(Sharon veers off-topic this week, with a Note Not from the Playground)
Halloween is a strange and fascinating holiday filled with frights, delights and everything that children of all ages seem to love. According to Wikipedia, the celebration has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. Although everyone knows its association with pumpkins, costumes, trick or treating, pranks, and slasher films, there are other interesting elements that conspire to make it utterly unique among the other special days we celebrate, whether religious, secular, or Hallmark-inspired. Plus, it’s my personal favorite.
For instance, the name jack-o-lantern harkens back to some old Irish legend about a sleazy drunkard named Stingy Jack, or Jack the Smith, that tricked the devil, twice no less. The first time the devil came a callin’, he wanted to size up the competition upon hearing of Jack’s foul reputation. Who knew the devil was so insecure? Before he gets off’d, Jack manages to get the devil to buy him several drinks and then turn into a coin to pay for them (that Jack had some skillz). Then he traps him with a cross and buys 10 more years of life. The next time, Jack pulls another con, using that cross trick again – this devil doesn’t seem too sharp – and gets a “soul out of hell” free card. When Jack finally dies of natural causes, he can’t get into heaven and the devil can’t take him either, so he ends up roaming the space between, with only a lowly lit, carved out turnip to guide his way. I guess turnips have their use after all.
Halloween is also apparently a runner up to Valentine’s Day in the romance holiday department. Again, those from the British Isles give us a fun if slightly macabre tale. At some point, a traditional Irish and Scottish game was to carve an apple in one long strip and toss it over your shoulder. The peel would land in the shape of the first letter of your future partner’s name. Wait, it gets better. The single gals were then told that if they sat in a dark room on Halloween night, and gazed into a mirror, the face of their future hubby would appear. If they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would show itself instead. So for those single folk out there who can peel an apple in one long strip (like Meg Ryan’s character in Sleepless in Seattle), get ready for the wheel of fortune, love-style. And for the rest of us, we can just stare into a mirror while sitting in the dark (maybe a little booze wouldn’t hurt) and look for George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, or a skull.
And last, but not least, the beloved apple, the star of many famous stories, also finds itself prominently featured at Halloween. We like to eat them candied, carameled, dipped in toffee, chocolate, and taffy then rolled in nuts, sprinkles or anything else made of sugar that sticks to teeth and dental work. We bob for them, eat them on sticks and drink their cider. One of the scarier apple associations was the widespread rumor that people were putting razor blades in them for trick or treaters. At the peak of the hysteria in the 80s, some hospitals offered free x-rays to find evidence of candy tampering. But apart from a few isolated instances of accidental candy poisoning and one act of premeditated murder by a parent, there supposedly haven’t been any recorded instances of deliberately poisoned candy. Unless, of course, you’re talking about nougat, which is not technically poisonous per se, but gross nonetheless.
Another frequent holiday foodster pops up in Halloween tradition as well (you just can’t keep a good fruitcake down). One custom in modern-day Ireland is the baking of barmbrack, a light fruitcake, into which a ring, coin or other charms are placed. It’s said that those who get a ring will find their true love that year. In some cases, I suspect these true loves are the bakers/gifters themselves. Has anyone out there proposed with a barmbrack? If so, give a shout out.
This brings us back to the theme of love and romance again. Halloween is shaping up to be a mating holiday (which can also be scary, depending, so I suppose it fits) so this might explain all the scantily and provocatively dressed grown-up trick and treaters out there. In college, it seemed an easy excuse to dress vampy and drink beverages among friends and strangers. Now you can be a “slutty nurse” or “swashbuckling pirate” for just $19.99 at Target.
Wishing all those in Wallyhood a fun, safe and happy Halloween !
*And no, you didn’t miss the Wallingford Playfield reference in this post, unless you count this one.
But nougat is delicious! As a girl growing up in Ireland, Halloween was a time to be mischievous just as the wandering spirits where perceived to be. Taking gates off folks drive ways & fields was accepted and expected for the one night of the year!
Bonfires were commonplace in towns and villages in open areas. Sparklers were a kids highlight with older folks letting off small fireworks. As kids we collected tires for months prior to the bonfire assembly..our village kiddy gangs had serious competition – who could collect the most tires for bonfire? – old tractor tires were a real gem to be had from farmers…not very environmentally friendly but who knew then?
At school tire numbers were examined, exaggerated and bragged about on a daily basis. We worked in teams.. strategically planning how and where to find and store tires….would the other gang come and steal them – and sometimes they did too!
The barnbrack cake was a treat and a fun family activity – every member hoped they would find the ring inside their slice!
Happy Halloween to all – no worries of smelly bonfires or gates disappearing this year!
Wow, Eimear, that sounds like great fun. Even more reason to visit Ireland!