By, Carol Fisher-Linn
The Irish are purported by some to be a particularly superstitious group of people. Are they more connected to the earth and the spirit world because of the traumas they encountered collectively as a nation during the hard times, the wars, the potato famine? Or is it their connection to the world of the spirit through their strong faith that deepens their awareness of what is beyond the veil?
We have Halloween because the Irish celebrated the festival of Samhain for centuries, dating back over 2000 years. The festival marked the end of the bright half of the year and the beginning of the dark, foreboding half. It was during Samhain that the dead and gods were honored, using pagan rituals to do so.
No doubt our Halloween today originated from the somber ancient celebrations of Samhain. When Christianity came along (remember St. Patrick converting all those Irish folk?) the ancient traditions were replaced and those clever Irish (never wanting to miss a good time) incorporated their own Halloween festivities into All Saints Day which falls on November 1st and All Souls Day on November 2nd.
Now, as we acknowledge that the Irish gave us Halloween, let’s not forget that our Mexican neighbors joyfully celebrate those same dates known to them as the Day of the Dead (el Dia de los Muertos) with skeletons, marigolds, bright colors, and festivities. It’s a time for remembering the humorous stories about the dead. Bright, colorful altars are created, and traditional foods are taken to the graves of the dearly departed as an offering. Just as in Halloween, candies are offered to the little ones, generally in the form of sugar skulls, keeping the focus on the deceased family and community members. If you need your own brightly colored ceramic skulls or gayly attired skeleton to celebrate the day, pop into Kazoo II and claim one of your own. They are quite lovely.
Back to celebrating Halloween in America. We all must have a pumpkin to carve our Jack O’Lantern, but did you know that originally, the Irish used turnips or even large potatoes to carve? It was when they came to America they discovered pumpkins, which, you must admit, make much better, larger lanterns.
Once upon a time, in Irish lore, there was a guy named “Stingy Jack.” You know the kind – ‘how to get something for nothing’ is their mantra. So, Jack invited The Devil to have a drink with him, but Jack being Stingy Jack did not want to pay for it. He cleverly talked The Devil into turning himself into a coin that could be used to pay for the drinks. Some part of that deal backfired. It didn’t go in Jack’s favor and furthermore, after Jack died, he discovered both doors to heaven and hell were closed to him. Poor Jack was doomed. He had to roam the earth forever and was left with only a red-hot lump of coal which he carried around in a carved-out turnip. He became known as Jack of the Lantern, which eventually morphed into Jack O’Lantern. And now, you know the rest of the story. (Who remembers who said that?)
Most depictions of Halloween on cards, posters, etc., show a cat or witch in front of a full moon. Well, the full moon does add some perfect ambiance for the spookiness of the night, but here’s the scoop. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a full moon on Halloween happens only once every 18 or 19 years. That translates to about three or four times per 100 years. Most of us would have seen the one in 2020 (after all, with Covid, what else did we have to do but stare at the moon?) – so unless you live in a blue zone (the places in the world with the healthiest, longest-living populations, including Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California), your chances of seeing too many Halloween full moons are pretty slim. (Next one is 2039).
We Americans sure do love to spend our money on Halloween. The second largest retail event of the year, a goodly portion of it is spent on candy. During Halloween week alone – we consume around 600 million pounds of it (like 2 pounds per person!!) Vox claims that if you put all the Halloween candy into one pile, it would fill six Titanics! And, if each of us eats that calculated two pounds, we would also sink like the Titanic! BTW, it is reported that 50% of kids prefer chocolate, as do the parents who steal it from their buckets!
Happy Halloweening, everyone!