Traditions date back to Celtic festivals
Trick-or-treating originated
in America and Christians
started wearing costumes
for the holiday, Hallow’s Eve
Christine Cruz
Freelance Reporter
Say “Halloween,” and many peo
ple envision glowing jack-o-lantems,
lavish costumes and children holding
bags of candy com. For many college
students across the nation, it is a ritu
al of block parties and binge drink
ing. “Normally, I go around and try to
find the coolest party around,” junior
Charles Silverman said. “1 put on the
silliest clothes I have so I can get into
any party.”
People today may celebrate Hal
loween by dressing up, although the
holiday has a long tradition that has
evolved over centuries.
“People think Halloween is pagan
or anti-Christian,” said Martha Bay
less, director of medieval studies at
the University. She added that it is,
in fact, a holiday of mixed Christian
and Celtic origin that has been
around for years.
She said its origins date back to
the ancient Celtic festival of
Samhaim (pronounced sou-ween)
nearly 2,000 years ago in Ireland.
The Celts celebrated the new year
on Nov. 1, which marked both the
end of summer and harvest and
the beginning of the cold, dark
winter, a time commonly associat
ed with death.
Bayless said it was a day when
Celts believed the worlds of the liv
ing and the dead united. To com
memorate the day where the ghosts
returned to earth, the Celts built
large bonfires to “light up the night”
for spirits.
According to the History Channel
when Christianity spread into
Celtic lands, Nov. 1 became All
Saints’ Day, a day to honor saints,
and Nov. 2 became All Souls’ Day, a
day to honor the dead. All Souls’
Day was celebrated similar to
Samhain with bonfires and dressing
up in costumes as angels and devils.
Bayless added these costumes
originated from the Christian tradi
tion of “dressing up as ghosts to ap
pease the spirits” so the ghosts
would mistake people for fellow
spirits. This is how All Saints’ Day
and All Souls’ Day came to be called
Hallow’s Eve, or Hallowmas.
While some Christians still view
Halloween as a celebration of the
dead, Norma Joyce, the Elder
Priestess of Women in Conscious
Creative Action sees it differently.
“I personally think Christianity is
a religion of fear,” Joyce said, “but
Wiccans are joyful people because
we believe in life.” She said Wiccans
celebrate Hallowmas or Sanheim
based on the Celtic astrological de
grees of the stars and this year they
will celebrate it on Nov. 6.
For Wiccans, Hallowmas is the
time when the two worlds, the oth
er side and astral plain, are closest.
It is also a time to contact the dead
through ritual ceremonies. At the
end of their rituals, they celebrate
with food..
Other Halloween traditions, such
as eating candy, emerged later.
According to The History Chan
nel, trick-or-treating originated in
America. As millions of Irish im
migrants fled the potato famine of
1846, Halloween traditions spread
across the country. Americans
dressed up in costumes and went
from house to house begging for
food and money, eventually lead
ing up to modern day trick-or
treating tradition.
By the 1800s, Halloween had be
came a holiday of social gatherings
instead of a tradition of appeasing
ghosts and spirits. In the 20th cen
tury, superstitions and religious be
liefs dissipated and Halloween be
came the commercial holiday we
know today.
“It’s bound to happen in our cul
ture, where we are not taught that
it’s a sacred time,” Joyce said.
Christine Cruz is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.
Halloween antics
spark debate on
holiday’s purpose
There may be more to this
scary holiday than tricks
and treats, according
to varying religious beliefs
Andrew Shipley
Freelance Reporter
Oct. 31. To most people just a
date, one that conjures up fond
memories of crisp fall evenings
spent wandering the local neighbor
hoods in pursuit of candy.
Although few people would de
scribe Halloween as anything but
fun, the holiday’s roots in pagan tra
dition leave some individuals with
serious religious concerns. Harm
less fun, Satanic ritual and every
thing in between — there is some
consensus in University and Eugene
religious communities that more is
at issue than where to find the
biggest Snickers bar.
According to Father Michael
Fones of the Catholic Campus Min
istry, it was common in early Chris
tian tradition for large feast days,
such as All Saints Day on Nov. 1, to
begin the evening prior to the actual
day. What’s now known as Hal
loween is really an extension of All
Saints Day.
Fones said pumpkin carving and
other American traditions stem
from a mixture of the Christian All
Hallows Eve with pre-Christian
Irish culture, and was brought to
America through Irish immigration.
Other religious groups trace the
origins of Halloween even further
back. Gaddy Cole, director of reli
gious education at the Unitarian
Universalist Church, links Hal
loween to ancient druid rituals, or
“a celebration of the harvest, honor
ing of the dead.”
If there is contention among
Christians concerning Halloween’s
roots, it pales in comparison to the
debate on what Halloween to
means today.
“Halloween is a happy, healthy,
joyful holiday,” said Cole. “Christ
ian fear is from the word ‘pagan,’
which in reality simply means
‘country folk.’ There is nothing to
be afraid of.”
Others in the community disagree.
“Halloween definitely has a dark
er overtone that we would consider
satanic,” said Graham Carmichael,
the assistant pastor for the Country
side Christian Fellowship.
David Sower of the Lutheran
Campus Ministry agrees
“It is a satanic holiday,” he said.
“A very high time for (devil wor
shippers).”
Some students, such as senior
Ryan Rojas also have strong anti
Halloween feelings.
‘^Personally, I don’t like to
Turn to Debate, page 6B
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Danielle Hickey Emerald
Friends Cari Wristen(left) and Stacy Borke (right), dressed up for some pre-Halloween fun to decide on the perfect costume.
Costume searching begins
Students manage to find time
to hunt for outfits at the last
minute,most at second-hand stores
Robin Weber
Freelance Writer
Although Halloween is quite near, it doesn’t necessari
ly mean University students have their ghoulish garb set
to go. Between midterms, jobs and maintaining day-to
day lives, many have put buying costumes on the back
burner. Take a look in any retail store the evening of Oct.
31, and these students may be scouring the racks in
search of the perfect, or at least the remaining, costumes.
“I’ve got this to deal with first,” said sophomore Alexan
dra Anderson, gesturing to a 100-plus page course packet.
Although Anderson is planning to join friends for a
costume-theme party, none of her plans are concrete,
because right now she said there’s just no extra time.
In the past she’s been a dead prom queen, a devil and a
fairy. She said she usually shops at stores like Value Vil
lage, where she can also often scoop up jewelry, make
up and hair accessories to give her getup a personal flair.
This year, her costume will be whatever she can find
quickly, and at a reasonable price.
Exercise and movement science major Josh
Turn to Costume, page 7B
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