Halloween is not just the favorite season of little ghosts and goblins that take to the streets begging for sweets and scaring each other. This is the borderline between autumn and winter, life and death, a time of fear and superstition.
Introducing you 5 weird stories about ancient Halloween traditions.
5. Poisoned candy
The fear that someone will put poison or razor blades in the treats that the children collect on the eve of All Saints' Day comes from a newspaper column. It was hosted by American journalist Abigail Van Buren in 1983. She reminded readers of the dangers of Halloween, when all sorts of head-sick people try to harm their neighbors' children with poisoned sweets.
When her sister, Anne Landers, repeated the statement 12 years later, the myth became firmly entrenched in the minds of US citizens. On Halloween, children began to eat candy under the supervision of adults.
The first confirmed story of Halloween candy violence happened in 2000. James Joseph Smith handed out chocolates to children, into which he inserted needles.
4. Cabbage for fortune telling
The last days of October and the first days of November are the time of the spirits, the dead, and all the supernatural. Unsurprisingly, Halloween was considered a great time for divination.
In the writings of Robert Burns (18th century), a strange divination rite was described on Halloween. Instead of heading out to beg for candy, single people of marriageable age had to pull a cabbage blindfolded.
Those who are experts in cabbage,
Who is not looking for the first time
Closing their eyes, tearing the roots
Large and straight.
The root gave information about the future spouse: short or tall, straight or crooked, healthy or wilted. And the tasting of cabbage hinted about whether family life with the chosen one would be sweet or bitter. Even the amount of dirt on the spine mattered. A lot of dirt is good, as it meant getting a big dowry.
3. Fruit instead of candy
The sweet tradition of presenting candy to children on Halloween did not appear until the middle of the 20th century. At first, little ghosts, witches and vampire cubs were bought off with fruits, nuts, buns, cakes, and small toys. The candy industry has been driving competitors out of the Halloween market since 1960. Americans currently spend over $ 20 million annually on Halloween candy.
2. Sinister pumpkin
The bizarre custom of making a pumpkin with glowing eyes for Halloween and the term "lantern pumpkin" or "Jack's lamp" originated from an 18th century Irish folk tale about a guy named Jack. He deceived the Devil himself: first he drank with him in the tavern, and then asked him to wrap himself in a coin to pay. When the Unclean One fulfilled the request, the cunning Irishman put a coin in his pocket, where there was a silver cross. For his release, the lord of the underworld promised not to pretend to Jack's soul and not to intrigue him for a year.
Subsequently, the Irish drinker once again deceived Satan, asking him to climb an apple tree for fruit, and then quickly scratching a cross on the tree. When Jack died, his soul was barred from heaven for meanness. But the vindictive Devil did not allow him to warm himself by the fires of Hell. Thus, Jack was forced to roam the world endlessly.In the end, the Devil took pity on him and gave him a piece of coal to light the road. And the wanderer put coal inside the hollowed out pumpkin. It was believed that the fruit with glowing "eyes" left on Halloween near the house would not allow evil spirits to harm its residents.
1. All Saints Day
The first places of the top 5 strange stories about the ancient traditions of Halloween went to the holiday, which was created by Pope Boniface IV in the 7th century AD. e. At this time there were so many saints that there were not enough days in the year to "contain" them. I had to create a special day to honor the righteous without their own day, as well as miracle workers, whom the church did not officially recognize. Originally All Saints' Day (or rather, the Mass of All Saints, All hallow ees) was celebrated on May 13, but in 835 Pope Gregory IV "moved" it to November 1. Perhaps, in this way, the Catholic Church tried to distract Christians from the celebration of Samhain.