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Page SECTION THE HERALD Wednesday October 1M4 Origins of Halloween it will spook you ByNITAMIIXESSE Herald Special For many people Halloween is an occa sion that has come to be observed mainly by children who go from house to bouse usually in a costume demand ing a trick or treat But not many people know the history or origin of Halloween Halloween was an ancient British and Irish festival celebrated on October 31 he end of the summer This date was also he Eve of the new year when the hirtls returned from pasture and laws and land tenure were renewed that time was All Hallows Eve thus the name liallowe en was derived from this Our presentday cele bration or Halloween probably came from the ancient Celtic Festival of SamhaEn meaning feast of All Hallow Eve The Celts lived over years ago in what is known today as Great Britain Ireland and northern France The celebration marked the start of the season of cold darkness and decay which naturally became associated with death It was believed that the souls of the dead were allowed to return to earth on this night On October the Celtic priests ordered the people of the town to put out the fire in their hearths The priests then built a huge new years bonfire with the sacred branches of an Oak tree The people of the town would leave their homes and attend a ceremony at the bonfire On this fire they also burned crops animals and possibly even human beings as fices The fire was usually set on a hilltop in order to frighten away evil spirits The souls of the dead supposedly revi sited heir earthly homes on this night It was also said that actual ghosts witches hobgoblins black cats fairies and demons of all kinds were seen roaming about It was also the most favorable time of year for divinations concern ing marriage luck health and death It was Ihe only time during which the help of the devil was involved for these purposes At this celebration each family would then relight their hearth from the new years bonfire Sometimes costumes were made of animal heads and skins Fortunes were also told about the Ing year by examining ihe remains of the ani mals that had been sacrificed Other Halloween tra have been deriv since then For example a different for tune telling method began in Europe hundreds of years ago and became an import ant part of Hallo we en A ring a coin and a thimble were baked into It was believed thai he who received the coin would become wealthy he who received the ring would marry soon and he who received would never In Scotland young people would assemble for games to determine who would marry din ing the forthcoming year and the order the marriages would occur In Wales each person would mark their own stone and place it in the bonfire They believed that if a persons stone was missing the next morning they would die within the next year Many of the Celtic customs survived even after the people became Christians Its specific origin is unknown but sometime in the the Church established the holiday All Sainls Day This was to be celebrated the day after Ha Howe en on November This day was to honor all the saints and martyrs Later the Church also began to honor the dead on this date A common symbol of Halloween Lament was originally made from beefs pota toes and turnips These vegetables were hallow and carved form ing evil and sinister faces Inside the carved figures a flickering candle was placed to add Its eerie affect The Lantern came from an Irish HAVE YOUR COINS READY Make a Happy Halloween for all children SUPPORT UNICEF Canada W legend about an old sot named Jack who could not enter heaven because he was a miser and could not enter hell because he played jokes on the devil As a result Jack had to roam Ihe earth with his lantern until Judge ment Day The lantern itself was made when the angered devil threw a hot piece of coal at Jack The coal missed Jack but landed In a hair turnip in Jacks hand The resulting coal in Ihc turnip became the Jack o Lantern In some parts of the world today the turnip is still used on Halloween But the pumpkin has become the mora popul ar and efficient Jack Lantern of today In the late 19th immigrants to North America Introdu ced secular Halloween customs On this occa sion mischief making by boys and young men included overturning of sheds and outhouses as well as he breaking of windows But these once harm less pranks became rowdy and destructive As a result tended costume Continued on page HAIRSTYLISTS A SSSk A I iV Madam MOORE PARK PLAZA 8777222 WW cmunrl pan bum ml snot tt Tka fell comet snare ncdn wen tat aba Tat Jtfsai b Is tat it ma Yes at GEORGETOWN CUSTOM CAR SOUND CLUE loiter word for travel ANSWER ROOS Travel Agency 8770138 I BASS GUITAR LESSONS Learn or better GEORGETOWN CUSTOM CAR SOUND RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED 8779922 REPAIRS STEREOS TAPE DECKS ETC FR ESTIMATES 55 Sinclair Ave 8772425 CIA Iff