Survive Halloween in Paradise

Anyone who ventures into the Guam K-Mart (technically the largest K-Mart in the world) after the end of August is well aware that the holidays are upon us.


Halloween seems so far removed from Christmas, but we all find that one holiday rolls into the other without a chance to catch our breath.  And at K-Mart, by September 1, the Halloween supplies are being supplanted by the Christmas decorations. We islanders all know that, if you see it today you'd better buy it today - by the end of September, Halloween supplies will be GONE!!!!

You can start your decorating early (which will help you get in the mood) with a generic fall decor starting in early September: fall leaves and flowers from the craft store, then add some uncarved pumpkins (also from the craft store), then add your Halloween decorations. In November, put away the Halloween decorations but leave the fall decor, and enhance that later with your Thanksgiving items. This will keep you going up to December.

By planning early, and buying your Halloween supplies (and treats) early, you'll be ready to face Halloween and actually enjoy the holiday this year!



A Short History of Halloween:


Halloween has been observed in America in some form since the first immigrants arrived.  It began as a day associated with death and the supernatural, but has evolved into the third biggest party day of the year, a favorite of young and old alike.  The first city-wide Halloween celebration was in Anaka, Minnestota in 1921; followed by Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1922 and New York City in 1923.

Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic ritual called Samhein (pronounced "SOW-wan" or "SOW-in") which means "the end of summer." It was the end of the Celtic year, running from sundown on October 31 to sundown on November 1. It was the one night of the year the Celts believed the veil between the dead and the living was the thinnest. It was a night to honor loved ones who had passed on, but they also feared malevolent spirits would visit.  They dressed as ghouls and ghosts to blend ion with the real ones, and led the spirits away from town.

Meanwhile, the Druid priests would build bonfires to encourage the sun to return and
In the Middle Ages, around 835 AD, the Roman Catholic Church launched three religious holidays to compete with Samhein, believing that goodwill conquers evil and Jesus lights the darkness - October 31 became All Hallows Eve (Hallowe'en), November 1 was All Saints Day (All Hallows Day), and November 2 was All Souls Day (to honor the dead non-saints).  The three holidays together are called "Hallowtide."  All Souls Day is a government holiday on Guam.


Halloween Traditions:

*  Costumes & Masks - From the earliest times, people wore masks when droughts or other disasters struck. They believed that the demons who brought the misfortune would be frightened away by the masks.

The Celts, at Samhein, sometimes dressed as ghouls and ghosts, to blend in with the real ones, and led them out of town.  Later, in Scotland and Northern England, children practiced "guising" where they would dress in costume and go door-to-door to perform for their treats. Costumes became popular for Halloween parties in America around the early 1900's and the practice was popular for both children and adults.

Halloween festivities have always been based on folk beliefs concerning supernatural beings (such as witches, wherewolves, vampires and ghosts) and bad omens (spiders, snakes, bats and black cats), and those remain popular costumes today.

*  Bobbing for Apples - this was an ancient Celtic matchmaking game. The first person to bite the apple was the next to marry

*  Trick-or-Treating - this may have begun in Europe with a custom called "souling" where children would go door-to-door begging for "soul cakes". They would sing a song that goes something like this:

                    A soul , a soul,  a soul cake
                    Please, good missus, a soul cake
                    An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry
                    Any good thing to make us all merry
                    [...I've forgotten the next 4 lines...]
                    One for Peter, one for Paul and
                    Three for the man who made us all

          The children would offer prayers for the dead in return for the cakes, which would help the departed ones received an early release from limbo, or purgatory.   The more cakes they received, the more prayers they would say for the dead.

          In the 1840's, the Irish contributed to the tradition by leaving out treats on October 31  to discourage pranksters from knocking over their outhouses. The first actual trick-or-treating in the United States was around 1930.

*  Halloween Parades - Anaka, Minnesota had the first Halloween parade in 1921 with a city-wide Halloween celebration.

*  Hayrides 

*  Haunted Houses 

*  Witches - contributed by the people of Salem, Massachussetts. The name comes from the Saxon word "wica" which means wise one. The witch is now a central symbol of Halloween.


*  Candy Corn - Another symbol for Halloween, candy corn  looks like it fell off an ear of corn and was very popular among the farmers at harvest time.  It has remained unchanged for over a century, although the made-by-hand process has now been replaced by machinery. It was invented in the 1880s by George Renninger and produced by the Wunderle Candy Company. In 1900 the candy was being mass-produced by the Goelitz candy company (now Jelly Belly). October 30 is National Candy Corn Day.



In the United States, it is the contribution of many diverse immigrant groups that has led to Halloween as we know it today. The holiday shares the basis of Samhein: we all face what we find scariest, but we have a good time of it.



[Halloween Countdown]  [Pumpkins]  [Halloween Entertaining]  [Halloween Party Themes]  [Halloween Games]  [Halloween Foods]  [Halloween Costumes]  [Halloween Decorations] [Halloween Music]  [Tips & Ideas]



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