Halloween Traditions Around the World

Slides from a pizza talk I gave at the Anton Pannekoek Institute on 31 October 2014.

Abstract: Many cultures have different celebrations with the same (or similar) origins, which occur on or around October 31st. In this talk I'll introduce you to some of these holidays, with special emphasis on the one I know best, Halloween.

Transcript

1. Halloween Traditions Around The World Abbie Stevens
2. Which days are witch days?
3. Origins of the holiday(s) ª Samhain ª Allhallowtide ª Celebrations or remembrances of the dead (particularly one’s ancestors) ª Ghosts, ghouls, fairies, spirits
4. Samhain (pronounced Sah-win) ª Celtic/pagan ª Similar holidays in other (non-Gaelic) Celtic cultures ª From sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st – Roughly halfway between autumnal equinox and winter solstice ª Key seasonal holiday: end of harvest, beginning of winter
5. Samhain festivities ª Ritual bonfires ª Contact with spirits, fairies (Aos Si) ª Left out food for fairies as an offering, so that they’d survive the winter ª Set a place at the table for the souls of deceased ancestors ª Dressed in costumes to disguise themselves from the fairies ª Went door-to-door (in costume) singing songs and reciting poems for food ª Not donating food would “bring misfortune” ª Drunkenness ª Carved grotesque faces into hollowed out turnips and beets for lanterns
6. Turnips can be terrifying Turnip,  early  1900s,   Ireland.   Credit:  Museum  of   Country  Life,  Ireland   (via  wikipedia).
7. Allhallowtide ª a.k.a. Hallowtide, Allsaintstide, the Hallowmas season – All Hallows’ Eve (Oct 31) – All Saints’ Day/All Hallows’ Day (Nov 1) – All Souls’ Day (Nov 2) ª Christian holiday observed by Catholics and some Protestants
8. All Hallows’ Eve festivities (before modern Halloween) ª World of the afterlife believed to be closer to material world ª People would wear masks to prevent a soul from recognizing them ª Church vigils with prayer and fasting ª Church bells would ring (Spain) ª Say prayers aloud while walking in the forest to comfort the souls of the dead (Poland) ª Visit graveyards with flowers and candles
9. All Saints’ Day festivities ª Typically solemn ª Huge feasts ª Honour saints and martyrs ª Light candles in remembrance of the dead ª Bring flowers to gravesites of loved ones ª Attend church
10. All Saints’ Day festivities ª Portugal: Pão-por-Deus – Children go door-to-door to get sweets, money, cakes, fruit ª Philippines: Todos los Santos/Araw ng mga Patay – Clean and repair family tombs – Offer prayers, flowers, candles, food – Burn incense – Have reunions at graves; play games, sing karaoke, feast
11. All Souls’ Day festivities ª Remembering “all faithful Christians”, particularly one’s relatives ª Visit family graves with candles and flowers ª Attend church ª Souling (England): children went to houses, chanted rhymes, and received money, fruit, soul-cakes, ale?
12. Other related holidays ª Lemuria (ancient Roman): mid-May – feast, exorcise spirits of the dead from their homes, leave out beans for ghosts ª St. Martin’s Day (German): Nov 11 – build lanterns and bonfires, parade, feast and eat sweets ª Obon/Bon Festival (Japanese Buddhist), ~Aug 15; Hungry Ghost Festival (Chinese), ~ Aug 10 – Honour ancestors: visit graves, offer food and wealth to ancestral spirits, dance, burn incense ª Dziady (Slavic), Zaduszki (Polish), etc.
13. ª Occult/death-themed decorations: skulls, ghosts, witches, black cats, zombies, vampires ª Dressing in costume ª Big parties ª Feasting on sweets and candy ª Fun for the whole family Modern interpretations of traditions
14. Popular incarnations ª Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) – November 1 & 2 – Mexico ª Halloween – October 31 – English-speaking North America
15. Dia de los Muertos
16. How to celebrate Halloween 1. Decide on and make your costume 2. Pick out (a) pumpkin(s) 3. Carve said pumpkin(s) 4. Decorate the rest of the house and yard 5. Put on your costume 6. Go trick-or-treating 7. Eat candy during and after 8. Refuse to take off your costume.
17. Planning costumes
18. Picking pumpkins
19. Carving pumpkins
20. Jack-o-lanterns
21. Elaborate jack-o-lanterns
22. Decorations
23. U of A Observatory
24. Costumes
25. Sorting and eating candy
26. Conclusion Halloween, its contemporaries, and its predecessors, are excellent and should be celebrated, if only for the excuse to have parties and eat candy.