rejoicing.

The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but do not depict trick-or-treating. The editor of a collection of over 3,000 vintage Halloween postcards writes, "There are cards which mention the custom [of trick-or-treating] or show children in costumes at the doors, but as far as we can tell they were printed later than the 1920s and more than likely even the 1930s. Tricksters of various sorts are shown on the early postcards, but not the means of appeasing them". Trick-or-treating does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the first U.S. appearances of the term in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939.

Increased popularity

Almost all pre-1940 uses of the term "trick-or-treat" are from the western United States and Canada. Trick-or-treating spread from the western United States eastward, stalled by sugar rationing that began in April 1942 during World War II and did not end until June 1947.

Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children's magazines Jack and Jill and Children's Activities, and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs The Baby Snooks Show in 1946 and The Jack Benny Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1948. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat, and Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show. In 1953 UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating.

Although some popular histories of Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to rechannel Halloween activities away from vandalism, nothing in the historical record supports this theory. To the contrary, adults, as reported in newspapers from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion, with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger.Likewise, as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around. Sometimes even the children protested: for Halloween 1948, members of the Madison Square Boys Club in New York City carried a parade banner that read "American Boys Don't Beg."

Introduction to the UK

Before the 1980s, the North American phrase "trick-or-treat" was little known in the UK and when introduced was often regarded as an unusual and even unwelcome import. Since the 80s it has become more widespread, but is still often viewed as an exotic and unwelcome commercialised import, with the BBC referring to it as "the Japanese knotweed of festivals" and "Making demands with menaces".

Local variants

In Scotland and Ireland, guising (children going from house to house in disguise) is traditional, and the North American jocular threat is not widely practiced, as the traditional gift (in the form of "apples or nuts for the Halloween party", in more recent times chocolate) is given out to the children dressed up as ghosts and witches. Up until circa 1960 children used unusual clothing and face make-up for stunning effect,[citation needed] but with the growing commercialism, theme masks and theme outfits became more popular. In 19th and early 20th century Ireland the tricks were often a bit alarming— for example, slates were placed over the chimney-pots of houses filling the rooms with smoke and field gates were lifted off their hinges and hung from high tree branches.

Until the 1990s, Irish children said "Help the Halloween Party," but some are now more inclined to use the North American "Trick or treat" phrase, due to the influence of American movies, and television.

In parts of Canada, children are more likely to say "Halloween apples" instead of "trick or treat." This probably originated when the toffee apple was a popular type of candy. Apple-giving in much of Canada, however, has been taboo since the 1960s when stories (possibly apocryphal) appeared of razors hidden inside Halloween apples; parents began to check over their children's "loot" for safety before allowing them to eat it. In Quebec, children also go door to door on Halloween. However, in French speaking neighbourhoods, instead of "Trick or treat?", they will simply say "Halloween", though in tradition it used to be La charité s'il-vous-plaît ("Charity, please").

In some parts of Ohio, Iowa, Massachusetts and other states, the night designated for Trick-or-Treating is referred to as Beggars Night.

In Sweden children dress up as witches and go trick-or-treating on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter) while Danish children dress up in various attires and go trick-or-treating on Fastelavn (or the next day, Shrove Monday) and In Norway kids go trick-or-treating between Christmas and New Year's Eve. The Easter witch tradition is done on Palm Sunday in Finland. In parts of Flanders and some parts of the Netherlands and most areas of Germany and Austria, children go to houses with home made beet lanterns or with paper lanterns (which can hold a candle or electronic light), singing songs about St. Martin on St. Martin's Day (the 11th of November), in return for treats. In Northern Germany and Southern Denmark children dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating on New Year's Eve in a tradition called "Rummelpott" .

Children of the St. Louis, Missouri area are expected to perform a joke, usually a simple Halloween-themed pun or riddle, before receiving any candy; this "trick" earns the "treat".

Children in Des Moines, Iowa also tell jokes or otherwise perform before receiving their treat. This originated as well-organized campaign to reduce Halloween mischief-making. Des Moines trick-or-treating is also unusual in that it is actually done the night before Halloween, known locally as "Beggars' Night".

Guising

In Scotland and parts of northern England, a similar tradition is called guising because of the disguises or costumes worn by the children. Although traditions of seasonal guising stretch back at least as far as the Middle Ages, it wasn't until the late 19th century that Halloween had a strong tradition of "guising" - Scottish and Irish children disguised in costumes going from door to door for food. However there is a significant difference from the way the practice has developed in the United States. In Scotland, the children are only supposed to receive treats if they perform tricks for the households they go to. This normally takes the form of singing a song or reciting a joke or a funny poem which the child has memorized before setting out. Occasionally a more talented child may do card tricks, play the mouth organ, or something even more impressive, but most children will earn plenty of treats even with something very simple. Often they won't even need to perform their trick. Guising although remaining popular well into the 20th century, it is being replaced in some parts of the country with the North American form of saying "trick-or-treat". Such a practice is in use in certain regions of the United States, as well.

Spook Time Witch and Black Cat for Halloween

2010-06-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Spook Time

Find More Halloween Images Here

Burning a German Witch

2010-06-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Burning a German Witch

Albert Keller

Check here for availability and pricing

You might also be interested in the book:

The Last Witch of Langenburg: Murder in a German Village

African-American Halloween Roller Skating Party

2010-05-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

What a great find! It's out of my price range, but some lucky collector can win this one.

Early Black Americana Roller Skaters Halloween Photo; click here to bid on original

Halloween Hallowed Out Pumpkins with Candles

2010-05-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween: Hollowed Out Pumpkins with Candles

Linky for pricing and availability

Lancashire Witches and the Pendle Trials

2010-05-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

The Lancashire Witches Mother Chattox Noted Local Witch Rides to Pendle Hill

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The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area around Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft. All but two were tried at Lancaster Assizes on 18–19 August 1612, along with the Samlesbury witches and others, in a series of trials that have become known as the Lancashire witch trials. One was tried at York Assizes on 27 July 1612, and another died in prison. Of the eleven individuals who went to trial—nine women and two men—ten were found guilty and executed by hanging and one was found not guilty.

The trials were unusual for England at that time in two respects: the official publication of the proceedings by the clerk to the court, Thomas Potts, in his The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster, and in the number of witches hanged together: ten at Lancaster and one at York. It has been estimated that all of the English witch trials between the early 15th and early 18th centuries resulted in fewer than 500 executions, so this series of trials during the summer of 1612 accounts for more than 2% of that total.

Six of the Pendle witches came from one of two families, each headed by a female in her eighties at the time of the trials: Elizabeth Southerns (aka Demdike), her daughter Elizabeth Device, and her grandchildren James and Alizon Device; Anne Whittle (aka Chattox), and her daughter Anne Redferne. The others accused were Jane Bulcock and her son John Bulcock, Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, Alice Gray, and Jennet Preston. The outbreaks of witchcraft in and around Pendle may demonstrate the extent to which people could make a living by posing as witches. Many of the allegations resulted from accusations that members of the Demdike and Chattox families made against each other, perhaps because they were in competition, both trying to make a living from healing, begging, and extortion.

To learn more about the Pendle witches, read John Clayton's book:

The Lancashire Witch Conspiracy: A History of Pendle Forest and the Pendle Witch Trials

Witches Dance to a Skeleton Drumming

2010-05-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Witches Dance to a Skeleton's Drumming While Others Arrive on Broomsticks

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La Bruja Bella — The Beautiful Witch

2010-04-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

La Bruja Bella - The Beautiful Witch

Loera, Ladislao

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Halloween Witch Works Her Magic

2010-04-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hallowe'en Witch Works Her Magic

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Witches on Their Broomsticks

2010-03-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Witches on Their Broomsticks Fly Over the Roofs of Their Town

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Zombie Cardboard Cutout Figurine

2010-03-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

Back from the Dead

Stand Up

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Life-sized Jack Skellington Cardboard Cutout — Nightmare Before Christmas

2010-02-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

Jack Skellington

Stand Up

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Jack Skellington and Sally Cardboard Cutout -- Lifesize

2010-02-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

Jack Skellington And Sally

Stand Up

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Pumpkin Group Standup -- Perfect Halloween Decor

2010-01-29T22:03:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Group

Stand Up

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Elvira Coffin Standup Figure -- Halloween Decoration

2010-01-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Elvira Coffin

Stand Up

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Old Louisville Ghost Tour

2009-12-15T00:43:00.000-08:00

By Connie Leonard

Old Louisville is known for its historic houses, but not everyone knows several are said to be haunted. One neighborhood is filled with ghost stories. And as WAVE 3 Investigator Connie Leonard reports, if you choose to ride along on "The Ghosts Of Louisville Tour," it could be a fun and frightening start to your weekend.

If you're looking for something different to do on weekends, you can now board a bus and take a ghostly tour of old Louisville.

Old Louisville's rich -- and sometimes forgotten -- Victorian legacy shines bright these days, thanks to a history lesson with a twist...

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Day of the Dead / Día de los Muertos

2009-12-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos), is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2 in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Due to occurring shortly after Halloween, the Day of the Dead is sometimes thought to be a similar holiday, although the two actually have little in common. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration, where partying is common.

La Catrina – In Mexican folk culture, the Catrina is the skeleton of a high society woman and one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil Dia de Finados is a public holiday, which many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly-themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

Observances in Mexico

Origins

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous cultures. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.

The festival that became the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were dedicated to the god known as the "Lady of the Dead," corresponding to the modern Catrina.

In most regions of Mexico, November 1 honors children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1 mainly as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents) but also as "Día de los Angelitos" (Day of the Little Angels) and November 2 as "Día de los Muertos" or "Día de los Difuntos" (Day of the Dead).

Beliefs

People go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the 3-day period, families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas (offerings), which often include orange mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called "cempasúchitl" (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for "twenty flowers").

In modern Mexico, this name is sometimes replaced with the term "Flor de Muerto" ("Flower of the Dead"). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.

Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or "the little angels"), and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased. Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places people have picnics at the gravesite as well.

Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes; these usually have the Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, scores of candles and an ofrenda. Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations, celebrants wear shells on their clothing, so that when they dance, the noise will wake up the dead; some will also dress up as the deceased.

Public schools at all levels build altars with ofrendas, usually omitting the religious symbols. Government offices usually have at least a small altar, as this holiday is seen as important to the Mexican heritage.

Those with a distinctive talent for writing sometimes create short poems, called "calaveras" ("skulls"), mocking epitaphs of friends, describing interesting habits and attitudes or funny anecdotes. This custom originated in the 18th-19th century, after a newspaper published a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future, "and all of us were dead", proceeding to "read" the tombstones. Newspapers dedicate calaveras to public figures, with cartoons of skeletons in the style of the famous calaveras of José Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican illustrator. Theatrical presentations of Don Juan Tenorio by José Zorrilla (1817–1893) are also traditional on this day.

A common symbol of the holiday is the skull (colloquially called calavera), which celebrants represent in masks, called calacas (colloquial term for "skeleton"), and foods such as sugar or chocolate skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead. Sugar skulls are gifts that can be given to both the living and the dead. Other holiday foods include pan de muerto, a sweet egg bread made in various shapes, from plain rounds to skulls and rabbits, for celebrating this "fiesta" often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.

José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure that he called "La Calavera de la Catrina" ("calavera of the female dandy"), as a parody of a Mexican upper class female. Posada's striking image of a costumed female with a skeleton face has become associated with the Day of the Dead, and Catrina figures often are a prominent part of modern Day of the Dead observances.

The traditions and activities that take place in celebration of the Day of the Dead are not universal and often vary from town to town. For example, in the town of Pátzcuaro on the Lago de Pátzcuaro in Michoacán the tradition is very different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult. On November 1 of the year after a child's death, the godparents set a table in the parents' home with sweets, fruits, pan de muerto, a cross, a Rosary (used to ask the Virgin Mary to pray for them) and candles. This is meant to celebrate the child's life, in respect and appreciation for the parents. There is also dancing with colorful costumes, often with skull-shaped masks and devil masks in the plaza or garden of the town. At midnight on November 2, the people light candles and ride winged boats called mariposas (Spanish for "butterflies") to Janitzio, an island in the middle of the lake where there is a cemetery, to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead there.

In contrast, the town of Ocotepec, north of Cuernavaca in the State of Morelos opens its doors to visitors in exchange for 'veladoras' (small wax candles) to show respect for the recently dead. In return, the visitors receive tamales and 'atole'. This is only done by the owners of the house where somebody in the household has died in the previous year. Many people of the surrounding areas arrive early to eat for free and enjoy the elaborate altars set up to receive the visitors from 'Mictlán'.

In some parts of the country (especially the cities, where in recent years there are displaced other customs) children in costumes roam the streets, knocking on people's doors, for a calaverita, a small gift of candies or money; they also ask passersby for it. This custom is similar to that of Halloween's trick-or-treating, and is relatively recent.

Some people believe that possessing "Día de los Muertos" items can bring good luck. Many people get tattoos or have dolls of the dead to carry with them. They also clean their houses and prepare the favorite dishes of their deceased loved ones to place upon their altar or ofrenda.

Observances Outside of Mexico

United States

In many American communities with Mexican populations, Day of the Dead celebrations are held which are very similar to those held in Mexico. In some of these communities, such as in Texas and Arizona, the celebrations tend to be mostly traditional. For example, the All Souls' Procession has been an annual Tucson event since 1990. The event combines elements of traditional Dia de los Muertos celebrations with those of pagan harvest festivals. People wearing masks carry signs honoring the dead and an urn in which people can place slips of paper with prayers on them to be burned.

In other communities, interactions between Mexican traditions and American culture are resulting in celebrations in which Mexican traditions are being extended to make artistic or sometimes political statements. For example, in Los Angeles, California, the Self Help Graphics & Art Mexican-American cultural center presents an annual Day of the Dead celebration, that includes both traditional and political elements, such as altars to honor the victims of the Iraq War highlighting the high casualty rate among Latino soldiers. An updated, inter-cultural version of the Day of the Dead is also evolving at a cemetery near Hollywood. There, in a mixture of Mexican traditions and Hollywood hip, conventional altars are set up side-by-side with altars to Jayne Mansfield and Johnny Ramone. Colorful native dancers and music intermix with performance artists, while sly pranksters play on traditional themes.

Similar traditional and inter-cultural updating of Mexican celebrations is occurring in San Francisco, for example through the Galería de la Raza, SomArts Cultural Center, Mission Cultural Center, de Young Museum and Garfield Square. In Oakland at the Oakland Museum and with classes in the ancient art of Cartoneria at The Crucible, a local arts education center, and in Missoula, Montana, where skeletal celebrants on stilts, novelty bicycles, and skis parade through town. It also occurs annually at historic Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Sponsored by Forest Hills Educational Trust and the folkloric performance group La Piñata, the Day of the Dead celebration celebrates the cycle of life and death. People bring offerings of flowers, photos, mementos, and food for their departed loved ones which they place at an elaborately and colorfully decorated altar. A program of traditional music and dance also accompanies the community event.

Latin America

Guatemalan celebrations of the Day of the Dead are highlighted by the construction and flying of giant kites in addition to the traditional visits to gravesites of ancestors. A big event also is the consumption of fiambre that is made only for this day during the year.

In Ecuador, the Day of the Dead is observed to some extent by all parts of society, though it is especially important to the indigenous Kichwa peoples who make up an estimated quarter of the population. Indigena families gather together in the community cemetery with offerings of food for a day-long remembrance of their ancestors and lost loved ones. Ceremonial foods include colada morada, a spiced fruit porridge that derives its deep purple color from the Andean blackberry and purple maize. This is typically consumed with guagua de pan, a bread shaped like a swaddled infant, though variations include horses and pigs — the latter being traditional to the city of Loja. The bread, which is wheat flour-based today but was made with cornmeal in the pre-Columbian era can be made savory with cheese inside, or sweet with a filling of guava paste. These traditions have permeated into mainstream society as well, where food establishments add both colada morada and gaugua de pan to their menus for the season. Many non-indigenous Ecuadorians partake in visiting the graves of the deceased and preparing the traditional foods as well.

The Brazilian public holiday of "Finados" (Day of the Dead) is celebrated on November 2. Similar to other Day of the Dead celebrations, people go to cemeteries and churches, with flowers, candles, and prayer. The celebration is intended to be positive, to celebrate those who are deceased.

In Haiti, voodoo traditions mix with Roman Catholic Day of the Dead observances, as, for example, loud drums and music are played at all-night celebrations at cemeteries to waken Baron Samedi, the Loa of the dead, and his mischievous family of offspring, the Gede.

Dia de los ñatitas (Day of the Skulls) is a festival celebrated in La Paz, Bolivia on November 9. In pre-Columbian times, indigenous Andeans had a tradition of sharing a day with the bones of their ancestors on the third year after burial, however only the skulls are used today. Traditionally, the skull of one or more family members are kept at home to watch over the family and protect them during the year. On November 9, the family crowns the skull with fresh flowers, sometimes also dressing it up in various garments, and makes offerings of cigarettes, coca leaves, alcohol, and various other items in thanks for the year's protection. The skulls are also sometimes taken to the central cemetery in La Paz for a special mass and blessing.

Europe

In many countries with a Roman Catholic heritage, All Saints Day and All Souls Day have long been holidays where people take the day off work, go to cemeteries with candles and flowers, and give presents to children, usually sweets and toys. In Portugal and Spain, ofrendas (offerings) are made on this day. In Spain, the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed. In Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Ireland, people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives and say prayers over the dead. In Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Finland the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives. In Tyrol, cakes are left for them on the table and the room kept warm for their comfort. In Brittany, people flock to the cemeteries at nightfall to kneel, bareheaded, at the graves of their loved ones, and to anoint the hollow of the tombstone with holy water or to pour libations of milk on it. At bedtime, the supper is left on the table for the souls.

A Mexican-style Day of the Dead has been celebrated in Prague, Czech Republic as part of a promotion by the Mexican embassy. Local citizens joined in a celebration of the Day of the Dead put on by a theatre group with masks, candles, and sugar skulls.

Asia

In the Philippines, the holiday is Araw ng mga Patay (Day of the Dead), Todos Los Santos or Undas (the latter two due to the fact that this holiday is celebrated on November 1, All Saints Day), and has more of a "family reunion" atmosphere. Tombs are cleaned or repainted, candles are lit, and flowers are offered. Entire families camp in cemeteries, and sometimes spend a night or two near their relatives' tombs. Card games, eating, drinking, singing and dancing are common activities in the cemetery. It is considered a very important holiday by many Filipinos (after Christmas and Holy Week), and additional days are normally given as special non-working holidays (but only November 1 is a regular holiday).

Mexican-style Day of the Dead celebrations can also be found in Wellington, New Zealand, complete with altars celebrating the deceased with flowers and gifts.

Other similar traditions

Many other cultures around the world have similar traditions of a day set aside to visit the graves of deceased family members. Often included in these traditions are celebrations, food and beverages, in addition to prayers and remembrances of the departed.

The Bon Festival (O-bon (お盆?) or only Bon (盆?) is a Japanese Buddhist holiday to honor the departed spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist festival has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people from the big cities return to their home towns and visit and clean their ancestors' graves. Traditionally including a dance festival, it has existed in Japan for more than 500 years. This holiday is three days in August.

In Korea, Chuseok (추석, 秋夕) is a major traditional holiday, also called Hangawi. People go where the spirits of one's ancestors are enshrined, and perform ancestral worship rituals early in the morning; they visit the tombs of immediate ancestors to trim plants and clean the area around the tomb, and offer food, drink, and crops to their ancestors.

The Ching Ming Festival (simplified Chinese: 清明节; traditional Chinese: 清明節; pinyin: qīng míng jié) is a traditional Chinese festival usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar. Along with Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar, it is a time to tend to the graves of departed ones. In addition, in the Chinese tradition, the seventh month in the Chinese calendar is called the Ghost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits come out from the underworld to visit earth.

During the Nepali holiday of Gai Jatra ("Cow Pilgrimage"), every family who has lost a family member during the previous year makes a construction of bamboo branches, cloth, paper decorations and portraits of the deceased, called a "gai". Traditionally, a cow leads the spirits of the dead into the next land. Depending on local custom, either an actual live cow, or a construct representing a cow may be used. The festival is also a time to dress up in costume, including costumes involving political comments and satire.

In some cultures in Africa, visits to the graves of ancestors, the leaving of food and gifts, and the asking of protection serve as important parts of traditional rituals. One example of this is the ritual that occurs just before the beginning of hunting season.

In some tribes of the Amazon they believe that the dead return as flowers rather than butterflies.

United Kingdom's Most Haunted Location

2009-11-23T00:45:00.000-08:00

A scientist investigating one of the UK's "most haunted" locations has said "something quite odd" was going on.

Professor Richard Wiseman used 200 volunteers to carry out a study of Mary King's Close in Edinburgh.

It yielded reports of apparitions, phantom footsteps, unexplained cold spots and unseen hands...

Read complete article here.

All Hallows, Hallowmas, All Saint's Day

2009-11-01T20:35:00.000-08:00

All Saints Day, 1st November 1984 in the Beskiel Cemetery, Oswiecim, Poland

All Saints' Day (in the Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.

In terms of Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls' Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven.

Christian denominations celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints Day and the Feast of All Souls Day because of the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven (the 'church penitent' and the 'church triumphant', respectively), and the 'church militant' who are the living. Those who have died and are with God watch over those still living, and the saints are held to intercede with God on behalf of the living. On their part, the living pray to the saints and remember in intercessory prayers to God all who have died, particularly their deceased relatives and friends.

Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Tradition, All Saints' Sunday (Greek: Αγίων Πάντων, Agiōn Pantōn), follows the earlier tradition of commemorating all saints collectively on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

The feast of All Saints achieved great prominence in the ninth century, in the reign of the Byzantine Emperor, Leo VI "the Wise" (886–911). His wife, Empress Theophano—commemorated on December 16—lived a devout life. After her death, her husband built a church, intending to dedicate it to her. When he was forbidden to do so, he decided to dedicate it to "All Saints," so that if his wife were in fact one of the righteous, she would also be honored whenever the feast was celebrated. According to tradition, it was Leo who expanded the feast from a commemoration of All Martyrs to a general commemoration of All Saints, whether martyrs or not.

This Sunday marks the close of the Paschal season. To the normal Sunday services are added special scriptural readings and hymns to all the saints (known and unknown) from the Pentecostarion.

The Sunday following All Saints Sunday—the second Sunday after Pentecost—is set aside as a commemoration of all locally venerated saints, such as "All Saints of America", "All Saints of Mount Athos", etc. The third Sunday after Pentecost may be observed for even more localized saints, such as "All Saints of St. Petersburg", or for saints of a particular type, such as "New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke."

In addition to the Sundays mentioned above, Saturdays throughout the year are days for general commemoration of all saints, and special hymns to all saints are chanted from the Octoechos.

In the West

The Western Christian holiday of All Saints Day falls on November 1, followed by All Souls' Day on November 2, and is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.

The origin of the festival of All Saints celebrated in the West dates to May 13, 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. The chosen day, May 13, was a pagan observation of great antiquity, the culmination of three days of the Feast of the Lemures, in which the malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated. Liturgiologists of the Middle Ages based the idea that this Lemuria festival was the origin of that of All Saints on their identical dates and on the similar theme of "all the dead".

The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (731–741) of an oratory in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world", with the day moved to November 1.

This usually fell within a few weeks of the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which had a theme similar to the Roman festival of Lemuria, but which was also a harvest festival. The Irish, whose holiday Samhain had been, did not celebrate All Hallows Day on this November 1 date, as extant historical documents attest that the celebration in Ireland took place in the spring: "...the Felire of Oengus and the Martyrology of Tallaght prove that the early medieval churches [in Ireland] celebrated the feast of All Saints on April 20."

A November festival of all the saints was already widely celebrated on November 1 in the days of Charlemagne. It was made a day of obligation throughout the Frankish empire in 835, by a decree of Louis the Pious, issued "at the instance of Pope Gregory IV and with the assent of all the bishops", which confirmed its celebration on November 1. The octave was added by Pope Sixtus IV (1471–1484).

The festival was retained after the Reformation in the calendar of the Anglican Church and in many Lutheran churches. In the Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden, it assumes a role of general commemoration of the dead. In the Swedish calendar, the observance takes place on the Saturday between October 31 and November 6. In many Lutheran Churches, it is moved to the first Sunday of November. It is also celebrated by other Protestants of the English tradition, such as the United Church of Canada, the Methodist churches, and the Wesleyan Church.

In the United Methodist Church, All Saints' Day is on the first Sunday in November. It is held, not only to remember Saints, but also to remember all those that have died that were members of the local church congregation. In some congregations, a candle is lit by the Acolyte as each person's name is called out by the clergy. Prayers and responsive readings may accompany the event. Often, the names of those who have died in the past year are afixed to a memorial plaque.

Roman Catholic Obligation

In the Catholic Church, All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning going to Mass on the date is required (unless one is ill or elderly). However, in the United States, All Saints Day is not considered a Holy Day of Obligation when it falls on Monday or Saturday, as well as having no obligation at all in Hawaii.

Customs

In Portugal and Spain, oferendas (offerings) are made on this day. In Portugal, children celebrate the Pão-por-Deus tradition. In Spain, the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed. In Mexico, All Saints coincides with the celebration of "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents), the first day of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebration, honoring deceased children and infants. In Portugal, children go door to door where they receive cakes, nuts and pomegranates.

In Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Spain people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives.

In Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Croatia, Austria, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Catholic parts of Germany, the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives.

In the Philippines, this day, called "Undas", "Todos los Santos" (literally "All Saints"), and sometimes "Araw ng mga Namayapa" (approximately "Day of the deceased") is observed as All Souls' Day. This day and the one before and one after it is spent visiting the graves of deceased relatives, where prayers and flowers are offered, candles are lit and the graves themselves are cleaned, repaired and repainted.

In English-speaking countries, the festival is traditionally celebrated with the hymn "For All the Saints" by William Walsham How. The most familiar tune for this hymn is Sine Nomine by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Historic Halloween Postcards

2009-10-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Taken from the book of the same title is a selection of the images of Halloween as celebrated in the early twentieth century, when it was a romantic holiday, a time for soothsaying traditions in love and luck. The years from 1900 to 1918 are considered the 'Golden Age of Postcards' -- a time when lavishly designed and printed cards were exchanged at every available occasion. Halloween cards were extremely popular, full of all the vivid imagery of the occasion, and are highly sought-after collector's items today. These beautifully illustrated postcards capture the essence of the romantic art and customs of yesteryear and are a delightful commemoration of America's fastest-growing holiday: Halloween.

The Book of Halloween -- Historic Halloween History

2009-10-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Originally published in 1919, Ruth Edna Kelley's THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN remains the all time classic exploration of Halloween history, from the mysterious year end rites of the ancient Celts, to the autumnal reign of Samhain, the Druid god of death, to the coming to Europe of Christianity and "All Saints Day," to the charming early 20th Century Halloween beliefs and customs of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, France, Germany and America. Filled with Halloween poems, games and tried and true ancient methods for divining the future (especially for discovering the identity of one's future spouse!), THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN opens a captivating window into the past of one of today's most beloved holidays.

This Better Days Books edition of THE BOOK OF HALLOWE'EN is a quality reprint containing the full text of the original 1919 edition, along with a new full color cover inspired by a genuine vintage Halloween card from the era.

Often imitated, but never equaled, Ruth Edna Kelley's THE BOOKS OF HALLOWE'EN remains the most complete, fun and fascinating exploration of the Halloween holiday available in this or any Century.

Vintage Halloween and antiquarian book collectors, rejoice!

Halloween Spells

2009-10-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

From the Publisher:

The end of October is one of my favorite times of the year. Here in Minnesota the leaves have turned from green to yellow, orange and red, and blown to the ground, leaving bare trees silhouetted against the autumn sky. The air, as if sighing in relief from relentless summer heat, has turned to blustery chill. And it's time for one of the most fun holidays of the year, Halloween.

There are two aspects to this holiday, the ancient spiritual traditions and the fun and silliness. Someone may jump out and yell, "Boo!" but the shrieks of surprise and fear turn into shrieks of laughter. All of this is covered in Silver RavenWolf's book Halloween.

Whether you are eight or one-hundred-and-eight, you're going to love this book. If you are interested in the spiritual and historic side of Halloween, you'll find the history and lore of the holiday in these pages, including how the modern traditions evolved from the ancient ones.

And if you're into fun, you'll find it here, too. There are all sorts of easy divinations to find out what the future will bring. You can do them with common items like a bowl of water or the pumpkin seeds from the jack-o'-lantern you carved. The book also gives recipes you can make, including Angel's Dreams and Wishes Pumpkin, Witches' Flying Mix and Sugar Snakes in Graveyard Dust. They're all tasty, easy-to-make, and delicious.

Also included are spells for doing Halloween magick. You'll find love spells and protection spells, house blessing spells, prosperity spells and many more. On a serious note, you'll see how there is a long tradition of honoring the departed on this night of the year. You'll be able to perform these rituals, too.

This is the most complete book ever on Halloween, and I think it is perfect of families and individuals alike.

Black Cats -- Lucky or Unlucky?

2009-10-16T01:40:00.000-07:00

Black cats may be thought of as either good luck or bad. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. Usually a black cat is a Bombay, known for its sleek black fur. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats.

Historical associations

Superstition, prejudice, bringer of good or bad luck

The folklore surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture. In Great Britain, black cats are a symbol of good luck. The Scottish believe that a strange black cat's arrival to the home signifies prosperity. Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors. However in Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches; other cultures also consider them to be bad luck. The gambling world is also afraid of a black cat: it is believed that if you are on your way to a casino and a black cat crosses your road or path, you should not go to the casino and go home; most players believe that black cats bring them bad luck. (Sometimes, other black creatures, such as black dogs, also shared in the prejudice and suspicion of being "familiars".)

The black cat in folklore has been thought to change into human shape to act as a spy or courier for witches or demons. During the Middle Ages, these superstitions led people to kill black cats. This had the unintended consequence of increasing the rat population and the spread of the Black Plague and other diseases carried by rodents. There is no evidence from England of regular large-scale massacres of "satanic" cats, or of burning them in midsummer bonfires, as sometimes occurred in Europe.

However, the supernatural powers ascribed to black cats were sometimes viewed positively, for example by sailors considering a ship's cat in general and a black one in particular as luck for their ship. Sometimes, fishermen's wives would keep black cats at home too, in the hope that they would be able to use their influence to protect their husbands at sea (see Ship's cat).

Black cats have been found to have lower odds of adoption in American shelters compared to other colors (except brown).

Pirates of the 19th century believed that a black cat would bring different kinds of luck. If a black cat walks towards you, you will have bad luck. If a black cat walks away from you then you will have good luck. If a black cat walks onto your ship and then walk off it your ship is doomed to sink on your next trip.

October's Bright Blue Weather a Good Time to Read

2009-10-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Title: October's "bright blue weather" A good time to read!.
Creator(s): Albert Bender, artist
Related Names: Federal Art Project, sponsor
Date Created/Published: Chicago : Illinois WPA Art Project, [between 1936 and 1940]

Fastelavn -- The Nordic Halloween

2009-09-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

Fastelavn is the name for Carnival in Denmark which is the either Sunday or Monday before Ash Wednesday. Fastelavn evolved from the Roman Catholic tradition of celebrating in the days before Lent, but after Denmark became a Protestant nation, the holiday became less specifically religious. This holiday occurs seven weeks before Easter Sunday and is sometimes described as a Nordic Halloween, with children dressing up in costumes and gathering treats for the Fastelavn feast. The holiday is generally considered to be a time for children's fun and family games.

Festivities

Some towns in Denmark are renowned for their large Fastelavn festivities and parades. Traditional events include slå katten af tønden ("hit the cat out of the barrel"), which is somewhat similar to using a piñata. The Danes use a wooden barrel, which is full of candy and oranges and has the image of a cat on it. Historically there was a real black cat in the barrel, and beating the barrel was superstitiously considered a safeguard against evil. After the candy pours out, the game continues until the entire barrel is broken. The one who knocks down the bottom of the barrel (making all the candy spill out) becomes kattedronning ("queen of cats"); the one who knocks down the last piece of the barrel becomes kattekonge ("king of cats").

In Denmark and Norway a popular baked good associated with the day is Fastelavnsbolle (lit. "Fastelavns bun", also known in English as "shrovetide bun" or "lenten bun"), a round sweet roll usually covered with icing and sometimes filled with whipped cream. Similar buns are eaten in other northern European countries, for example the Swedish Semla. Ísafjörður is the only town in Iceland that celebrates Fastelavn on the same day as the Nordic countries, the day being known as Maskadagur (from the Danish word maske, meaning to dress-up or put on a mask).

There seem to be some small local traditions which are closer to the carnival traditions of other countries, including Ash Wednesday, Carnival parades, Pancake Tuesday and eating special food after Ash Wednesday, but they are not particular to Danish culture.

Another popular custom (especially among the children) is the "fastelavnsris", with which children ritually flog their parents to wake them up on the morning of Fastelavns Sunday (Quinquagesima).

Fastelavnsris have many shapes and forms and differ from area to area. In some areas they are bunches of twigs, usually from fruit trees and preferably with buds. Those are often decorated with feathers, egg-shells, storks and little figures of babies. In other areas, they are a bent willow-branch, shaped like an ankh and wound with crepe paper that has frizzles cut with scissors. Both varieties may be decorated with candy as well.

The custom is known already in the 1700s in Denmark and it has several roots. There is probably no doubt the custom originates from an old fertility ritual, which has been absorbed into Christianity. The more serious one is that after the reformation, particularly pious people used to flog their children on Good Friday to remind them of the sufferings of Christ on the cross. A similar custom is mentioned in the book "Frauenzimmerlexicon", published in 1715 in Leipzig (Germany), which describes how bachelors and virgins "bid each other goodmorning" by flogging each other and spreading ashes on each other. This custom is also known in Denmark.

Earlier, it was mainly the young women and the infertile who were flogged. It was also common that a young man would carry his "fastelavnsris" and (of course gently) strike at young women he met on the street. Later it became the children's special right to flog their parents on this day. In any case, the reward given for the flogging would be a fastelavnsbolle.

History of Candy Corn

2009-08-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Candy corn is a confection popular in the United States and Canada, particularly in autumn around Halloween. Created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Company, the three colors of the candy mimic the appearance of North American corn. Each piece is approximately the size of a whole kernel from a ripe or dried ear.

Candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup, artificial coloring and binders. A serving size of 22 pieces contains 140 calories and no fat.

Candy corn pieces are traditionally cast in three colors: a broad yellow bottom, a tapered orange center, and a pointed white top. A popular variation called "Indian corn" features a chocolate brown bottom, orange center and pointed white top. In recent years confectioners have introduced additional color variations suited to other holidays, including Christmas and Easter.

Sales

The National Confectioners Association estimates that 20 million pounds (9,072,000 kilograms) of candy corn are sold annually. The top branded retailer of candy corn, Brach's, sells enough candy corn each year to circle the earth 4.25 times if the kernels were laid end to end.

Though most candy corn is purchased at Halloween, the confection is available year-round.

Production

The main ingredients in candy corn are sugar, corn syrup, and a small amount of salt.

Originally the candy was made by hand. Manufacturers first combined sugar, corn syrup, and water and cooked them to form a slurry. Fondant was added for texture and marshmallows were added to provide a soft bite. The final mixture was then heated and poured into shaped molds. Three passes, one for each colored section, were required during the pouring process.

The recipe remains basically the same today. The production method, called "corn starch molding," likewise remains the same, though tasks initially performed by hand were soon taken over by machines invented for the purpose.

History of Candy Apples

2009-07-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

Candy apples, also known as toffee apples, are whole apples covered in a hard sugar candy coating. While the topping varies from place to place, they are almost always served with a stick of sorts in the middle making them easier to eat. Toffee apples are a common treat at autumn festivals in Western culture in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night, because these festivals fall in the wake of the annual apple harvest.

In England toffee apples are more commonly eaten on November 5th (also known as Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night) rather than Halloween, while in the United States, candy apples are most commonly eaten during Autumn. In Latin American countries, candy apples are popular throughout those countries' extended holiday season. Caramel apples are more popular in much of the United States, with candy apples unknown in some regions. In Germany they are most often associated with the Christmas season. They are also sometimes sold at carnivals and fairs. In China, a similar treat called Tanghulu is made by coating small fruits (traditionally hawthorns) with hard sugar syrup.

The most common "candy" is a hard coating of cooled sugar syrup, usually tinted red and sometimes flavored with cinnamon. The sugar syrup is heated to the "hard crack" stage before coating the apple to make a hard coating when the syrup cools. Other variations include caramel or taffy apples, and chocolate apples.

According to the Newark Evening News 1964:

William W. Kolb invented the red candy apple. Kolb, a veteran Newark candy-maker, produced his first batch of candied apples in 1908. While experimenting in his candy shop with red cinnamon candy for the Christmas trade, he dipped some apples into the mixture and put them in the windows for display. He sold the whole first batch for 5 cents each and later sold thousands yearly. Soon candied apples were being sold along the Jersey Shore, at the circus and in candy shops across the country, according to the Newark News in 1948.

Also known as Jelly apples, which can be found in the famous Coney Island area. Some have sprinkles on them or coconut. See Fyfe and Mark I told you they are called Jelly apples too, so you guys are beat.

History of the Candy Pumpkin

2009-06-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

A Candy pumpkin is a small, pumpkin-shaped, fat-free mellowcreme confection primarily made from corn syrup, honey, and sugar. Traditionally colored with an orange base and topped with a green stem to make candy pumpkins largely identifiable with Halloween, a candy pumpkin is considered a mellow creme by confectioners since the candy has virtually no oils or fats in it but has a marshmallow flavor. Sometimes called candy corn's first cousin, candy pumpkins are made through a starch casting process similar to that for candy corn. Brach's candy pumpkin, known by the trademarked name "Mellowcreme Pumpkin," is the most popular candy pumpkin. Brach's Confections is now owned by Farley's & Sathers Candy Company.

History

Candy pumpkins are made using the same process to make candy corn. The candy corn process and product were created by George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Co. in the 1880s and became popular as a treat in the 1920s. Candy pumpkins first were produced in mid 20th century using a process similar to that of candy corn. Corn syrup, food coloring, honey, and sugar are beat and heated in large kettles to produce an ultra-sweet syrup. This slurry generically is called "mellowcreme" by confectioners, since the resulting candy has a mellow, creamy texture. The mellowcreme slurry then was divided into two uneven amounts, with the large amount receiving orange food coloring and the smaller receiving green food coloring. A mogul machine brings the two colored mixtures together into a mold made of cornstarch, and the assembly is sent to a separate drying room to dry for 24 to 36 hours. Once dry, the candy is shaken violently to remove excess cornstarch and a final glaze is added to give the candy pumpkin a sheen.Candy pumpkins, acorns and other shapes that are derived from the mellowcreme slurry are often sold with candy corn under the name "harvest mix."

Impact

Candy pumpkins are popular in part because the mellowcreme gives them "an interesting texture." That candy pumpkins are fat free adds to their popularity. As of 1988, most big confectionery companies, including Mars Inc., did not market special Halloween candies. The one exception was Brach's Confections, which made candy pumpkins among other seasonal products. Their "Mellowcreme Pumpkin" was made to look like an autumnal vegetable; each pumpkin contained 25 calories and 5 grams sugar. In 1992, Brach's Confections expected to sell more than 30 million pounds of mellowcreme candy during the fall season, which included its seasonal mellowcreme pumpkins.

By the late 1990s, competitors of Brach's realized that the market for the special Halloween candy pumpkin was expanding. For example, in 1997, candy pumpkins and other mellowcreme candies helped push annual spending on Halloween candy in the United States to an estimated $950 million a year. In response, Mars, Inc. came out with Snickers Creme Pumpkin in 1998. The milk chocolate-covered peanut and caramel candy was packaged in a 1.20 oz. size with a plastic wrapper featuring a jack-o-lantern on the package. At the time, the Snickers Creme Pumpkin retailed for 50 U.S. cents. Two years, later in 2000, Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company cross-licensed with ConAgra Foods to produce Peter Pan Peanut Butter Pumpkins. Peter Pan Peanut Butter Pumpkins included a "rich and creamy" Peter Pan peanut butter center pressed into a detailed pumpkin mold. At that time, the Peter Pan pumpkin candy was sold in 14 oz. bags. Also in 2000, Zachary Confections expanded its product line to include candy pumpkins.

In addition, to helping characterize Halloween, candy pumpkins played a role in the current U.S. implementation of daylight saving time. Since the 1960s, candy makers had wanted to get the trick-or-treat period covered by Daylight Saving, reasoning that if children have an extra hour of daylight, they would collect more candy. During the 1985 U.S Congressional hearings on Daylight Saving, the industry went so far as to put candy pumpkins on the seat of every senator, hoping to win a little favor. On July 8, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1986 into law; it contained a daylight saving rider which continued daylight saving time until the early morning of last Sunday in October; this did not include Halloween night. In 2005, daylight saving time was extended to the first Sunday in November—just long enough to include Halloween.

Witches of Macbeth, Act IV Scene I The witches in their cavern gathered around the cauldron

2009-05-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Macbeth, Act IV Scene I: The Witches in Their Cavern Gathered Around the Boiling Cauldron

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Act 4, Scene 1

SCENE I. A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron.

    Thunder. Enter the three Witches

First Witch

    Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.

Second Witch

    Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.

Third Witch

    Harpier cries 'Tis time, 'tis time.

First Witch

    Round about the cauldron go;
    In the poison'd entrails throw.
    Toad, that under cold stone
    Days and nights has thirty-one
    Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
    Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.

ALL

    Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

    Fillet of a fenny snake,
    In the cauldron boil and bake;
    Eye of newt and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL

    Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Third Witch

    Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
    Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
    Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
    Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
    Liver of blaspheming Jew,
    Gall of goat, and slips of yew
    Silver'd in the moon's eclipse,
    Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
    Finger of birth-strangled babe
    Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
    Make the gruel thick and slab:
    Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
    For the ingredients of our cauldron.

ALL

    Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

    Cool it with a baboon's blood,
    Then the charm is firm and good.

    Enter HECATE to the other three Witches

HECATE

    O well done! I commend your pains;
    And every one shall share i' the gains;
    And now about the cauldron sing,
    Live elves and fairies in a ring,
    Enchanting all that you put in.

    Music and a song: 'Black spirits,' & c

    HECATE retires

Second Witch

    By the pricking of my thumbs,
    Something wicked this way comes.
    Open, locks,
    Whoever knocks!

    Enter MACBETH

MACBETH

    How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!
    What is't you do?

ALL

    A deed without a name.

MACBETH

    I conjure you, by that which you profess,
    Howe'er you come to know it, answer me:
    Though you untie the winds and let them fight
    Against the churches; though the yesty waves
    Confound and swallow navigation up;
    Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down;
    Though castles topple on their warders' heads;
    Though palaces and pyramids do slope
    Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure
    Of nature's germens tumble all together,
    Even till destruction sicken; answer me
    To what I ask you.

First Witch

    Speak.

Second Witch

    Demand.

Third Witch

    We'll answer.

First Witch

    Say, if thou'dst rather hear it from our mouths,
    Or from our masters?

MACBETH

    Call 'em; let me see 'em.

First Witch

    Pour in sow's blood, that hath eaten
    Her nine farrow; grease that's sweaten
    From the murderer's gibbet throw
    Into the flame.

ALL

    Come, high or low;
    Thyself and office deftly show!

    Thunder. First Apparition: an armed Head

MACBETH

    Tell me, thou unknown power,--

First Witch

    He knows thy thought:
    Hear his speech, but say thou nought.

First Apparition

    Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff;
    Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.

    Descends

MACBETH

    Whate'er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks;
    Thou hast harp'd my fear aright: but one
    word more,--

First Witch

    He will not be commanded: here's another,
    More potent than the first.

    Thunder. Second Apparition: A bloody Child

Second Apparition

    Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!

MACBETH

    Had I three ears, I'ld hear thee.

Second Apparition

    Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn
    The power of man, for none of woman born
    Shall harm Macbeth.

    Descends

MACBETH

    Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?
    But yet I'll make assurance double sure,
    And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live;
    That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
    And sleep in spite of thunder.

    Thunder. Third Apparition: a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand
    What is this
    That rises like the issue of a king,
    And wears upon his baby-brow the round
    And top of sovereignty?

ALL

    Listen, but speak not to't.

Third Apparition

    Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care
    Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
    Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
    Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
    Shall come against him.

    Descends

MACBETH

    That will never be
    Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
    Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements! good!
    Rebellion's head, rise never till the wood
    Of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth
    Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
    To time and mortal custom. Yet my heart
    Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
    Can tell so much: shall Banquo's issue ever
    Reign in this kingdom?

ALL

    Seek to know no more.

MACBETH

    I will be satisfied: deny me this,
    And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know.
    Why sinks that cauldron? and what noise is this?

    Hautboys

First Witch

    Show!

Second Witch

    Show!

Third Witch

    Show!

ALL

    Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;
    Come like shadows, so depart!

    A show of Eight Kings, the last with a glass in his hand; GHOST OF BANQUO following

MACBETH

    Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo: down!
    Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls. And thy hair,
    Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first.
    A third is like the former. Filthy hags!
    Why do you show me this? A fourth! Start, eyes!
    What, will the line stretch out to the crack of doom?
    Another yet! A seventh! I'll see no more:
    And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass
    Which shows me many more; and some I see
    That two-fold balls and treble scepters carry:
    Horrible sight! Now, I see, 'tis true;
    For the blood-bolter'd Banquo smiles upon me,
    And points at them for his.

    Apparitions vanish
    What, is this so?

First Witch

    Ay, sir, all this is so: but why
    Stands Macbeth thus amazedly?
    Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprites,
    And show the best of our delights:
    I'll charm the air to give a sound,
    While you perform your antic round:
    That this great king may kindly say,
    Our duties did his welcome pay.

    Music. The witches dance and then vanish, with HECATE

MACBETH

    Where are they? Gone? Let this pernicious hour
    Stand aye accursed in the calendar!

Halloween Party at Shafter Migrant Camp, California, 1938

2009-04-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Title: Halloween party at Shafter migrant camp, California
Creator(s): Dorothea Lange, photographer
Date Created/Published: 1938 Nov.
Medium: 1 negative : safety ; 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches or smaller.
Part of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection

1936 Halloween Roller Skating Carnival, New York WPA Poster

2009-03-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

Title: Halloween roller skating carnival On the mall, Central Park : Bring your skates : Come in costume : Prizes will be given for costumes.
Date Created/Published: [New York] : Federal Art Project, 1936.
Summary: Poster announcing roller skating carnival in Central Park, New York City, showing a child roller skating with a jack-o-lantern mask.
Image courtesy the Library of Congress

Central Park, New York, Halloween Roller Skating Carnival

2009-02-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

Title: Halloween roller skating carnival Bring your skates : Prizes will be awarded for costumes / / M. Weitzman.
Creator(s): Martin Weitzman
Date Created/Published: [New York]: Federal Art Project, 1936.
Summary: Poster announcing roller skating carnival in Central Park, New York City, showing a boy and a girl skating.

Poisoned Candy Scare -- Tainted Halloween Candy?

2009-01-28T00:20:00.000-08:00

The poisoned candy scare was a moral panic in the United States (and Canada) during the 1970s and 1980s regarding the threat that children could be in danger of ingesting razor blades, needles, or poison introduced to candy by tampering, especially during traditional Halloween trick-or-treating. Apart from one incident—actually an act of premeditated murder by a trick-or-treater's father—there have been no recorded incidents of deliberately poisoned candy during Halloween or any similar occasion.

Origins of candy tampering

Although the origin of the candy tampering myth is uncertain, there are two events in particular that no doubt played a large role in how the crisis was shaped within the public's mind.

The first event took place in 1964, where an annoyed New York housewife started giving out packages of inedible objects to children whom she believed were too old to be trick-or-treating. The packages contained items such as steel wool, dog biscuits, and ant buttons (which were clearly labeled with the word ”poison”). Though nobody was injured, she was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to endangering children.

The second milestone in the spread of the candy tampering myths was an article published in the New York Times in 1970. This article claimed that "Those Halloween goodies that children collect this weekend on their rounds of ‘trick or treating’ may bring them more horror than happiness", and provided specific examples of potential tamperings.

In 2008, candy was found with metal shavings and metal blades embedded in it. The candy was Pokémon Valentine's Day lollipops purchased from a Dollar General store in Polk County, Florida. The candy was determined to have been manufactured in China and not tampered with within the United States. The lollipops were pulled from the shelves after both a mother reported a blade in her child's lollipop and several more lollipops with metal shavings in them were confiscated from a local elementary school.

In 2008, some cold medicine was discovered in cases of Smarties that were handed out to children in Ontario, Canada

Contemporary legends and reality

Over the years various experts have tried to debunk the various candy tampering stories. Among this group is Joel Best, a University of Delaware sociologist who specializes in candy tampering. In his studies he researched newspapers from 1958 on in search of candy tampering. Of these stories fewer than 90 instances might have qualified.

Upon closer examination nearly all of these claims were false or hoaxes created by the child. Within the reports of candy tampering Best has only found five child deaths that were initially thought to be caused by homicidal strangers.

In 1970, a 5-year-old boy from the Detroit area found and ate heroin his uncle had stashed. The boy died following a four day coma. The family attempted to protect the uncle by claiming the drug had been sprinkled in the child's Halloween candy.

In a 1974 case, Timothy O'Bryan, an 8-year-old boy from Pasadena, Texas, died after eating a cyanide-laced package of Pixy Stix. A subsequent police investigation eventually determined that the poisoned candy had been planted in his trick-or-treat pile by the boy's father, Ronald Clark O'Bryan, who also gave out poisoned candy to other children in an attempt to cover up the murder. The murderer, who had wanted to claim life insurance money, was executed in 1984.

Media and the myth

Despite the falseness of these claims the news media promoted the story continuously throughout the 1980s, with local news stations featuring frequent coverage. During this time cases of poisoning were repeatedly reported based on unsubstantiated claims or before a full investigation could be completed and often never followed up on. This one sided coverage contributed to the overall panic and caused rival media outlets to issue reports of candy tampering as well.

By 1985, the media had driven the hysteria about candy poisonings to such a point that an ABC News/Washington Post poll that found 60% of parents feared that their children would be injured or killed because of Halloween candy sabotage.

Advice columnists entered the fray during the 1980s and 1990s with both Ann Landers and Dear Abby warning parents of the horrors of candy tampering.

"In recent years, there have been reports of people with twisted minds putting razor blades and poison in taffy apples and Halloween candy. It is no longer safe to let your child eat treats that come from strangers." –Ann Landers

"Somebody's child will become violently ill or die after eating poisoned candy or an apple containing a razor blade." –Dear Abby

This collective fear also served as the impetus for the "safe" trick-or-treating offered by many local malls.

content from Wikipedia

Jack o'Lantern and Snowball

2009-01-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Title: Halloween and the Minnesota snowball

Creator(s): Bartholomew, Charles Lewis, 1869-1949, artist

Date Created/Published: between 1898 and 1915

Summary: Two figures are shown standing outdoors in the snow, one with a jack-o-lantern head and the other with a snowball for a head. The jack-o-lantern wears a bow tie labled "Halloween" and holds a party horn. From the corner of its mouth, smoky breath eminates, perhaps serving as an indication of the cold temperature. The snowball, in mittens and a tie labled "Minnesota Snowball," stands next to the jack-o-lantern holding one hand to his mouth.

Part of: Caroline and Erwin Swann collection of caricature and cartoon (Library of Congress)