The Origins of Halloween Traditions
by An in-depth look at the history of Halloween customs and their origins.
Many people dutifully carve their pumpkins, decorate their trees and give their loved one candied hearts without a clue as to why they are doing it each holiday. Easter, commonly known as the day Jesus rose from the dead, is celebrated by allowing strange rabbits to hide eggs in our back yard. Who said “Rising from the Dead = Bunnies + Eggs x Candy”? Who are the lunatics that set the standards, and where does one sign up for this job? I have ideas for Labor Day that will really make them think.
Trespassing rabbits aside, let us decipher the origins of the common traditions we hold near and dear during Halloween.
Carving Pumpkins
The Irish, always good for an interesting story, gave us this one. Jack was a known jerk around town. One of many versions of the Jack story tells that Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him. Like so many of our friends from college, Jack shafts the devil with the bill, asking the devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for the drinks. The story gets weird when the devil actually complies with this request. Jack placed a cross next to the coin, trapping the devil. Jack decided to release the devil on a few conditions. Conditions being, the devil wouldn’t bug Jack for a year and upon death, he couldn’t take his soul. At this point, Jack sounds about as bright as a guy who has the devil trapped and doesn’t know leverage when he’s got it. Do remember this is being told by the Irish who have a history of questionable origin stories. For the record, I might have asked for a million wishes.
When it came time for Jack to close the tab on life, the devil – true to his word, did not take Jack’s soul. But God didn’t want him either, being that making deals with the devil is generally frowned upon. Seems the devil is looking less like a bumbling idiot in this story than previously thought. In an unfathomable display of generosity, the devil tossed Jack a burning flame from the depths of hell to light Jack’s way as he wandered the earth for eternity. Jack gourdes a turnip – his favorite food, and placed the flame in the cavity. Thankfully, he wasn’t fond of bananas.
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