1. The "Ghost Turnip" Lantern in an Irish Museum Is Over 100 Years Old
The National Museum of Ireland (Country Life section) displays an item called the "Ghost Turnip." It is a turnip lantern carved with narrow slits for eyes and jagged teeth to look scary on purpose. [1] A teacher who was teaching near Fintown in County Donegal donated it to the museum in 1943. She explained that this style was made in that area around 1900. [1] A candle was placed inside, and it was used to scare people on the night of October 31. [1] Currently, a plaster cast replica is on display. [1] [2]
Why did people use turnips instead of pumpkins? Nathan Manion, a curator at the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum, explains that metal lanterns were expensive, so people hollowed out root vegetables instead. [2] The name "Jack-o'-lantern" is older than Halloween. In English, the phrase "Jack of the Lantern" appeared in the 1650s, referring to mysterious lights (will-o'-the-wisps) seen in fields at night. [3] Examples using it to mean a pumpkin lantern appear in American English in the early 1800s. [3]
Ireland has a folktale connected to this name. A man named Jack tricked the Devil twice. After he died, he was not allowed into heaven or hell. The Devil threw a coal at him, which Jack put inside a hollowed-out turnip, forcing him to wander forever. [7] However, while this story appeared in an Irish magazine in 1836, the article itself did not mention a hollowed vegetable. [4] [5]
The meaning of the light is not fixed. Some say the scary face was a charm against evil. [1] Historian Nicholas Rogers writes that people who went door-to-door with hollowed turnips on the day for the dead represented souls undergoing purification before entering heaven. [6] In America, pumpkins were originally a symbol of the autumn harvest, not just Halloween. [7] [2] Irish and Scottish immigrants in North America began using large, easy-to-carve pumpkins, linking them to Halloween. [7] [2] However, Clodagh Doyle from the museum notes that while a direct link between turnips and pumpkins may not be found, it is certain that turnip lanterns were made in Ireland. [8]
2. Why the Name "Halloween" Comes from the Church Calendar's "All Hallows' Eve"
"Halloween" is a shortened form of "All Hallows' Eve," meaning "the night before All Saints' Day." [9] [10] "Hallow" is an old English word for "holy person" or saint. In the Catholic calendar, November 1 is All Saints' Day, and November 2 is All Souls' Day. [9] [10] November 1 was established by Pope Gregory III in the early 8th century (reign 731–741). [9] All Souls' Day was started by Abbot Odilo of Cluny Abbey in 998 and spread in the 11th century. [10]
Another explanation is the Celtic Samhain theory. Samhain was a festival in medieval Ireland marking the start of winter. Early stories mention it as a time for kings to gather people. [11] Around 2000, books often stated as fact that Celts celebrated the New Year and remembered the dead on this day, and the Church overlaid All Saints' Day on top of it. [12]
Historian Ronald Hutton re-examined this in a 2024 paper. The paper argues that the idea was heavily influenced by scholars John Rhys and James Frazer from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [12] His 1996 book concluded that medieval records do not show November 1 was a "great festival for all Celts." [11] [12] Rogers also points out that Frazer likely confused All Saints' Day rituals with earlier festivals. [6]
The National Museum of Ireland introduces Halloween as the night before Samhain (November 1). They state that costumes, death, charms, eating nuts and fruit, games, pranks, and marriage fortune-telling were part of this night's traditions. [13] While a winter-start festival called Samhain existed, it is not certain that it was the sole origin of all Halloween traditions. Scholars disagree on this point. [11] [12]
3. Were Halloween Costumes Meant to Protect Against Spirits or to Play Pranks?
In Ireland and Scotland, there was a custom of going door-to-door in costume on Halloween night. In Scotland, this is called "guising." [14] There are two explanations for why people wore costumes. [14]
One is the spirit protection theory. It was believed that the spirits of the dead and evil spirits walked around that night. People disguised themselves to protect themselves from being seen. [14] Introductory articles on Halloween also mention wearing masks to make spirits think you were one of them. [15]
The other is the prank performance theory. Rogers' book records that young people wore different clothes and went around the neighborhood. Boys dressed as girls, or they imitated evil spirits to play pranks. It also served to teach lessons to disliked people. [6] It is difficult to decide which came first based on written records alone. They may have been mixed. [14]
Scottish guising had rules. To get a reward, you had to show a song, joke, or trick. After performing, you received nuts, apples, or today, sweets. [14] Just standing there in a costume was not enough. [14] This custom was not always welcomed. In 1897, the Arbroath Herald published letters calling guising a "silly and troublesome habit" alongside letters defending it. [14] This shows that opinions on guising were divided among adults 130 years ago. [14]
4. How "Trick or Treat" Became a Way to Ask for Sweets
"Trick or treat" means "Give me sweets or I will play a trick on you." Several customs are said to be the basis for this habit. [16]
One is "souling" in Britain. On All Souls' Day (November 2), poor people and children went door-to-door to receive "soul cakes." In return, they prayed for the household and the dead. [16] Another is the Scottish and Irish guising mentioned earlier, where you showed a song, joke, or trick to get a reward. [14]
The phrase "trick or treat" itself appears in Canadian newspapers in the 20th century. Etymologist Barry Popik reported early examples in Alberta and Saskatchewan newspapers from the 1920s. [18] A 1927 article from Alberta describes children demanding "trick or treat" at houses. [2] A similar example is reported in an Ontario newspaper (Sault Daily Star) from 1917. [19] In these early examples, the phrase was used as a threat of a prank. [18] [2]
In the 1920s and 30s in North America, pranks on Halloween night became a problem in many towns. Towns and churches held parties and parades to prevent pranks by giving out sweets. This led to the spread of a custom centered on community events in the 1930s. [16] [2]
"Treat" was not always sweets. In 1950, children in Philadelphia collected money for children in need around the world using decorated milk cartons instead of candy. This was the start of "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF," which continues today. [20]
5. How Japan's Halloween Grew from Store Sales, Theme Parks, and Kawasaki Events
Halloween in Japan grew from store sales, theme park events, and street parades. [21] The store Kiddyland in Harajuku started selling Halloween goods in October in the 1970s. [21] In 1983, they held a parade calling people to gather in Harajuku Omotesando in costume. The company states this was the first Halloween parade in Japan. [21] About 100 people gathered, many of them foreigners, as Halloween was barely known in Japan at the time. [21] [22] In 1986, TV crews came, and about 400 parents and children participated. [21]
On October 31, 1997, Tokyo Disneyland held a one-day Halloween event. Participants who applied in advance enjoyed a costume parade and greeted each other with "Trick or treat!" [23] In 2000, it became a one-month event, and a parade started in 2002. [23]
In the same year, 1997, "Kawasaki Halloween" started as part of the 10th anniversary of the Cinecitta cinema in front of Kawasaki Station. The first year had about 150 participants and about 500 spectators. [24] Organizers recall that costumes were not easily understood by the government and police, and it took time and effort to get road use permits for the parade. [25]
Halloween in Japan spread through costume parades and events before the custom of going door-to-door for sweets. This is very different from the traditions seen in Scotland and America. [23] [21]
6. How Halloween Celebrations Differ from Country to Country
How Halloween is celebrated varies greatly by country and region. [13] In Ireland, the museum explains that costumes, death, charms, eating nuts and fruit, games, pranks, and marriage fortune-telling were traditional. [13] There was a custom where the first person to bite an apple in a game would be the next to marry. [13] In Scotland, guising involves showing songs or jokes to get nuts or sweets. [14] In North America, it involves pumpkin lanterns and going door-to-door for trick-or-treat. [16] In Japan, it centers on costume parades and events. [23]
Mexico's "Day of the Dead" is often mentioned alongside Halloween, but it is a different event. UNESCO explains it is a fusion of indigenous religious rituals and Catholic holidays brought by Europeans. [26] From late October to early November, families build altars to welcome souls home from cemeteries, offering petals, candles, and the favorite foods of the deceased. [26] It overlaps with the Catholic calendar (November 1–2), but UNESCO states it developed separately in connection with Mexican traditions. [26]
Some families do not celebrate Halloween. Religious and family views vary. It is good if those who celebrate and those who do not can respect each other's thoughts.
7. An Activity to Try at Home: Imitating Scottish Guising, Plus Reading the Original Sources
Here is one activity you can try at home: imitating Scottish guising. During the day, make a promise with your family. Before snack time, perform one thing: a riddle, a song, or a trick. [14] After you perform, you get a snack. You can wear a costume or not. Both the performer and the audience might feel more nervous than expected. [14]
If you want to read sources, the National Records of Scotland blog post "Out guising" is short and easy to read. [14] For Japan, compare Kiddyland's announcement with interviews about Disney Halloween. You will notice that the store's perspective and the theme park's perspective differ on "the start of Halloween in Japan." [21] [23] Hutton's paper is in English, but you can read the title and abstract online. [12]
For safety, do the activity inside the house with your family. Do not go out at night. [14] Old turnip lanterns had candle flames. These can cause fires or burns. If you want to imitate this, always do it with an adult. [1]