Celtic lands circa 800 A.D.
Britt Furtwancler | Graphics editor
IN BRIEF
Historical holiday:
A tour of Halloween's origins
Halloween’s origins date back 2,000 years to
the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in
what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and
Northern France. Nov. 1 marked the end of
summer harvests for the Celts. On Oct. 31, they
believed the ghosts of the underworld would
cause mischief.
The priests would honor the event with bon
fires, and the Celts gathered in costumes and
made animal sacrifices. They used the bonfire
to light hearth fires to protect themselves from
the upcoming winter.
By A.D. 43, the Romans had occupied most
of the Celtic lands. The modern-day notion of
bobbing for apples might stem from the
Roman celebration of Pomona, the goddess of
fruit and trees. Her symbol is the apple.
By the 800s, Christianity was spreading rap
idly through the Celtic lands and Pope Boniface
designated Nov. 1 “All Saints Day” to pay re
spects to saints and martyrs. This celebration
was named All-hallowmas and the night be
fore it “All-hallows Eve. ”
The American custom of “trick-or-treating”
probably dates back to England and the All
Souls Day Parades where poor citizens would
travel from house to house begging for food.
Families provided pastries in exchange for
prayers for their dead relatives. Eventually, chil
dren began “going-a-souling” and visited
neighborhoo houses for food, ale and money.
In the later 19th century, millions of
immigrants brought All Hallow’s Eve traditions
to America. Americans imitated English and
Irish immigrants by dressing in costumes.
In the 1950s, Halloween night was plagued
by vandalism and was geared toward children
to limit the destruction. Families tried to pre
vent “tricks” by providing children with
“treats.”
Today, Americans have turned the Celtic fes
tival into the second-largest commercial holi
day, spending an estimated $6.9 billion annual
ly on decorations and treats.
Source: www.historychannel.com
For the complete story, visit
www.dailyemerald.com.
— Colleen McClure
Jan. 20, 1692
Feb. 29
June 10
Oct. 8
Nov. 25
Nine-year-old
Elizabeth Parris
and eleven-year-old
Abigail Williams
display strange
behaviors such as
seizures and
trance-tike states.
Soon, other Salem
girls begin showing
similar behaviors.
Alter being
repeatedly asked to
identify the source
of their affliction,
the girls say they
have influenced by
witches, and
identify three local
women. Arrest
warrants are
Bridget Bishop
is hanged in
the first official
ececution of
the Salem
witch trials.
20 people have
been hanged, and
Thomas Brittle
writes a letter
criticizing the witch
trials. Influenced by
the letter. Governor
Phips bars spectral
evidence from use
in the trials.
The General Court of
the colony creates
the Superior Court to
try remaining
witchcraft cases No
one is convicted.
Source: www.salemweb.com/memorial
Bret Furtwancler | Graphics editor
Trials: Witchcraft's relations
to religious structure unclear
Continued from page 6B
Silver Ravenwolf. These authors dis
cuss the idea that true witches do not
believe in Satan.
Buckland says it is doubtful that
the people accused of witchcraft
were actually witches in the reli
gious sense. Buckland's views are
echoed in the Witches’ Voice, an on
line publication.
“What was described in the docu
ments of the trials is not now, and
never has been, the belief or
practice of the ‘Craft of the Wise,”’
wrote Wren Walker, chairwoman for
the-Witches’ Voice.
Today, some people view the Puri
tan religious ideology as fanatical.
“Perhaps the Puritans have left us
with this way of looking at the world
that avoids complexity, and I think
that can lead to dangerous ends,”
Reis said.
Heather Crabtree is a freelance
reporter for the Daily Emerald
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