Let’s Get Spooky: Origins of Halloween Day

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 21^st century, the phrase “Trick-or-Treat” has come to mean the good natured “Please give me some free candy”.  But in the early 20^th 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!