Halloween has a rich and extensive history with different interpretations of the holiday varying between a few cultures in the West. Halloween can be traced back to the 7th century when Pope Boniface IV established All Saints Day on the thirteenth of May. However, during the 8th century, All Saints Day was moved to November 1st in a successful attempt to compete with the pagan festival of Samhain(Sow-win). Samhain was a mandatory Celtic(ancient Ireland, Britain, and Scotland) celebration meant to mark the end of the harvest season, celebrate the new year, and when the “veil” between the worlds of the living and the dead was considered the thinnest. The eve before was then on known as “All Hallow’s Eve” or “Hallowe’en.” There were many varying traditions and beliefs depending on if you were in Ireland, Wales, Britain, or Scotland. Some common practices during Samhain were lighting communal bonfires for participants to take a flame home and light their own hearths to ward off wandering spirits, offerings were prepared to leave outside villages, homes, and fields to placate monsters and evil spirits as well as to feed departed family members who visit from the other side, and put on costumes to disguise and protect from spirits while going door to door singing to the dead in a practice called, “mumming”. It was often rewarded with cakes or food as it was bad luck to not offer anything, some going as far as to say they would play tricks on the other if they dared turn them away.
Variations of Samhain are celebrated all around the world. There was even a revival of Samhain in the 1980’s with the pagan religion of Wicca. In America and Canada, Halloween was largely rejected by colonists until a surge of Scottish and Irish immigrants arrived in the 19th century. Originally, these immigrants brought the tradition of carving turnips inspired by the legend of “Stingy Jack” until they found that the new-world pumpkin was much easier to carve. That is where we get the term, “Jack-O’Lantern”. Other traditions like apple bobbing, trick-or-treating, dressing up in costumes, and more are all influenced by Samhain. In Mexico, Dia de Los Muertos on November 1st is celebrated where family members prepare offerings for deceased family members as they visit this world. In England along with Halloween, they also celebrate Guy Fawkes Day on November 5, where bonfires and fireworks are lit everywhere. Today, Halloween is an extremely significant cultural event in the United States and Europe. It even is celebrated by our own Marshall student body as they come to school in their costumes and participate in Halloween activities like trick or treating.
Enjoy this performance of “Thriller” from the 2009-2010 Marshall student body! Furthermore, did you know that the movie “Nightmare on Elm Street” was filmed on our very own Marshall campus?
