As we reach October's end, I'm taking a break here from my wall-to-wall MTV coverage (and of Season 3 of Are You The One?) to bring you something that's been a post in the making for two years. But due to certain things, it has not been posted...until now, just a few days before the big day. So, dig in to this DCBLOG Special...
When you head to the local grocery store in your neighborhood for a store hop like I typically do, there's always a place inside that sells things related to the season or time of year we're living in. Recently, we had Americana decorations to celebrate Memorial Day and 4th of July, summer & water gear for my favorite season of the year, back to school supplies and football party gear. And as we head deeper into the fall, next week we'll be thinking about the holidays and Thanksgiving & Christmas, for which some of that is already up at the local Big Lots.
Right now in stores across America, there's a haunting feeling that most people get when they head into the Halloween section with all the costumes and decorations, and of course the candy; and obviously, it's a busy section this week, When I went to the hometown Wal-Mart shortly after Labor Day, and the Big Lots even before that, they had already swapped out the back to school supplies for the Halloween decorations, fall/autumn decor and of course the candy. If you check out my Instagram @DC408Dxtr, you'll find pics of all the scarecrows, the decor and the goodies.
For as long as all of us remember, there's something unique, special, frightening and exciting that comes with the coming of Halloween season. We can all think of the time where we think of the sight of kids dressing up, going trick or treating, getting candy and all the gobs and goblins that come with the end of October. For over a decade since I decided that the days of dressing up and going out into the streets was getting old hat for me, it's been my duty on the night of October 31st to pass out candy upon the kids who say "trick or treat" to those who knock on the door of my house.
Two years ago, there was a good amount of kids who came to our house for candy simply because they had seen our house on two local newscasts due to a crime that took place in our neighborhood. This year, there should be a greater amount of people getting candy at our door than usual as this is one of those years where Halloween falls on a Saturday night; thus, no worries about parents getting off work early to help dress up the youngsters and the kids can stay up late as well. This is the latest chapter in the madness that is the holiday of Halloween.
Two years ago, there was a good amount of kids who came to our house for candy simply because they had seen our house on two local newscasts due to a crime that took place in our neighborhood. This year, there should be a greater amount of people getting candy at our door than usual as this is one of those years where Halloween falls on a Saturday night; thus, no worries about parents getting off work early to help dress up the youngsters and the kids can stay up late as well. This is the latest chapter in the madness that is the holiday of Halloween.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
Its Wikipedia entry defines Halloween as the beginning of "the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers." The term itself is actually a contraction of All Hallow's Evening between "hallowed" and "evening," or holy evening. A word of Christian origin, it was first termed in the mid 1700's and is derived from a Scottish term for All Hallow's Eve, the day before All Hallow's Day on November 1st. Not surprisingly, there's Gaelic and Irish influence in the customs of the holiday that we take for granted now, where the celebrations are believed to have taken place on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the end of the fall harvest season and the start of the dark winter.
Also during this time, the "spirits" of those gone by would reappear on that last night of October, and is something found in many cultures the world over. In Ireland, candles are lit and prayers are given to the souls of the dead, followed by eating, drinking and popular activities. Also in the British Isles, mumming and guising started becoming a tradition as people went house to house in costume, or in disguise, generally reciting bible verses or songs with food in return. If they got it, they would expect good fortune, and in Scotland the kids went around the neighborhood in masks or painted faces in the hope they would attract attention from the neighbors.
Like Christmas and Easter, Halloween has its roots in it being a Christian holiday, with major feasts held on All Hallow's Eve and then on the Day itself afterwards, which is the time for honoring the saints and praying for those in Heaven. And as it began to spread across Europe, the tradition of going house to house for food would inspire the custom of "souling", people banking and sharing small, round "soul cakes" to honor all christened souls, which is felt to be the origin of trick or treating. Groups of poor people, mostly children, would go door to door during the Halloween season to collect cakes in exchange for prayers for the dead.
By the 1800's, the Halloween celebrations first made their way to North America, despite opposition from the New England Puritans as Anglicans in the South and Catholic colonists in Maryland began to recognize All Hallow's Eve in their calendars. Early almanacs in the 18th and early 19th centuries showed no proof of the holiday being celebrated across the Atlantic, but by the time Irish and Scottish citizens immigrated to America in the mid-1800's that it became an American holiday. It started as just one being celebrated by just immigrant communities, but eventually made its way into the mainstream and by the turn of the 20th century it became a national occasion being celebrated by everyone from coast to coast, regardless of social, racial and religious background.
HALLOWEEN TODAY...
Today, Halloween is a major holiday in this country and in many others around the world, and is obviously the favorite - if not one of the favorite - ones each year for those who are young and those young at heart. The joy and fun of kids and even young adults having a great time dressing up and enjoying this rite of autumn with candy aplenty is the best part of this whole experience. And for retailers, it's the beginning of their cash cow season of the fiscal fourth quarter which sees the holiday season riding on Halloween's coat-tails.
New York City is home to America's biggest parade, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which kicks off the holiday season. But the Big Apple is also home to New York's Village Halloween Parade that takes place in the diverse Greenwich Village district in the western side of Lower Manhattan. It's the largest celebration of its kind and one of a handful of major nighttime parades, which was started 41 years ago and has been described as New York's version of Mardi Gras. It attracts more than 60,000 costumed participants, 2 million spectators and over 100 million TV viewers; other mass Halloween events take place all over the country as well.
For those who prefer a hometown Halloween experience, there's those haunted attractions that both thrill and scare patrons - most of which are only accessible during early & mid-fall. The most common of these are those haunted houses which put a fright to many who dare walk into their doors, and have been brought into the modern age by special effects and costuming bringing a sense of Disneyland to the community. There's also those haunted hayrides, but there's also those more suitable ones like those favorite corn mazes. They rake in an estimated $300-500 million and attract over 400,000 customers each year at the end of most amusement parks' operating seasons.
What about for people overseas? Halloween's traditions and importance vary by country, and the celebrations of it here in North America has impacted how the big night is observed overseas. Kids in Scotland and Ireland continue to guise around the neighborhood, while the holiday has gained more and more appeal in Asia and in more European countries. And in the very religious country of the Philippines, the religious observances of this day are more prevalent than anywhere else as on Halloween night residents return to their hometowns and purchase candles and flowers to prepare for All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1st.
What about for people overseas? Halloween's traditions and importance vary by country, and the celebrations of it here in North America has impacted how the big night is observed overseas. Kids in Scotland and Ireland continue to guise around the neighborhood, while the holiday has gained more and more appeal in Asia and in more European countries. And in the very religious country of the Philippines, the religious observances of this day are more prevalent than anywhere else as on Halloween night residents return to their hometowns and purchase candles and flowers to prepare for All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1st.
SYMBOLS & TRADITIONS
There are so many symbols synonymous with Halloween, but there's no bigger one than, of course, the pumpkin and the jack-o'-lantern. They are carried by guisers on that night in order to frighten evil spirits, while the lanterns according to some represented those spirits. In the British Isles, a turnip has traditionally been carved on Halloween, but North American immigrants adopted the softer and much larger pumpkin as their symbol due to it being more easier to carve. This tradition began in 1837 and while it's also associated with harvest season it's best identified with October 31st than anything.
There's that well-known imagery from Christian eschatology, Gothic novels and horror films that has become renowned with this spooky season, like Christian eschatology and The Mummy to Frankenstein, Dracula and of course those skulls. You often see those sights of scarecrows on corn husks in both farms and front yards, along with a pumpkin on those front steps including my house. And adoring those homes are symbols of imagery of death, evil and mythical monsters, or just the traditional colors of black, orange and purple. There's actually some in my neighborhood.
And amidst all this excitement, this holiday still has its serious religious observances too. In Ireland, the abstinence of meat remains, while Finnish people hold votive candles while visiting cemeteries. In Spain, Christian church bells toll to remember the deceased, while those in Mexico hold a Vigil of All Hallows' as children hold a service to remember those who passed too soon. Some Christians do have an issue over the secular & celebratory nature of the modern Halloween and Protestant churches look at it as more of a fun event for children with no negative influence.
Of course, for so many of us here, Halloween brings about the celebrated sight of kids walking all over the neighborhood on the big night wearing costumes and going door to door to say those three magic words: "trick or treat." Every time, they what they ask for in candy and sometimes cash, but the word "trick" comes from when they would "threat" to put mischief on the neighbors or property if they don't get their treat...it's not the case happily. This practice of kids disguised in costume and going door to door to ask for food is believed to be rooted in mumming in the medieval ages in Europe, but "guising" began in Scotland in 1895. It made its way across the pond 16 years later in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, but it did not become commonplace on the continent until the '30s.
Costumes are, of course, a lucrative industry that's prevalent not only in October but also year-round as well. It first became par for the course in Halloween parties in the early 20th century not only for kids but also for the grown-ups as well, with them first showing up on store shelves at the same time trick or treating began popping up in the '30s. Supernatural figures like vampires, monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches and devils have been the standard for Halloween costumes for so long. And in America, the range of costumes have gradually increased to include generic archetypes of ninjas, princesses and the like to popular fictional characters and of course celebrities.
It's the time when candy becomes just about ubiquitous everywhere you go: approximately $2 billion are spent by Americans on candy in the month of October alone, which literally makes them and Halloween feel like BFF's. And the California Milk Processors Board estimates that when trick or treaters come home to enjoy the goodies, the average bucket or bag includes 250 pieces of candy with 9,000 calories & 3 pounds of sugar. Seeing it this time of year is undeniable for those who love those sweets, but obviously it's though for those who want to cut back on them when it's everywhere.
It's the time when candy becomes just about ubiquitous everywhere you go: approximately $2 billion are spent by Americans on candy in the month of October alone, which literally makes them and Halloween feel like BFF's. And the California Milk Processors Board estimates that when trick or treaters come home to enjoy the goodies, the average bucket or bag includes 250 pieces of candy with 9,000 calories & 3 pounds of sugar. Seeing it this time of year is undeniable for those who love those sweets, but obviously it's though for those who want to cut back on them when it's everywhere.
This inseparable marriage came about by many Western Christian countries encouraging an abstinence from meat on All Hallow's Eve, though it the case now or as widely enforced as during Lent, but nonetheless has given a rise to popular vegetarian foods. There's those popular candy apples (toffee apples outside N.A.) and caramel/taffy apples which are popular on Halloween as the yearly apple harvest sets in. There's the Irish barmbrack fruitcake, bonfire toffee in Britain, colcannon, cider and roasted sweet corn.
A growing variant of trick-or-treating is a form of tailgating known as "trunk-or-treating", where kids are offered treats from car trunks in a parking lot of a church or school. Vehicles are decorated with a theme of children's literature, movies or jobs, and has become more of an alternative to the traditional door-to-door method for parents to consider as well as for logistics.
A growing variant of trick-or-treating is a form of tailgating known as "trunk-or-treating", where kids are offered treats from car trunks in a parking lot of a church or school. Vehicles are decorated with a theme of children's literature, movies or jobs, and has become more of an alternative to the traditional door-to-door method for parents to consider as well as for logistics.
For those eager to have a fun time, most particularly this year as Halloween falls on the ideal party night of a Saturday, there's costume parties in cities & towns everywhere, while outdoor bonfires are lit in the autumn sky. There are popular party games that take precedent on this night, none more so than apple bobbing, where apples are in a tub or bucket and players have to use only their teeth to remove it from the water. Another sees treacle or syrup-wrapped scones being hung by strings and again must be eaten without hands, leading to sticky faces afterwards.
And of course, there's that must-have of every Halloween party. For those who love listening to stories, friends love hearing scary stories of ghosts and goblins that can bring laughs and frights to everyone. There's those special Halloween-themed episodes of TV series and special Halloween programs that show up on our screens every October, from Charlie Brown to ABC Family's 13 Days of Halloween. And in movie theaters and living rooms, horror flicks old and new attract movie goers & viewers to one of the most popular genres of cinema as the industry takes advantage of Halloween.
Whether you're a kid who enjoys dressing up and having a candy binge-fest, or someone older with an appeal for horror flicks and scary stories, there's no denying the spooky excitement that comes around every October 31. It's one of the great holidays we have in our annual calendar of days we all celebrate, and this is probably the most fun of them all every year. And as the countdown to this year's festivities reaches less than 100 hours to Saturday night, the festival of fright and this time of reflecting on those gone by simply never gets old.
And of course, there's that must-have of every Halloween party. For those who love listening to stories, friends love hearing scary stories of ghosts and goblins that can bring laughs and frights to everyone. There's those special Halloween-themed episodes of TV series and special Halloween programs that show up on our screens every October, from Charlie Brown to ABC Family's 13 Days of Halloween. And in movie theaters and living rooms, horror flicks old and new attract movie goers & viewers to one of the most popular genres of cinema as the industry takes advantage of Halloween.
Whether you're a kid who enjoys dressing up and having a candy binge-fest, or someone older with an appeal for horror flicks and scary stories, there's no denying the spooky excitement that comes around every October 31. It's one of the great holidays we have in our annual calendar of days we all celebrate, and this is probably the most fun of them all every year. And as the countdown to this year's festivities reaches less than 100 hours to Saturday night, the festival of fright and this time of reflecting on those gone by simply never gets old.
Thank you for checking out this DCBLOG special on the madness of Halloween, hope you enjoyed reading it. If you're a regular visitor to this site, or are a huge MTV fan like I am, be sure to bookmark this site for extensive coverage of the Trifecta of Are You The One? (new episode of Season 3 airs tonight in the U.S.), The Challenge and Real World. This site also covers sports, pop culture and other things on the side as well.
And make sure to follow my social platforms: Twitter @DC408Dxtr, my DCNOW secondary Twitter hub @DC408DxNow for live tweets of TV shows, sports and events; my Instagram also at the same Twitter handle, and other public social media avenues as well.
Thanks again for reading and have fun this weekend. And make sure you have a safe and Happy Halloween this weekend.
- I AM DC
And make sure to follow my social platforms: Twitter @DC408Dxtr, my DCNOW secondary Twitter hub @DC408DxNow for live tweets of TV shows, sports and events; my Instagram also at the same Twitter handle, and other public social media avenues as well.
Thanks again for reading and have fun this weekend. And make sure you have a safe and Happy Halloween this weekend.
- I AM DC
Source: Wikipedia - Halloween and related articles
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