It is that
time of year to buy last minute assortments of candy, finish that last touch on
your homemade costume, and get scared silly at the haunted house. Just in time for none other than Halloween!
Although
Halloween is not an official holiday in America, the diehard fans of creepy
monsters and free candy from neighbors definitely know how to celebrate. And this
year, there will be double the celebration on Halloween with orange and black to
congratulate the World Series Baseball Champions of 2012, the San Francisco Giants!
With
Halloween fast approaching, here are some informative tidbits that will get
your spine tingling with new knowledge.
Derivation of the word Halloween
The word Halloween
derives from “hallow”, which is an ancient term that represents a saint or a
holy person. The evening before All Hallows Day to celebrate the special saints
was known as All Hallows Evening, which was later abbreviated to Hallow
Evening, followed by Hallowe’en, and as we know it today, Halloween.
Jack and the Lantern
Pumpkins of all
shapes and sizes cannot escape being harvested during this time of year,
especially to be carved and made into the popular Halloween decoration, the
Jack-o-lantern. The lantern represents
the candle or source of light that is placed into the hollow pumpkin to
illuminate the intricate carved designs. But why does Jack get all the credit? It
turns out that Jack-o-lanterns are an Irish tradition. The folk tale of “Jack
of the lantern” goes hand in hand with “Will of the wisp”, both of whom were
mischievous lads and doomed to haunt the swamps of darkness. Jack, however, belonged neither to Heaven or
the underworld; one day, he was tossed a coal that he ate with his food, and
from that day on, used the coal to light up the path he walked on while searching for his final
resting place. It was also said that Jack’s lantern and Will’s wisps of sticks
were lit brightly to lead travelers off the right path and into danger.
Do all ghosts say “boo”?
Boo is an interesting word. Among the
younger generation, boo is used as a
noun that commonly refers to someone’s significant other (boyfriend or
girlfriend). This was also a sound used
along with the thumbs down signal to express disapproval. But more often than not, this word is uttered
to scare someone without warning.
In the
1820s, it was customary for people in Northern Scotland to frighten crying
children by uttering the three-letter word. The sound was later associated with
the ghostly sounds of the windy nights. Some
linguists think that the creepy vibe of the cry ‘boo!’ can be attributed to
several factors. The voiceless b- followed by the “ooh” or “oh” sound can be
pronounced at a higher pitch than other vowel sounds. In addition, boo only consists of one short syllable, which
makes it easier to scare someone unexpectedly.
Ghosts from
abroad have slight variations in their scare call. French ghosts will utter bou, German ghosts will proclaim buh and most ghouls that speak romance
languages (including Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese) will say bu.
In Scottish folklore, it has been suggested that the sound boo represents the “cry of a calf”, and
is related to scary creatures like the bu-kow or bu-man (thought to be the
descendant of the modern day bogeyman).
No matter
what you say to frighten someone, one thing is clear: Be prepared to cover your
ears!
Get a Trick or a Treat…
In the 21st
century, the phrase “Trick-or-Treat” has come to mean the good natured “Please
give me some free candy”. But in the
early 20th century, the phrase emphasized the first part of “trick”,
with the more menacing implication of “Give me some free candy… or else you’ll
be tricked!” It was tradition for pranksters to cause petty mischief around the
neighborhood on Halloween evening, but not everyone was fond of these
shenanigans. Some homeowners realized that by offering food (including candy), they
were no longer the targets of mischief. Maybe someday a brave soul would opt
for a trick instead of giving a treat, just to feel the real spirit of Halloween.
Have a spooktacular time on Halloween Day!
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