Good Ol' Fashion Fun: A Halloween History

The weather may still be whispering summer, but pumpkins perched on the porch (devoid of frost) and yards decorated with festive displays tell us it’s Halloween—and, if you think about it, our last opportunity for some fun before we add the hustle and bustle of the holidays to our already hectic schedules.

No place does Halloween the way Nyack does. It has to be our shinning hour, so much so that that we begin the festivities a week or so early. The 24th Annual Parade is set for Saturday October 22, 2011 with a rain date of Oct 23. If you have never attended or participated, you simply have to experience it. A tradition in our family since its beginning, we've either marched, created a float or enjoyed as spectators.

The fun starts as an electric current fills the air hours prior to ghost and goblins lining the parade route. So, I suggest planning to spend the day. Perhaps having lunch at one of the many great restaurants, or fitting in some pre-holiday shopping in the diverse shops of our little village (or maybe even get a psychic reading—wink wink). And the village doesn’t sleep after the parade: many of the restaurants and shops have special sales and events planed.

Have you ever wondered how this holiday began and later grew into a million dollar commercial spectacle? The origin of Halloween dates back to the ancient festival of Samhain, which literally means "end of summer." This was the season of little sun as the growing and hunting season were soon coming to an end. As people returned from the fields and hills, it was a time to reconnect with family and friends and re-establish ties to the community before the long cold winter kept most indoors.

To commemorate this festival, huge bonfires were lit and crops burned as a sacrifice to the Celtic gods and goddesses. They believed these ceremonial fires offered protection and good fortune for the coming year. Because nature was dying around them, and the veil between the living a dead was so thin at this time of year, they believed that the souls of the departed returned to the living world, searching out living bodies to inhabit and at times creating havoc. People dressed in ghoulish clothing as a way to keep away the roaming spirits. This was a perfect time to tell frightening stories and practice reading each other's fortunes.

By 43 AD, the Romans had conquered much of the Celtic territories and two Roman festivals were intertwined with the old Celtic traditions. The first was Feallia, celebrated in late October, a feast to honor their dead. The second was to honor Pomona, goddess of the apple tree. That explains the significance of the apple this time of year, and lead to customs such as apple bobbing and divination using the apple.

With the rise of Christianity, Pope Boniface deemed November 1 All Saints Day to honor saints and martyrs, and later dubbed November 2 All Souls Day to honor the dead. The Christian feasts were called Hallowmas ("holy mass") and later Hallows Eve ("holy evening"). These were still celebrated with huge bonfires, but now parades through villages had become popular. People dressed in costumes and the poor begging for food were added to early customs. Some people left food outdoors to keep ghosts from gaining entry to their homes.

The first treats were small pastries known as soul-cakes, and the practice was named "going-a-souling." These treats were given out for the promise of prayers for the dead. In time, the custom of soul cakes evolved into small candies and pennies being handed out for the promise that no destructive acts would fall upon the home or is owner.

As European immigrants—mostly English and Irish—arrived in America, they brought with them various Halloween customs, and blended them with new American ideas of creating a more community-oriented holiday. As a result, the popularity of Halloween skyrocketed. Next time, I will tell you about the most popular icon of Halloween  along with more lore and legend of this most magical of holidays.

So get you costumes and floats ready for the parade, and remember: magic happens.