Many people would be suprised how Halloween customs and tradtions began. To begin with, Halloween began in the days before Christ, around 800 B.C.E. Originating with the Celts, it was initially called Samhain. It celebrated two events: the end of the harvest and the beginning of the new year. It also was a time when the boundaries between the living and the dead lessened. Thus, it was believed divination was easier to perform during time.

On this day, villagers would extinguish their fires, and the Druids lit big bonfires of sacred oak branches. The sacrificial bonfires were lit to their dieties in exchange for the sun's return and protection from evil spirits. In the these fires; crops, livestock, and sometimes even humans would be burned.

Believing the returning spirits would cause damage or try to possess them, people were fearful. They dressed in animal costumes so the spirits would mistake them for another spirit. To discourage them from entering their homes, they would leave food upon the doorstep. The next day, when the celebration was over, people would relight their hearth fires with the embers from the Druid's bonfire. Dressing in animal hides was a prelude to the costumes of today.

Evolving over timeSamhain was influenced by other cultures such as the Romans and the Catholic Church. It is believed that the custom of bobbing for apples stemmed from the days when Romans conquered the Celtic region. Romans honored Pamona, the goddess of fruits and trees.

In the past and present, the custom of bobbing for apples still exists. Apples are either placed in water or hung from a string and unmarried individuals try to bite the apple. It was believed the first one to take a bit out of the apple would be the first one to be married. It was also believed if you peeled an apple in front of a candlelit mirror, an image of your future spouse would appear in the mirror. Furthermore, when peeling an apple, the length of the peel was said to estimate whether you would die young or live a long life.

It is believed the custom of trick-or-treating was influenced by the Roman Catholic Church. In an effort to dispel pagan beliefs, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 as All Saint's Day. This day commemorated all saints, known and unknown. November 2 was designated as All Soul's day. It was a day to pray for those in purgatory. Later, All Hollow's Eve, on October 31, was a day remember all the dead, those who were neither in purgatory or heaven.

On All Hallow's Eve, beggars or Christians would go door-to-door with a lit candle inside a lantern. The candle and lantern represented a dead soul in purgatory. In exchange for a soul cake, they would offer to say a prayer for the dead. Sometimes, these soul cakes would be accompanied with a soul paper. The soul paper would have a prayer request for their dead.

When the soul cake seeker went door-to-door, they would chant:

Soul! Soul! For an apple or two

If you have no apples, pears will do.

If you have no pears, money will do.

If you have no money, God bless you!"

The Jack-o-lantern stems from and Irish folk tale from the 18^th century. There was a man named stingy Jack. He was a miserable drunkard who liked to play tricks on everybody. One day he tricked the devil into climbing up a tree. However, before the devil could come down, Jack placed a cross on the tree. Because of the cross, the devil was unable to get down. . Jack made the devil promise him that would not to go hell if he removed the cross.

When Jack finally died, heaven would not accept him because of meanness, and hell would not accept him because of the devil's promise. Frightened and alone, Jack wandered in the darkness between heaven and hell. Pitying him, the devil gave Jack some embers from hell to light his path. Jack's favorite food was a turnip, and he had one with him. He hallowed out the turnip and put the embers inside it. This lit Jack's way as he wandered forevermore alone.

The connection between Halloween and witches derives from Druids. Druids eventually became viewed as witches. The traditional Halloween black cat was connected with witches. Witches were believed to have the ability to shape shift or change forms. It was believed that witches could change into other forms, especially black cats. Black cats were also considered a familiar. "...a familiar or familiar spirit is a supernatural being that helps and supports a witch or magician."¹ In Medieval times, the black cat was thought to be connected to the devil.

Another Halloween image is the witch flying on a broom. Before the witch trials in Europe, one of their staples was rye bread. When Europe became more urbanized, it took longer to transport the bread. The rye bread developed a mold called ergot. Ergot was a powerful hallucinogenic drug. Like today, people enjoyed hallucinogenic then, and it was popular among those who used herbalism and folk remedies. When ergot was ingested, it could potentially be fatal. However, when it was absorbed though the skin, it's effects were more pronounced and less fatal. Women use to apply to it a broom and rub their genitals with it. When neighbors would see the woman writhing from the effects of the drug, they didn't understand it. This is one reason which may account for the connection between witches and flying brooms. In addition to this, woman also use to rub hallucinogenic ointments on their brooms which would cause them to think they were flying.

Although many of Halloween customs are pagan, some came from other cultures. Interestingly, many of these customs have persisted over time. It goes without saying, many people would be surprised or even shocked when they find out the origin of these customs and traditions.

1. Wise geek "What Is a Familiar" http://www.wisegeek.com/what_is_a_familiar.htm

2. "How Did Witches Come to Ride Brooms" http.//www.thisiszionism.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-did-witches-come-to-ride-brooms.html

3. Ancient Writings Celtia "Soul Cakes" http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/843246

4. ReligiousTolerance.Org "Halloween Origins, Customs, and Traditions"

http://religioustolerance.org/halo_cu.htm

http://religioustolerance.org/halo_cu.htm

5. About.com "Origins of the Jack-o-Lantern" http://www.urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=urbanlegend&cdn=newissues&htm=747&gps=88_1388_1276_582&f=20&tt=14&bt=18

6. Jennifer Copley Suite101.com "Halloween and the Black Cat. History of All Hallow's Eve and Superstitons of Witches' Familiars" Htpp://www.cats.suite101.com/article.cfm/Halloween_and_the_black_cat