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Item:204633630438MINI BLACK CAULDRON TREAT BUCKETS 4-Pack witch kettle Halloween party favor cute. Check out our store for more great new, vintage, and used items! FOR SALE: Party favor size black cauldrons with handle and flame motif MINI WITCHES' CAULDRON HALLOWEEN TREAT BUCKETS (4-PACK) DETAILS: Sure to thrill trick-or-treaters and witch fanatics! These
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as most commonly understood in both historical and present-day
communities, is the use of alleged supernatural powers of magic. A witch
is a practitioner of witchcraft. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the
use of magic or supernatural powers to inflict harm or misfortune on
others, and this remains the most common and widespread
meaning.[1]: ix [2] According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "Witchcraft
thus defined exists more in the imagination of contemporaries than in
any objective reality. Yet this stereotype has a long history and has
constituted for many cultures a viable explanation of evil in the
world."[3] The belief in witchcraft has been found in a great number of
societies worldwide. Anthropologists have applied the English term
"witchcraft" to similar beliefs in occult practices in many different
cultures, and societies that have adopted the English language have
often internalised the term.[4][2][5] In Europe, belief in
witchcraft traces back to classical antiquity. In medieval and early
modern Europe, accused witches were usually women who were believed to
have used black magic or maleficium against their own community.
Usually, accusations of witchcraft were made by their neighbors and
followed from social tensions. Witches were sometimes said to have
communed with evil beings, though British anthropologist Jean La
Fontaine notes that the "stereotype of evil appears not to have been
closely connected to the actions of real people except when it was
mobilised against the current enemies of the Church".[6] It was thought
witchcraft could be thwarted by protective magic or counter-magic, which
could be provided by the 'cunning folk' or 'wise people'. Suspected
witches were also intimidated, banished, attacked or killed. Often they
would be formally prosecuted and punished, if found guilty or simply
believed to be guilty. European witch-hunts and witch trials in the
early modern period led to tens of thousands of executions. While
magical healers and midwives were sometimes accused of witchcraft
themselves,[7]: 7–13 [2]: 519 [8][9]: 31-59 they made up a minority of
those accused. European belief in witchcraft gradually dwindled during
and after the Age of Enlightenment. Many indigenous belief
systems that include the concept of witchcraft likewise define witches
as malevolent, and seek healers and medicine people for protection
against witchcraft.[10][11] Some African and Melanesian peoples believe
witches are driven by an evil spirit or substance inside them. Modern
witch-hunting takes place in parts of Africa and Asia. Today,
followers of certain types of modern paganism self-identify as witches
and use the term witchcraft for their beliefs and practices.[12][13][14]
Other neo-pagans avoid the term due to its negative connotations.[15] Concept The
concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence have persisted
throughout recorded history. According to the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions there is
"difficulty of defining ‘witches’ and ‘witchcraft’ across cultures—terms
that, quite apart from their connotations in popular culture, may
include an array of traditional or faith healing practices and are not
easily defined".[16] The most common meaning of "witchcraft"
worldwide is the use of harmful magic.[1]: 3–4 Belief in malevolent
magic has been found in cultures worldwide, regardless of
development.[4][17]: xiii Most societies have feared an ability by some
individuals to cause supernatural harm and misfortune to others. This
may come from mankind's tendency "to want to assign occurrences of
remarkable good or bad luck to agency, either human or
superhuman".[1]: 10 Historians and anthropologists see the concept of
"witchcraft" as one of the ways humans have tried to explain strange
misfortune.[1]: 10 [18] Some cultures have feared witchcraft much less
than others, because they tend to have other explanations for strange
misfortune.[1]: 10 For example, the Gaels of Ireland and the Scottish
Highlands historically held a strong belief in fairy folk, who could
cause supernatural harm, and witch-hunting was very rare in these
regions compared to other regions of the British Isles.[1]: 245 Historian
Ronald Hutton outlined five key characteristics ascribed to witches and
witchcraft by most cultures that believe in this concept: the use of
magic to cause harm or misfortune to others; it was used by the witch
against their own community; powers of witchcraft were believed to have
been acquired through inheritance or initiation; it was seen as immoral
and often thought to involve communion with evil beings; and witchcraft
could be thwarted by defensive magic, persuasion, intimidation or
physical punishment of the alleged witch.[1]: 3–4 [a] It is
commonly believed that witches use objects, words, and gestures to cause
supernatural harm or that they simply have an innate power to do so.
Hutton notes that both kinds of practitioners are often believed to
exist in the same culture and that the two often overlap, in that
someone with an inborn power could wield that power through material
objects.[1]: 19–22 One of the most influential works on
witchcraft and concepts of magic was E. E. Evans-Pritchard's Witchcraft,
Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande, a study of Azande witchcraft
beliefs published in 1937. This provided definitions for witchcraft
which became a convention in anthropology.[18] However, some researchers
argue that the general adoption of Evans-Pritchard's definitions
constrained discussion of witchcraft beliefs, and even broader
discussion of magic and religion, in ways that his work does not
support.[19] Evans-Pritchard reserved the term "witchcraft" for the
actions of those who inflict harm by their inborn power and used
"sorcery" for those who needed tools to do so.[20] Historians found
these definitions difficult to apply to European witchcraft, where
witches were believed to use physical techniques, as well as some who
were believed to cause harm by thought alone.[2]: 464–465 [21] The
distinction "has now largely been abandoned, although some
anthropologists still sometimes find it relevant to the particular
societies with which they are concerned".[1]: 19–22 While most
cultures believe witchcraft to be something willful, some Indigenous
peoples in Africa and Melanesia believe witches have a substance or an
evil spirit in their bodies that drives them to do harm.[1]: 19–22
However, such substances are described in other accounts as being able
to act on their own while the witch is sleeping or unaware.[19] The Dobu
people believe women work harmful magic in their sleep while men work
it while awake.[1]: 18-19 Further, in cultures where substances within
the body are believed to grant supernatural powers, the substance may be
good, bad, or morally neutral.[22][23] Hutton draws a distinction
between those who unwittingly cast the evil eye and those who
deliberately do so, describing only the latter as witches.[1]: 10 The universal or cross-cultural validity of these terms are debated.[18] Hutton states:
[Malevolent magic] is, however, only one current usage of the word. In
fact, Anglo-American senses of it now take at least four different
forms, although the one discussed above seems still to be the most
widespread and frequent. The others define the witch figure as any
person who uses magic ... or as the practitioner of nature-based Pagan
religion; or as a symbol of independent female authority and resistance
to male domination. All have validity in the present.[1]: 10 Dr.
Fiona Bowie notes that the terms "witchcraft" and "witch" are used
differently by scholars and the general public in at least four
different ways that must be treated separately.[18] Neopagan writer
Isaac Bonewits proposed dividing witches into even more distinct types
including, but not limited to: Neopagan, Feminist, Neogothic,
Neoclassical, Classical, Family Traditions, Immigrant Traditions, and
Ethnic.[24]: 65–68 Etymology Further information: Witch (word) The
word is over a thousand years old: Old English formed the compound
wiccecræft from wicce ('witch') and cræft ('craft').[25] The masculine
form was wicca ('male sorcerer').[26] According to the Oxford
English Dictionary, wicce and wicca were probably derived from the Old
English verb wiccian, meaning 'to practice witchcraft'.[27] Wiccian has a
cognate in Middle Low German wicken (attested from the 13th century).
The further etymology of this word is problematic. It has no clear
cognates in other Germanic languages outside of English and Low German,
and there are numerous possibilities for the Indo-European root from
which it may have derived. Another Old English word for 'witch'
was hægtes or hægtesse, which became the modern English word "hag" and
is linked to the word "hex". In most other Germanic languages, their
word for 'witch' comes from the same root as these; for example German
Hexe and Dutch heks.[28] In colloquial modern English, the word
witch is particularly used for women.[29] A male practitioner of magic
or witchcraft is more commonly called a 'wizard', or sometimes,
'warlock'. When the word witch is used to refer to a member of a
neo-pagan tradition or religion (such as Wicca), it can refer to a
person of any gender.[citation needed] Beliefs about practices Witches
are commonly believed to cast curses; a spell or set of magical words
and gestures intended to inflict supernatural harm.[30]: 54 Cursing
could also involve inscribing runes or sigils on an object to give that
object magical powers; burning or binding a wax or clay image (a poppet)
of a person to affect them magically; or using herbs, animal parts and
other substances to make potions or poisons. Witchcraft has been blamed
for many kinds of misfortune. In Europe, by far the most common kind of
harm attributed to witchcraft was illness or death suffered by adults,
their children, or their animals. "Certain ailments, like impotence in
men, infertility in women, and lack of milk in cows, were particularly
associated with witchcraft". Illnesses that were poorly understood were
more likely to be blamed on witchcraft. Edward Bever writes: "Witchcraft
was particularly likely to be suspected when a disease came on
unusually swiftly, lingered unusually long, could not be diagnosed
clearly, or presented some other unusual symptoms".[30]: 54-55 A
common belief in cultures worldwide is that witches tend to use
something from their target's body to work magic against them; for
example hair, nail clippings, clothing, or bodily waste. Such beliefs
are found in Europe, Africa, South Asia, Polynesia, Melanesia, and North
America.[1]: 19-22 Another widespread belief among Indigenous peoples
in Africa and North America is that witches cause harm by introducing
cursed magical objects into their victim's body; such as small bones or
ashes.[1]: 19-22 James George Frazer described this kind of magic as
imitative.[b] In some cultures, witches are believed to use human
body parts in magic,[1]: 19-22 and they are commonly believed to
murder children for this purpose. In Europe, "cases in which women did
undoubtedly kill their children, because of what today would be called
postpartum psychosis, were often interpreted as yielding to diabolical
temptation".[35] Witches are believed to work in secret,
sometimes alone and sometimes with other witches. Hutton writes: "Across
most of the world, witches have been thought to gather at night, when
normal humans are inactive, and also at their most vulnerable in
sleep".[1]: 19-22 In most cultures, witches at these gatherings are
thought to transgress social norms by engaging in cannibalism, incest
and open nudity.[1]: 19-22 Witches around the world commonly
have associations with animals.[1]: 264-277 Rodney Needham identified
this as a defining feature of the witch archetype.[36] In some parts of
the world, it is believed witches can shapeshift into animals,[1]: 264
or that the witch's spirit travels apart from their body and takes an
animal form, an activity often associated with shamanism.[1]: 264
Another widespread belief is that witches have an animal
helper.[1]: 264 In English these are often called "familiars", and
meant an evil spirit or demon that had taken an animal form.[1]: 264 As
researchers examined traditions in other regions, they widened the term
to servant spirit-animals which are described as a part of the witch's
own soul.[1]: 269 Necromancy is the practice of conjuring the
spirits of the dead for divination or prophecy, although the term has
also been applied to raising the dead for other purposes. The biblical
Witch of Endor performed it (1 Samuel 28th chapter), and it is among the
witchcraft practices condemned by Ælfric of Eynsham:[37][38][39]
"Witches still go to cross-roads and to heathen burials with their
delusive magic and call to the devil; and he comes to them in the
likeness of the man that is buried there, as if he arises from death. Witchcraft and folk healers Main article: Cunning folk Most
societies that have believed in harmful or black magic have also
believed in helpful magic. Some have called it white magic, at least in
more recent times.[1]: 24-25 Where belief in harmful magic exists, its
use is typically forbidden by law as well as hated and feared by the
general populace, while helpful "white" or apotropaic magic is tolerated
or even accepted wholesale by the population, even if the orthodox
establishment opposes it.[41]: 203 In these societies,
practitioners of helpful magic, usually known as cunning folk, have
traditionally[timeframe?] provided services such as breaking the effects
of witchcraft, healing, divination, finding lost or stolen goods, and
love magic.[1]: x-xi In Britain, and some other parts of Europe, they
were commonly known as cunning folk or wise people.[1]: x-xi Alan
McFarlane wrote that while cunning folk is the usual name, some are also
known as 'blessers' or 'wizards', but might also be known as 'white',
'good', or 'unbinding witches'.[42] Historian Owen Davies says the term
"white witch" was rarely used before the 20th century.[7]: xiii Ronald
Hutton uses the general term "service magicians".[1]: x-xi Often these
people were involved in identifying alleged witches.[1]: 24-25 Such
helpful magic-workers "were normally contrasted with the witch who
practiced maleficium—that is, magic used for harmful ends".[43]: 27-28
In the early years of the witch hunts "the cunning folk were widely
tolerated by church, state and general populace".[43]: 27-28 Some of
the more hostile churchmen and secular authorities tried to smear
folk-healers and magic-workers by falsely branding them 'witches' and
associating them with harmful 'witchcraft',[1]: x-xi but generally the
masses did not accept this and continued to make use of their
services.[44] The English MP and skeptic Reginald Scot sought to
disprove magic and witchcraft, writing in The Discoverie of Witchcraft
(1584), "At this day, it is indifferent to say in the English tongue,
'she is a witch' or 'she is a wise woman'".[45] Historian Keith Thomas
adds "Nevertheless, it is possible to isolate that kind of 'witchcraft'
which involved the employment (or presumed employment) of some occult
means of doing harm to other people in a way which was generally
disapproved of. In this sense the belief in witchcraft can be defined as
the attribution of misfortune to occult human agency".[2]: 519 Emma
Wilby says folk magicians in Europe were viewed ambivalently by
communities, and were considered as capable of harming as of
healing,[46]: 51–54 which could lead to their being accused as
malevolent witches. She suggests some English "witches" convicted of
consorting with demons may have been cunning folk whose supposed fairy
familiars had been demonised.[46]: 123 Hutton says that healers
and cunning folk "were sometimes denounced as witches, but seem to have
made up a minority of the accused in any area studied".[1]: 24-25
Likewise, Davies says "relatively few cunning-folk were prosecuted under
secular statutes for witchcraft" and were dealt with more leniently
than alleged witches. The Constitutio Criminalis Carolina (1532) of the
Holy Roman Empire, and the Danish Witchcraft Act of 1617, stated that
workers of folk magic should be dealt with differently from
witches.[7]: 164 It was suggested by Richard Horsley that cunning folk
(devins-guerisseurs, 'diviner-healers') made up a significant proportion
of those tried for witchcraft in France and Switzerland, but more
recent surveys conclude that they made up less than 2% of the
accused.[7]: 167 However, Éva Pócs says that half the accused witches
in Hungary seem to have been healers,[47]: 12 and Kathleen Stokker says
the "vast majority" of Norway's accused witches were folk healers.[48] Thwarting witchcraft Globe icon. The
examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide
view of the subject. You may improve this section, discuss the issue on
the talk page, or create a new section, as appropriate. (August 2023)
(Learn how and when to remove this template message) Societies
that believed in witchcraft also believed that it could be thwarted in
various ways. One common way was to use protective magic or
counter-magic, of which the cunning folk were experts.[1]: 24-25 This
included charms, talismans and amulets, anti-witch marks, witch bottles,
witch balls, and burying objects such as horse skulls inside the walls
of buildings.[49] Another believed cure for bewitchment was to persuade
or force the alleged witch to lift their spell.[1]: 24-25 Often, people
would attempt to thwart the witchcraft by physically punishing the
alleged witch, such as by banishing, wounding, torturing or killing
them. "In most societies, however, a formal and legal remedy was
preferred to this sort of private action", whereby the alleged witch
would be prosecuted and then formally punished if found
guilty.[1]: 24-25 This often resulted in execution. Witch-hunts Accusations of witchcraft Throughout
the world, accusations of witchcraft are often linked to social and
economic tensions. Females are most often accused, but in some cultures
it is mostly males. In many societies, accusations are directed mainly
against the elderly, but in others age is not a factor, and in some
cultures it is mainly adolescents who are accused.[1]: 15 Éva
Pócs writes that reasons for accusations of witchcraft fall into four
general categories. The first three of which were proposed by Richard
Kieckhefer, and the fourth added by Christina Larner:[47]: 9-10 A person was caught in the act of positive or negative sorcery A well-meaning sorcerer or healer lost their clients' or the authorities' trust A person did nothing more than gain the enmity of their neighbors A person was reputed to be a witch and surrounded with an aura of witch-beliefs or occultism....Religious perspectives Ancient Mesopotamian religion Main article: Witchcraft in the Middle East Working
magic was widely accepted and deeply integrated into the religion and
the wider Mesopotamian society.[1]: 49 According to Tzvi Abusch, the
early stages of the development of witchcraft (ipšū or kišpū[66]) in
ancient Mesopotamia were "comparable to the archaic shamanistic stage of
European witchcraft".[67]: 65–66 In this early stage, witches were not
necessarily considered evil, but took white and black forms and could
help others using a combination of magical and medical
knowledge.[67]: 65–66 They generally lived in rural areas and sometimes
exhibited ecstatic behavior,[67]: 65–66 which was more usually
associated with the ašipu (exorcist), whose main function at this stage
of development was to battle non-human supernatural forces.[67]: 65–66 In
ancient Mesopotamian religion, witches (m. kaššāpu, f. kaššāptu, from
kašāpu ['to bewitch'][66]) eventually[when?] came to be "regarded as an
anti-social and illegitimate practitioner of destructive magic ... whose
activities were motivated by malice and evil intent and who was opposed
by the ašipu, an exorcist or incantation-priest",[67]: 65–66 who were
predominantly male representatives of the official state religion.[67]
The individuals mentioned in records of Mesopotamian society as witches
tended to be those of low status who were weak or otherwise
marginalized, including women, foreigners, actors, and peddlers.[1]: 49 By
the time of the Code of Hammurabi (about 2000 BC), the use of magic to
harm others without justification was subject to legal repercussions:
If a man has put a spell upon another man and it is not justified, he
upon whom the spell is laid shall go to the holy river; into the holy
river shall he plunge. If the holy river overcome him and he is drowned,
the man who put the spell upon him shall take possession of his house.
If the holy river declares him innocent and he remains unharmed the man
who laid the spell shall be put to death. He that plunged into the river
shall take possession of the house of him who laid the spell upon
him.[68][c] The ašipu, in their continued efforts to suppress
witchcraft,[67] developed an Akkadian anti-witchcraft ritual, the Maqlû,
probably composed in the early first millennium BC.[70] Confucianism Main article: Chinese shamanism During
the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (141 BCE to 87 BCE) in the Western Han
Dynasty of China, there were instances where the imperial court took
measures to suppress certain religious or spiritual practices, including
those associated with shamanism. Emperor Wu was known for his strong
support of Confucianism, which was the dominant ideology of the Han
Dynasty, and he promoted policies that aimed to consolidate central
authority and unify the cultural and social landscape of the empire.[71] One
notable event related to the suppression of shamanism occurred in 91
BCE, when Emperor Wu issued an edict that banned a range of "heterodox"
practices, including shamanistic rituals and divination, in favor of
Confucianism. The primary target of these measures was the Wuism or Wu
(巫) tradition, which involved the worship of spirits and the use of
shamanic practices to communicate with them. Wuism was considered by the
Confucian elite to be superstitious witchcraft and at odds with
Confucian principles.[71]: 1 Emperor Wu's suppression of
shamanism was part of a larger effort to centralize power, promote
Confucian ethics, and standardize cultural practices. While the ban on
shamanistic practices did impact certain communities and religious
groups, these measures were not universally applied across the vast
territory of the empire. Local variations and practices persisted in
some regions despite imperial edicts.[71] The historical record
from that time is limited, and our understanding of these events can be
influenced by the perspectives of the Confucian scholars and officials
who documented them. As a result, there might be some variations in the
interpretation of the exact nature and extent of the expulsion of
shamans and other religious practitioners during Emperor Wu's reign.[71] Abrahamic religions Witchcraft's
historical evolution in the Middle East reveals a multi-phase journey
influenced by culture, spirituality, and societal norms. Ancient
witchcraft in the Near East intertwined mysticism with nature through
rituals and incantations aligned with local beliefs. In ancient Judaism,
magic had a complex relationship, with some forms accepted due to
mysticism[72] while others were considered heretical.[69] The medieval
Middle East experienced shifting perceptions of witchcraft under Islamic
and Christian influences, sometimes revered for healing and other times
condemned as heresy. Jewish See also: Witchcraft and divination in the Hebrew Bible Jewish
attitudes toward witchcraft were rooted in its association with
idolatry and necromancy, and some rabbis even practiced certain forms of
magic themselves.[73][74] References to witchcraft in the Tanakh, or
Hebrew Bible, highlighted strong condemnations rooted in the
"abomination" of magical belief. Christianity similarly condemned
witchcraft, considering it an abomination and even citing specific
verses to justify witch-hunting during the early modern period. Christian Main article: Christian views on magic Historically,
the Christian concept of witchcraft derives from Old Testament laws
against it. In medieval and early modern Europe, many Christians
believed in magic. As opposed to the helpful magic of the cunning folk,
witchcraft was seen as evil and associated with Satan and Devil worship.
This often resulted in deaths, torture and scapegoating (casting blame
for misfortune),[75][47]: 9–12 and many years of large scale
witch-trials and witch hunts, especially in Protestant Europe, before
largely ending during the Age of Enlightenment. Christian views in the
modern day are diverse, ranging from intense belief and opposition
(especially by Christian fundamentalists) to non-belief. During the Age
of Colonialism, many cultures were exposed to the Western world via
colonialism, usually accompanied by intensive Christian missionary
activity (see Christianization). In these cultures, beliefs about
witchcraft were partly influenced by the prevailing Western concepts of
the time. In Christianity, sorcery came to be associated with
heresy and apostasy and to be viewed as evil. Among Catholics,
Protestants, and the secular leadership of late medieval/early modern
Europe, fears about witchcraft rose to fever pitch and sometimes led to
large-scale witch-hunts. The fifteenth century saw a dramatic rise in
awareness and terror of witchcraft. Tens of thousands of people were
executed, and others were imprisoned, tortured, banished, and had lands
and possessions confiscated. The majority of those accused were women,
though in some regions the majority were men.[76][77]: 23 In Scots, the
word warlock came to be used as the male equivalent of witch (which can
be male or female, but is used predominantly for females).[78][79][80] The
Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for 'Hammer of The Witches') was a
witch-hunting manual written in 1486 by two German monks, Heinrich
Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. It was used by both Catholics and
Protestants[81] for several hundred years, outlining how to identify a
witch, what makes a woman more likely than a man to be a witch, how to
put a witch on trial, and how to punish a witch. The book defines a
witch as evil and typically female. It became the handbook for secular
courts throughout Europe, but was not used by the Inquisition, which
even cautioned against relying on it.[82] It was the most sold book in
Europe for over 100 years, after the Bible.[83] Islamic Main article: Islam and magic Islamic
perspectives on magic encompass a wide range of practices,[84] with
belief in black magic and the evil eye coexisting alongside strict
prohibitions against its practice.[85] The Quran acknowledges the
existence of magic and seeks protection from its harm. Islam's stance is
against the practice of magic, considering it forbidden, and emphasizes
divine miracles rather than magic or witchcraft.[86] The historical
continuity of witchcraft in the Middle East underlines the complex
interaction between spiritual beliefs and societal norms across
different cultures and epochs. Modern paganism Main articles: Neopagan witchcraft and Semitic neopaganism During
the 20th century, interest in witchcraft rose in English-speaking and
European countries. From the 1920s, Margaret Murray popularized the
'witch-cult hypothesis': the idea that those persecuted as 'witches' in
early modern Europe were followers of a benevolent pagan religion that
had survived the Christianization of Europe. This has been discredited
by further historical research.[24]: 45–47, 84–85 [1]: 121 [87][88][89] From
the 1930s, occult neopagan groups began to emerge who called their
religion a kind of 'witchcraft'. They were initiatory secret societies
inspired by Murray's 'witch cult' theory, ceremonial magic, Aleister
Crowley's Thelema, and historical paganism.[89]: 205–252 [90][91] The
biggest religious movement to emerge from this is Wicca. Today, some
Wiccans and members of related traditions self-identify as "witches" and
use the term "witchcraft" for their magico-religious beliefs and
practices, primarily in Western anglophone countries. Regional perspectives This
section should specify the language of its non-English content, using
{{lang}}, {{transliteration}} for transliterated languages, and {{IPA}}
for phonetic transcriptions, with an appropriate ISO 639 code.
Wikipedia's multilingual support templates may also be used. See why.
(August 2021) A 2022 study found that belief in witchcraft, as in
the use of malevolent magic or powers, is still widespread in some
parts of the world. It found that belief in witchcraft varied from 9% of
people in some countries to 90% in others, and was linked to cultural
and socioeconomic factors. Stronger belief in witchcraft correlated with
poorer economic development, weak institutions, lower levels of
education, lower life expectancy, lower life satisfaction, and high
religiosity.[93][92] It contrasted two hypotheses about future changes in witchcraft belief:[92]
witchcraft beliefs should decline "in the process of development due to
improved security and health, lower exposure to shocks, spread of
education and scientific approach to explaining life events" according
to standard modernization theory "some aspects of development,
namely rising inequality, globalization, technological change, and
migration, may instead revive witchcraft beliefs by disrupting
established social order" according to literature largely inspired by
observations from Sub-Saharan Africa....North America Main article: Witchcraft in North America The
views of witchcraft in North America have evolved through an
interlinking history of cultural beliefs and interactions. These forces
contribute to complex and evolving views of witchcraft. Today, North
America hosts a diverse array of beliefs about witchcraft.[109][110] Indigenous
communities such as the Cherokee,[111] Hopi,[112] the Navajo[5] among
others,[113] included in their folklore and beliefs which malevolent
figures who could harm their communities, often resulting in severe
punishments, including death.[114] These communities also recognized the
role of medicine people as healers and protectors against these
malevolent forces.[citation needed] The term witchcraft arrived
with European colonists, along with European views on witchcraft.[109]
This term would be adopted by many Indigenous communities for those
beliefs about harmful supernatural powers. In colonial America and the
United States, views of witchcraft were further shaped by European
colonists. The infamous Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, along with
other witch hunts in places like Maryland and Pennsylvania, exemplified
European and Christian fear and hysteria surrounding accusations of
witchcraft. These trials led to the execution of numerous individuals
accused of practicing witchcraft. Despite changes in laws and
perspectives over time, accusations of witchcraft persisted into the
19th century in some regions, such as Tennessee, where prosecutions
occurred as late as 1833. The influences on Witchcraft in Latin
America impacted North American views both directly and indirectly,
including the diaspora of African witchcraft beliefs through the slave
trade[115][116][110] and suppressed Indigenous cultures adopting the
term for their own cultural practices.[117] Neopagan witchcraft
practices such as Wicca then emerged in the mid-20th century....Witches
in art and literature Further information: Witch (archetype) § In art and literature, and List of fictional witches Witches
have a long history of being depicted in art, although most of their
earliest artistic depictions seem to originate in Early Modern Europe,
particularly the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Many scholars
attribute their manifestation in art as inspired by texts such as Canon
Episcopi, a demonology-centered work of literature, and Malleus
Maleficarum, a "witch-craze" manual published in 1487, by Heinrich
Kramer and Jacob Sprenger.[133] Witches in fiction span a wide array of
characterizations. They are typically, but not always, female, and
generally depicted as either villains or heroines." (wikipedia.org) "A
hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the
appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales
such as "Hansel and Gretel".[1] Hags are often seen as malevolent, but
may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as
The Morrígan or Badb, who are seen as neither wholly benevolent nor
malevolent.[2][3] Etymology The term appears in Middle
English, and was a shortening of hægtesse, an Old English term for
'witch'; similarly the Dutch heks and German Hexe are also shortenings,
of the Middle Dutch haghetisse and Old High German hagzusa,
respectively.[4] All of these words are derived from the Proto-Germanic
**hagatusjon-[4] which is of unknown origin; the first element may be
related to the word hedge.[4][5] As a stock character in fairy or
folk tale, the hag shares characteristics with the crone, and the two
words are sometimes used as if interchangeable.[citation needed] Using
the word hag to translate terms found in non-English (or non-modern
English) is contentious, since use of the word is sometimes associated
with misogyny.[6][7][clarification needed] In folklore A
"Night Hag" or "the Old Hag", was a nightmare spirit in English and
anglophone North American folklore. This variety of hag is essentially
identical to the Old English mæra—a being with roots in ancient Germanic
superstition, and closely related to the Scandinavian mara. According
to folklore, the Old Hag sat on a sleeper's chest and sent nightmares to
him or her. When the subject awoke, he or she would be unable to
breathe or even move for a short period of time. In the Swedish film
Marianne (2011), the main character suffers from such nightmares. This
state is now called sleep paralysis, but in the old belief, the subject
was considered "hagridden".[8] It is still frequently discussed as if it
were a paranormal state.[9] Many stories about hags seem to have
been used to frighten children into being good. In Northern England,
for example, Peg Powler was a river hag who lived in the River Tees and
had skin the colour of green pond scum.[10][11][12] Parents who wanted
to keep their children away from the river's edge told them that if they
got too close to the water, she would pull them in with her long arms,
drown them, and sometimes eat them. This type of nixie or neck has other
regional names, such as Grindylow[13] (a name connected to
Grendel),[13][14] Jenny Greenteeth from Yorkshire, and Nelly Longarms
from several English counties.[15] Many tales about hags do not
describe them well enough to distinguish between an old woman who knows
magic, or a witch or supernatural being.[16] In Slavic folklore,
Baba Yaga was a hag who lived in the woods in a house on chickens legs.
She would often ride through the forest on a mortar, sweeping away her
tracks with a broom.[17] Though she is usually a single being, in some
folktales three Baba Yagas are depicted as helping the hero in his
quest, either by giving advice or by giving gifts.[18] In Irish
and Scottish mythology, the cailleach is a hag goddess concerned with
creation, harvest, the weather, and sovereignty.[3][19] In partnership
with the goddess Bríd, she is a seasonal goddess, seen as ruling the
winter months while Bríd rules the summer.[19] In Scotland, a group of
hags, known as The Cailleachan (The Storm Hags) are seen as
personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a
destructive aspect. They are said to be particularly active in raising
the windstorms of spring, during the period known as A
Chailleach.[19][20] Hags as sovereignty figures abound in Irish
mythology. The most common pattern is that the hag represents the barren
land, who the hero of the tale must approach without fear, and come to
love on her own terms. When the hero displays this courage, love, and
acceptance of her hideous side, the sovereignty hag then reveals that
she is also a young and beautiful goddess.[3] In ancient Greek religion, the Three Fates (particularly Atropos) are often depicted as hags. Hags are similar to Lilith of the Torah and the Old Testament.[citation needed] In Western literature Further information: Witch (archetype) § In art and literature In
mediaeval and later literature, the term hag, and its relatives in
European languages, came to stand for an unattractive, older woman.
Building on the mediaeval tradition of such women as portrayed in comic
and burlesque literature, specifically in the Italian Renaissance, the
hag represented the opposite of the lovely lady familiar from the poetry
of Petrarch.[21] In The Heroes or Greek Fairy Tales For My
Children, Charles Kingsley characterized Scylla as "Scylla the sea
hag".[" (wikipedia.org) "A
cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot (kettle) for cooking or boiling
over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger
and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron
lore in religion, mythology, and folklore. Etymology The word
cauldron is first recorded in Middle English as caudroun (13th century).
It was borrowed from Norman caudron[1] (Picard caudron, French:
chaudron). It represents the phonetical evolution of Vulgar Latin
*caldario for Classical Latin caldārium "hot bath", that derives from
cal(i)dus "hot".[1] The Norman-French word replaces the Old
English ċetel (German (Koch)Kessel "cauldron", Dutch (kook)ketel
"cauldron"), Middle English chetel. The word "kettle" is a borrowing of
the Old Norse variant ketill "cauldron".[2] History Cauldrons can be found from the late Bronze Age period; these include vast ones with a volume of 60–70 litres (16–18 US gal).[3] Symbolism and mythology Cauldrons
have largely fallen out of use in the developed world as cooking
vessels. While still used for practical purposes, a more common
association in Western culture is the cauldron's use in witchcraft—a
cliché popularized by various works of fiction, such as William
Shakespeare's play Macbeth. In fiction, witches often prepare their
potions in a cauldron. Also, in Irish folklore, a cauldron is purported
to be where leprechauns keep their gold and treasure. In some
forms of Wicca, appropriating aspects of Celtic mythology, the cauldron
is associated with the goddess Cerridwen. Welsh legend also tells of
cauldrons that were useful to warring armies. In the second branch of
the Mabinogi in the tale of Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr, the Pair Dadeni
(Cauldron of Rebirth) is a magical cauldron in which dead warriors could
be placed and then be returned to life, save that they lacked the power
of speech.[4] It was suspected that they lacked souls. These warriors
could go back into battle until they were killed again. In Wicca and
some other forms of neopagan or pagan belief systems, the cauldron is
still used in magical practices. Most often a cauldron is made of cast
iron and is used to burn loose incense on a charcoal disc, to make black
salt (used in banishing rituals), for mixing herbs, or to burn
petitions (paper with words of power or wishes written on them).
Cauldrons symbolize not only the Goddess but also represent the womb
(because it holds something) and on an altar, it represents earth
because it is a working tool. Cauldrons are often sold in New Age or
"metaphysical" stores and may have various symbols of power inscribed on
them. The Holy Grail of Arthurian legend is sometimes referred
to as a "cauldron", although traditionally the grail is thought of as a
hand-held cup rather than the large pot that the word "cauldron" usually
is used to mean. This may have resulted from the combination of the
grail legend with earlier Celtic myths of magical cauldrons. The
common translation for ding is often referred to as a cauldron. In
Chinese history and culture, possession of one or more ancient dings is
often associated with power and dominion over the land. Therefore, the
ding is often used as an implicit symbolism for power. The term
"inquiring of the ding" (Chinese: 问鼎; pinyin: wèn dǐng) is often used to
symbolize the use of divination or for the quest for power. One example
of the ding cauldron and gaining power over the traditional provinces
of China is the Nine Tripod Cauldrons (whether regarded as myth or
history). Archeologically intact actual cauldrons with apparent cultural symbolism include: the Gundestrup cauldron, made in the 2nd or 1st century BC, found at Gundestrup, Denmark a Bronze Age cauldron found at Hassle, Sweden Ceremonial cauldrons from the ancient Armenian state of Urartu the cauldron where the Olympic Flame burns for the duration of the Olympic Games Cauldrons known only through myth and literature include: Dagda's Cauldron The Cauldron of Dyrnwch the Giant Pair Dadeni Cauldron of Hymir" (wikipedia.org) "Trick-or-treating
is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some
countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in
costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase
"trick or treat". The "treat" is some form of confectionery, usually
candy/sweets, although in some cultures money is given instead. The
"trick" refers to a threat, usually idle, to perform mischief on the
resident(s) or their property if no treat is given. Some people signal
that they are willing to hand out treats by putting up Halloween
decorations outside their doors; houses may also leave their porch
lights on as a universal indicator that they have candy; some simply
leave treats available on their porches for the children to take freely,
on the honor system. The history of trick-or-treating traces
back to Scotland and Ireland, where the tradition of guising, going
house to house at Halloween and putting on a small performance to be
rewarded with food or treats, goes back at least as far as the 16th
century, as does the tradition of people wearing costumes at Halloween.
There are many accounts from 19th-century Scotland and Ireland of people
going house to house in costume at Halloween, reciting verses in
exchange for food, and sometimes warning of misfortune if they were not
welcomed.[1][2][3] In North America, the earliest known occurrence of
guising is from 1911, when children were recorded as having done this in
the province of Ontario, Canada.[4] The interjection "trick or treat!"
was then first recorded in the same Canadian province of Ontario in
1917.[5] While going house to house in costume has long been popular
among the Scots and Irish, it is only in the 2000s that saying "trick or
treat" has become common in Scotland and Ireland.[2] Prior to this,
children in Ireland would commonly say "help the Halloween party" at the
doors of homeowners.[2] The activity is prevalent in the
Anglospheric countries of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States
and Canada. It also has extended into Mexico. In northwestern and
central Mexico, the practice is called calaverita (Spanish diminutive
for calavera, "skull" in English), and instead of "trick or treat", the
children ask, "¿Me da mi calaverita?" ("[Can you] give me my little
skull?"), where a calaverita is a small skull made of sugar or
chocolate. History Ancient precursors Traditions similar to
the modern custom of trick-or-treating extend all the way back to
classical antiquity, although it is extremely unlikely that any of them
are directly related to the modern custom. The ancient Greek writer
Athenaeus of Naucratis records in his book The Deipnosophists that, in
ancient times, the Greek island of Rhodes had a custom in which children
would go from door-to-door dressed as swallows, singing a song, which
demanded the owners of the house to give them food and threatened to
cause mischief if the owners of the house refused.[6][7][8] This
tradition was claimed to have been started by the Rhodian lawgiver
Cleobulus.[9] Souling Since the Middle Ages, a tradition of
mumming on a certain holiday has existed in parts of Britain and
Ireland. It involved going door-to-door in costume, performing short
scenes or parts of plays in exchange for food or drink. The custom of
trick-or-treating on Halloween may come from the belief that
supernatural beings, or the souls of the dead, roamed the earth at this
time and needed to be appeased. "A soul-cake, a soul-cake, have mercy on all Christian souls for a soul-cake." — a popular English souling rhyme[10] It
may otherwise have originated in a Celtic festival, Samhain, held on 31
October–1 November, to mark the beginning of winter, in Ireland,
Scotland and the Isle of Man, and Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Cornwall, and
Brittany. The festival is believed to have pre-Christian roots. In the
9th century, the Catholic Church made 1 November All Saints' Day. Among
Celtic-speaking peoples, it was seen as a liminal time, when the spirits
or fairies (the Aos Sí), and the souls of the dead, came into our world
and were appeased with offerings of food and drink. Similar beliefs and
customs were found in other parts of Europe. It is suggested that
trick-or-treating evolved from a tradition whereby people impersonated
the spirits, or the souls of the dead, and received offerings on their
behalf. S. V. Peddle suggests they "personify the old spirits of the
winter, who demanded reward in exchange for good fortune".[11]
Impersonating these spirits or souls was also believed to protect
oneself from them.[12] Starting as far back as the 15th century,
among Christians, there had been a custom of sharing soul-cakes at
Allhallowtide (October 31 through November 2).[13][14] People would
visit houses and take soul-cakes, either as representatives of the dead,
or in return for praying for their souls.[15] Later, people went "from
parish to parish at Halloween, begging soul-cakes by singing under the
windows some such verse as this: 'Soul, souls, for a soul-cake; Pray you
good mistress, a soul-cake!'"[16] They typically asked for "mercy on
all Christian souls for a soul-cake".[17] It was known as 'Souling' and
was recorded in parts of Britain, Flanders, southern Germany, and
Austria.[18] Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two
Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of "puling
[whimpering or whining] like a beggar at Hallowmas".[19] In western
England, mostly in the counties bordering Wales, souling was common.[14]
According to one 19th century English writer "parties of children,
dressed up in fantastic costume […] went round to the farm houses and
cottages, singing a song, and begging for cakes (spoken of as
"soal-cakes"), apples, money, or anything that the goodwives would give
them".[20] Guising "Guising" redirects here. For other uses, see Guising (disambiguation). In
Scotland and Ireland, "guising" – children going from door to door in
disguise – is secular, and a gift in the form of food, coins or "apples
or nuts for the Halloween party" (and in more recent times, chocolate)
is given out to the children.[2][21][22] The tradition is called
"guising" because of the disguises or costumes worn by the
children.[3][23] In the West Mid Scots dialect, guising is known as
"galoshans".[24] In Scotland, youths went house to house in white with
masked, painted or blackened faces, reciting rhymes and often
threatening to do mischief if they were not welcomed.[25][26] Guising
has been recorded in Scotland since the 16th century, often at New
Year. The Kirk Session records of Elgin name men and women who danced at
New Year 1623. Six men, described as guisers or "gwysseris" performed a
sword dance wearing masks and visors covering their faces in the
churchyard and in the courtyard of a house. They were each fined 40
shillings.[27] A record of guising at Halloween in Scotland in
1895 describes masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of
scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit, and
money.[28] In Ireland, children in costumes would commonly say "Help the
Halloween Party" at the doors of homeowners.[2][29] Halloween
masks are referred to as "false faces" in Ireland and Scotland.[30][31] A
writer using Scots language recorded guisers in Ayr, Scotland in 1890:
I had mind it was Halloween . . . the wee callans (boys) were at it
already, rinning aboot wi’ their fause-faces (false faces) on and their
bits o’ turnip lanthrons (lanterns) in their haun (hand).[31] Guising
also involved going to wealthy homes, and in the 1920s, boys went
guising at Halloween up to the affluent Thorntonhall, South
Lanarkshire.[32] An account of guising in the 1950s in Ardrossan, North
Ayrshire, records a child receiving 12 shillings and sixpence, having
knocked on doors throughout the neighbourhood and performed.[33] Growing
up in Derry, Northern Ireland in the 1960s, The Guardian journalist
Michael Bradley recalls children asking, “Any nuts or apples?”.[34] In
Scotland and Ireland, the children are only supposed to receive treats
if they perform a party trick for the households they go to. This
normally takes the form of singing a song or reciting a joke or a funny
poem which the child has memorised before setting out.[21][33] While
going from door to door in disguise has remained popular among Scots and
Irish at Halloween, the North American saying "trick-or-treat" has
become common in the 2000s.[2][29] Spread to North America The
earliest known occurrence of the practice of guising at Halloween in
North America is from 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario,
Canada reported on children going "guising" around the neighborhood.[4] American
historian and author Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts wrote the first
book length history of the holiday in the US; The Book of Hallowe'en
(1919), and references souling in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America";
"The taste in Hallowe'en festivities now is to study old traditions, and
hold a Scotch party, using Burn's poem Hallowe'en as a guide; or to go
a-souling as the English used. In short, no custom that was once honored
at Hallowe'en is out of fashion now."[35] Kelley lived in Lynn,
Massachusetts, a town with 4,500 Irish immigrants, 1,900 English
immigrants, and 700 Scottish immigrants in 1920.[36] In her book, Kelley
touches on customs that arrived from across the Atlantic; "Americans
have fostered them, and are making this an occasion something like what
it must have been in its best days overseas. All Hallowe'en customs in
the United States are borrowed directly or adapted from those of other
countries".[37] While the first reference to "guising" in North
America occurs in 1911, another reference to ritual begging on Halloween
appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in
1920.[38] The interjection "Trick or treat!" The interjection
"Trick or treat!" — a request for sweets or candy, originally and
sometimes still with the implication that anyone who is asked and who
does not provide sweets or other treats will be subjected to a prank or
practical joke — seems to have arisen in central Canada, before
spreading into the northern and western United States in the 1930s and
across the rest of the United States through the 1940s and early
1950s.[39] Initially it was often found in variant forms, such as
"tricks or treats," which was used in the earliest known case, a 1917
report in The Sault Daily Star in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario:[40]
Almost everywhere you went last night, particularly in the early part
of the evening, you would meet gangs of youngsters out to celebrate.
Some of them would have adopted various forms of "camouflage" such as
masks, or would appear in long trousers and big hats or with long
skirts. But others again didn't. . . . "Tricks or treats" you could hear
the gangs call out, and if the householder passed out the "coin" for
the "treats" his establishment would be immune from attack until another
gang came along that knew not of or had no part in the agreement.[5] As
shown by word sleuth Barry Popik,[41] who also found the first use from
1917,[40] variant forms continued, with "trick or a treat" found in
Chatsworth, Ontario in 1921,[42] "treat up or tricks" and "treat or
tricks" found in Edmonton, Alberta in 1922,[43] and "treat or trick" in
Penhold, Alberta in 1924.[44] The now canonical form of "trick or treat"
was first seen in 1917 in Chatsworth, only one day after the Sault Ste.
Marie use,[45] but "tricks or treats" was still in use in the 1966
television special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.[41] The
thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the start of the 20th
century and the 1920s commonly show children but do not depict
trick-or-treating.[46] The editor of a collection of over 3,000 vintage
Halloween postcards writes, "There are cards which mention the custom
[of trick-or-treating] or show children in costumes at the doors, but as
far as we can tell they were printed later than the 1920s and more than
likely even the 1930s. Tricksters of various sorts are shown on the
early postcards, but not the means of appeasing them".[47] Trick-or-treating
does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s,
with the first U.S. appearance of the term in 1928,[48] and the first
known use in a national publication occurring in 1939.[49] Behavior
similar to trick-or-treating was more commonly associated with
Thanksgiving from 1870 (shortly after that holiday's formalization)
until the 1930s. In New York City, a Thanksgiving ritual known as
Ragamuffin Day involved children dressing up as beggars and asking for
treats, which later evolved into dressing up in more diverse
costumes.[50][51] Increasing hostility toward the practice in the 1930s
eventually led to the begging aspects being dropped, and by the 1950s,
the tradition as a whole had ceased. Increased popularity Almost
all pre-1940 uses of the term "trick-or-treat" are from the United
States and Canada. Trick-or-treating spread throughout the United
States, stalled only by World War II sugar rationing that began in
April, 1942 and lasted until June, 1947.[52][53] Early national
attention to trick-or-treating was given in October, 1947 issues of the
children's magazines Jack and Jill and Children's Activities,[54] and by
Halloween episodes of the network radio programs The Baby Snooks Show
in 1946 and The Jack Benny Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
in 1948.[55] Trick-or-treating was depicted in the Peanuts comic strip
in 1951.[56] The custom had become firmly established in popular culture
by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat,
and Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode
of their television show.[57] In 1953 UNICEF first conducted a national
campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while
trick-or-treating.[58] Although some popular histories of
Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to
re-channel Halloween activities away from Mischief Night vandalism,
there are very few records supporting this. Des Moines, Iowa is the only
area known to have a record of trick-or-treating being used to deter
crime.[59] Elsewhere, adults, as reported in newspapers from the
mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion,
with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger.[60] Likewise,
as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what
trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around.
Sometimes even the children protested: for Halloween 1948, members of
the Madison Square Boys Club in New York City carried a parade banner
that read "American Boys Don't Beg."[61] The National Confectioners
Association reported in 2005 that 80 percent of adults in the United
States planned to give out confectionery to trick-or-treaters,[62] and
that 93 percent of children, teenagers, and young adults planned to go
trick-or-treating or participating in other Halloween activities.[63] Phrase introduction to the UK and Ireland Despite
the concept of trick-or-treating originating in Britain and Ireland in
the form of souling and guising, the use of the term "trick or treat" at
the doors of homeowners was not common until the 1980s, with its
popularisation in part through the release of the film E.T.[64] Guising
requires those going door-to-door to perform a song or poem without any
jocular threat,[33] and according to one BBC journalist, in the 1980s,
"trick or treat" was still often viewed as an exotic and not
particularly welcome import, with the BBC referring to it as "the
Japanese knotweed of festivals" and "making demands with menaces".[65]
In Ireland before the phrase "trick or treat" became common in the
2000s, children would say "Help the Halloween Party".[2] Very often, the
phrase "trick or treat" is simply said and the revellers are given
sweets, with the choice of a trick or a treat having been discarded. Etiquette Trick-or-treating
typically begins at dusk on October 31. Some municipalities choose
other dates.[66][67][68][69][70][71] Homeowners wishing to participate
sometimes decorate their homes with artificial spider webs, plastic
skeletons and jack-o-lanterns. Conversely, those who do not wish to
participate may turn off outside lights for the evening or lock relevant
gates and fences to keep people from coming onto their property. In
most areas where trick-or-treating is practiced, it is considered an
activity for children. Some jurisdictions in the United States forbid
the activity for anyone over the age of 12.[72] Dressing up is common at
all ages; adults will often dress up to accompany their children, and
young adults may dress up to go out and ask for gifts for a charity. Local variants U.S. and Canada Children
of the St. Louis, Missouri, area are expected to perform a joke,
usually a simple Halloween-themed pun or riddle, before receiving any
candy; this "trick" earns the "treat".[73] Children in Des Moines, Iowa
also tell jokes or otherwise perform before receiving their treat. In
some parts of Canada, children sometimes say "Halloween apples" instead
of "trick or treat". This probably originated when the toffee apple was
a popular type of candy. Apple-giving in much of Canada, however, has
been taboo since the 1960s when stories (of almost certainly
questionable authenticity) appeared of razors hidden inside Halloween
apples; parents began to check over their children's fruit for safety
before allowing them to eat it. In Quebec, children also go door to door
on Halloween. However, in French-speaking neighbourhoods, instead of
"Trick or treat", they will simply say "Halloween", though it
traditionally used to be "La charité, s'il-vous-plaît" ("Charity,
please").[74] Trunk-or-treat Some organizations around the
United States and Canada sponsor a "trunk-or-treat" on Halloween night
(or, on occasion, a day immediately preceding Halloween, or a few days
from it, on a weekend, depending on what is convenient).
Trunk-or-treating is done from parked car to parked car in a local
parking lot, often at a school or church. The activity makes use of the
open trunks of the cars, which display candy, and often games and
decorations. Some parents regard trunk-or-treating as a safer
alternative to trick-or-treating,[75] while other parents see it as an
easier alternative to walking the neighborhood with their children. This
annual event began in the mid-1990s as a "fall festival" for an
alternative to trick-or-treating, but became "trunk-or-treat" two
decades later. Some have called for more city or community
group-sponsored trunk-or-treats, so they can be more inclusive.[76] By
2006 these had become increasingly popular.[77] Portugal and Iberian Peninsula In
Portugal, children go from house to house on All Saints Day and All
Souls Day, carrying pumpkin carved lanterns called coca,[78] asking
everyone they see for Pão-por-Deus singing rhymes where they remind
people why they are begging, saying "...It is for me and for you, and to
give to the deceased who are dead and buried"[79] or "It is to share
with your deceased"[80] In the Azores the bread given to the children
takes the shape of the top of a skull.[81] The tradition of pão-por-Deus
was already recorded in the 15th century.[82] In Galicia, particularly
in the island of A Illa de Arousa, a similar tradition exists where
children ask for alms (usually bread, sweets, fruits, chestnuts, money
or small toys) with the phrase "unha esmoliña polos defuntiños que van
alá" ("a little charity for the little deceased who are there").[83] Scandinavia In
Sweden, children dress up as witches and monsters when they go
trick-or-treating on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter) while
Danish and Faroese children dress up in various attires and go
trick-or-treating on Fastelavn (or the next day, Shrove Monday). In
Norway, the practice is quite common among children, who come dressed up
to people's doors asking for, mainly, candy. The Easter witch tradition
is done on Palm Sunday in Finland (virvonta). Europe In parts
of Flanders, some parts of the Netherlands, and most areas of Germany,
Switzerland, and Austria, children go to houses with home-made beet
lanterns or with paper lanterns (which can hold a candle or electronic
light), singing songs about St. Martin on St. Martin's Day (the 11th of
November), in return for treats.[84] Over the last decade, Halloween
trick-or-treating has experienced a notable surge in popularity,
particularly among children and teenagers in Germany. Austria and the
Netherlands have also witnessed a similar trend. The equivalent of
'trick-or-treat' in the German language is 'Süßes oder Saures,' which
translates to asking for sweets or threatening something less pleasant,
with the direct translation being "sweet or sour". In Northern
Germany and Southern Denmark, children dress up in costumes and go
trick-or-treating on New Year's Eve in a tradition called "Rummelpott
[de]".[85] Rummelpott has experienced a massive decrease in popularity
over recent decades, although some towns and communities are trying to
revive it.[86] Trick-or-treat for charity UNICEF started a
program in 1950 called Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF in which
trick-or-treaters ask people to give money for the organization, usually
instead of collecting candy. Participating trick-or-treaters say when
they knock at doors "Trick-or-treat for UNICEF!"[87] This program
started as an alternative to candy. The organization has long produced
disposable collection boxes that state on the back what the money can be
used for in developing countries. In Canada, students from the
local high schools, colleges, and universities dress up to collect food
donations for the local Food Banks as a form of trick-or-treating. This
is sometimes called "Trick-or-Eat"." (wikipedia.org) "Candy,
alternatively called sweets or lollies,[a] is a confection that
features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called
sugar confectionery, encompasses any sweet confection, including
chocolate, chewing gum, and sugar candy. Vegetables, fruit, or nuts
which have been glazed and coated with sugar are said to be candied. Physically,
candy is characterized by the use of a significant amount of sugar or
sugar substitutes. Unlike a cake or loaf of bread that would be shared
among many people, candies are usually made in smaller pieces. However,
the definition of candy also depends upon how people treat the food.
Unlike sweet pastries served for a dessert course at the end of a meal,
candies are normally eaten casually, often with the fingers, as a snack
between meals. Each culture has its own ideas of what constitutes candy
rather than dessert. The same food may be a candy in one culture and a
dessert in another....Classification Sugar candies include hard
candies, soft candies, caramels, marshmallows, taffy, and other candies
whose principal ingredient is sugar. Commercially, sugar candies are
often divided into groups according to the amount of sugar they contain
and their chemical structure.[17] Hard-boiled candies made by the
vacuum cooking process include stick candy, lemon drops and horehound
drops. Open-fire candy, like molasses taffy and cream taffy, is cooked
in open kettles and then pulled. Pan work candies include nuts and other
candies like jelly beans and sugar-coated almonds, made by coating with
sugar in revolving copper kettles. Gum work candy is cooked in large
kettles fashioned for melting and molded, dried and sugared like gum
drops. They are soaked for a time in sugar syrup to allow crystals to
form.[18] Sugar candies can be classified into noncrystalline and
crystalline types. Noncrystalline candies are homogeneous and may be
chewy or hard; they include hard candies, caramels, toffees, and
nougats. Crystalline candies incorporate small crystals in their
structure, are creamy that melt in the mouth or are easily chewed; they
include fondant and fudge.[19] In 2022, flavorless candy was developed
that was hard but not sweet....Chocolate is sometimes treated as a
separate branch of confectionery.[21] In this model, chocolate candies
like chocolate candy bars and chocolate truffles are included. Hot
chocolate or other cocoa-based drinks are excluded, as is candy made
from white chocolate. When chocolate is treated as a separate branch, it
also includes confections whose classification is otherwise difficult,
being neither exactly candies nor exactly baked goods, like
chocolate-dipped foods, tarts with chocolate shells, and
chocolate-coated cookies....Production Main article: Candy making White disk-shaped candies Sugar
candy is made by dissolving sugar in water or milk to form a syrup,
which is boiled until it reaches the desired concentration or starts to
caramelize. Candy comes in a wide variety of textures, from soft and
chewy to hard and brittle. The texture of candy depends on the
ingredients and the temperatures that the candy is processed at. The
final texture of sugar candy depends primarily on the concentration of
sugar. As the syrup is heated, it boils, water evaporates, the sugar
concentration increases and the boiling point rises. A given temperature
corresponds to a particular sugar concentration. These are called sugar
stages. In general, higher temperatures and greater sugar
concentrations result in hard, brittle candies, and lower temperatures
result in softer candies.[22] Once the syrup reaches 171 °C (340 °F) or
higher, the sucrose molecules break down into many simpler sugars,
creating an amber-colored substance known as caramel. This should not be
confused with caramel candy, although it is the candy's main flavoring. Most
candies are made commercially. The industry relies significantly on
trade secret protection, because candy recipes cannot be copyrighted or
patented effectively, but are very difficult to duplicate exactly.
Seemingly minor differences in the machinery, temperature, or timing of
the candy-making process can cause noticeable differences in the final
product. Packaging Individually wrapped butterscotch candies. Candy wrapper or sweets wrapper is a common term for this packaging.[24] Purposes of packaging Packaging
preserves aroma and flavor and eases shipping and dispensation. Wax
paper seals against air, moisture, dust, and germs, while cellophane is
valued by packagers for its transparency and resistance to grease, odors
and moisture. In addition, it is often resealable. Polyethylene is
another form of film sealed with heat, and this material is often used
to make bags in bulk packaging. Plastic wraps are also common. Aluminum
foils wrap chocolate bars and prevent a transfer of water vapor while
being lightweight, non-toxic and odor proof. Vegetable parchment lines
boxes of high-quality confections like gourmet chocolates. Cardboard
cartons are less common, though they offer many options concerning
thickness and movement of water and oil....Marketing and design Packaging
helps market the product as well. Manufacturers know that candy must be
hygienic and attractive to customers. In the children's market
quantity, novelty, large size and bright colors are the top sellers.[26]
Many companies redesign the packaging to maintain consumer
appeal....Cultural significance Candy is the source of several cultural themes. Adults
worry that other people will use candy to poison or entice children
into harmful situations. Stranger danger warnings include telling
children not to take candy from strangers, for fear of the child being
abducted. Poisoned candy myths persist in popular culture, especially
around trick-or-treating at Halloween, despite the rarity of actual
incidents.[43] The phrase like taking candy from a baby is a common simile, and means that something is very easy to do.[43] A
1959 Swedish dental health campaign encouraged people to reduce the
risk of dental problems by limiting consumption of candy to once a week.
The slogan, "All the sweets you want, but only once a week", started a
tradition of buying candy every Saturday, called lördagsgodis (literally
"Saturday candy"). Holidays Association with Halloween This
section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may
interest only a particular audience. Specifically, most of this
information applies only to a single country. Please help by removing
excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion policy.
(October 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) To
this day, the process of going door to door to receive free candy
during Halloween-time has become a major draw for children all across
America. Children across the country dress up in costume and go door to
door. In turn, the residents of each house graciously buy candy for
children and hand it out in small increments. Just as it had been in the
mid-1970s, the main form of candy that is passed out is pre-packaged
sweets. Parents feel much more easy minded allowing their children to
eat pre-packaged candies because of the quality control that comes with
each product. As a result, name brand candies have become a staple for
Halloween and trick-or-treating up to the present. Some candies continue
to be popular with trick-or-treaters, such as Reese's Cups, Kit Kat,
and Snickers, which were the top three Halloween candies of 2022.[51] The
tradition of handing out treats on Halloween originated from the
holiday of All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day, which derives from
Christian tradition. On this day, children would travel across town,
saying prayers along the way. These children prayed mainly for all
people who had died. In between their prayers, these children would also
arrive at the doorsteps of people within their town. As a reward for
their actions, they were given homemade cakes referred to as soul cakes,
made by the homeowners. These soul cakes resembled a form of biscuit
and were usually filled with raisins or cinnamon among other
ingredients. Many cakes were also given to the poor during this time.
The soul cakes gave these children the incentive to pray intensely in
exchange for sweets.[52] Halloween candy being sold at a supermarket in Virginia The
idea of providing trick-or-treaters with candy was not fully
conceptualized until the 1950s. Up until that point many households
continued to provide children with soul cakes among other homemade
goods. However, it was discovered by numerous candy producers that the
holiday of Halloween could be marketed to sell their products. As a
result, many households began to buy candy products. The main draw to
these candy products were that they were inexpensive, took no time to
prepare, and came in bulk. Nevertheless, candy would not completely take
over until the 1970s. Up until that point, givers would continue to
make treats or package small toys and coins specifically for
Halloween.[53] The main cause for the shift from homemade treats
to pre-packaged candies was the result of speculation concerning
tampered food. Many parents during this time were concerned that their
children were being exposed to needles or toxic chemicals within their
halloween goods. The lack of packaging made it much easier for a person
to put dangerous substances into the food they were planning to give
out. These worries were heightened because of a large number of false
reports concerning medical attention relating to dangerous halloween
treats. As a result, parents became much more likely to allow their
children to participate in Halloween festivities when packed candy was
introduced. They noticed that it would be much harder for a person to
tamper with factory packaged sweets because the seal would be torn. It
would be too noticeable if someone tried to affect the product.[54] Judging
from recent statistics, it is evident that Halloween candy is still at
high demand. In 2021 alone, profits from halloween candy were up to at
least "$324 million". From the same report, the demand for halloween
candy was "up 59.8% from 2019". From these numbers it can be presumed
that Halloween is still a big deal for Americans. An even bigger deal
for the American public is the act of receiving candy from
trick-or-treating. Candy continues to be a staple for the Halloween
season and remains the biggest draw for participation." (wikipedia.org) "Bulk
confectionery, pick and mix candy, candy walls, or simply loose candy
is a retailing strategy where various types of confectionery are sold
together in a large container or in separate bins, allowing customers to
select the assortment and quantity they prefer. Typically used in
vending machines or confectionery retailers, this method involves
dispensing candy by weight or piece count. This method has a global
presence, with variations in practice and terminology across
regions....United States The first penny candy to be sold in the
United States was the Tootsie Roll, in 1907, followed by Necco Wafers
and Hershey's Kisses in subsequent decades. Bulk-sale of candy in the
20th century US was mainly through the F.W. Woolworth Company’s five and
dime store chain, which closed in the 1980s, marking an end in
popularity of the phenomenon." (wikipedia.org) "Halloween
is a celebration observed on October 31, the day before the feast of
All Hallows, also known as Hallowmas or All Saint's Day. The
celebrations and observances of this day occur primarily in regions of
the Western world, albeit with some traditions varying significantly
between geographical areas. Origins Halloween is the eve of
vigil before the Western Christian feast of All Hallows (or All Saints)
which is observed on November 1. This day begins the triduum of
Hallowtide, which culminates with All Souls' Day. In the Middle Ages,
many Christians held a folk belief that All Hallows' Eve was the "night
where the veil between the material world and the afterlife was at its
most transparent".[2] Americas Canada Scottish emigration,
primarily to Canada before 1870 and to the United States thereafter,
brought the Scottish version of the holiday to each country. The
earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English
speaking North America occurs in 1911 when a newspaper in Kingston,
Ontario reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go
street "guising" on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops, and
neighbours to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and
songs.[3] Canadians spend more on candy at Halloween than at any time
apart from Christmas. Halloween is also a time for charitable
contributions. Until 2006 when UNICEF moved to an online donation
system, collecting small change was very much a part of Canadian
trick-or-treating.[4] Quebec offers themed tours of parts of the old
city and historic cemeteries in the area.[5] In 2014 the hamlet of
Arviat, Nunavut moved their Halloween festivities to the community hall,
cancelling the practice of door-to-door "trick or treating", due to the
risk of roaming polar bears.[6][7] In British Columbia it is a
tradition to set off fireworks at Halloween.[8] United States Children in Halloween costumes at High Point, Seattle, 1943 In
the United States, Halloween did not become a holiday until the 19th
century. The transatlantic migration of nearly two million Irish
following the Great Irish Famine (1845–1849) brought the holiday to the
United States. American librarian and author Ruth Edna Kelley
wrote the first book length history of the holiday in the U.S., The Book
of Hallowe'en (1919), and references souling in the chapter "Hallowe'en
in America": "All Hallowe'en customs in the United States are borrowed
directly or adapted from those of other countries. The taste in
Hallowe'en festivities now is to study old traditions, and hold a Scotch
party, using Robert Burns's poem Halloween as a guide; or to go
a-souling as the English used. In short, no custom that was once honored
at Hallowe'en is out of fashion now."[9] The main event for children of
modern Halloween in the United States and Canada is trick-or-treating,
in which children, teenagers, (sometimes) young adults, and parents
(accompanying their children) disguise themselves in costumes and go
door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling
"Trick or treat!" to solicit a gift of candy or similar items.[10]
Teenagers and adults will more frequently attend Halloween-themed
costume parties typically hosted by friends or themed events at
nightclubs either on Halloween itself or a weekend close to the holiday. At
the turn of the 20th century, Halloween had turned into a night of
vandalism, with destruction of property and cruelty to animals and
people.[11] Around 1912, the Boy Scouts, Boys Clubs, and other
neighborhood organizations came together to encourage a safe celebration
that would end the destruction that had become so common on this night. The
commercialization of Halloween in the United States did not start until
the 20th century, beginning perhaps with Halloween postcards (featuring
hundreds of designs), which were most popular between 1905 and
1915.[12] Dennison Manufacturing Company (which published its first
Halloween catalog in 1909) and the Beistle Company were pioneers in
commercially made Halloween decorations, particularly die-cut paper
items.[13][14] German manufacturers specialised in Halloween figurines
that were exported to the United States in the period between the two
World Wars. Halloween is now the United States' second most
popular holiday (after Christmas) for decorating; the sale of candy and
costumes is also extremely common during the holiday, which is marketed
to children and adults alike. The National Confectioners Association
(NCA) reported in 2005 that 80% of American adults planned to give out
candy to trick-or-treaters.[15] The NCA reported in 2005 that 93% of
children planned to go trick-or-treating.[16] According to the National
Retail Federation, the most popular Halloween costume themes for adults
are, in order: witch, pirate, vampire, cat, and clown.[17][when?] Each
year, popular costumes are dictated by various current events and pop
culture icons. On many college campuses, Halloween is a major
celebration, with the Friday and Saturday nearest 31 October hosting
many costume parties. Other popular activities are watching horror
movies and visiting haunted houses. Total spending on Halloween is
estimated to be $8.4 billion.[18] Events Many theme parks
stage Halloween events annually, such as Halloween Horror Nights at
Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando, Mickey's Halloween
Party and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland Resort and
Magic Kingdom respectively, and Knott's Scary Farm at Knott's Berry
Farm. One of the more notable parades is New York's Village Halloween
Parade. Each year approximately 50,000 costumed marchers parade up Sixth
Avenue.[19] Salem, Massachusetts, site of the Salem witch trials,
celebrates Halloween throughout the month of October with tours, plays,
concerts, and other activities.[20] A number of venues in New York's
lower Hudson Valley host various events to showcase a connection with
Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Van Cortlandt Manor stages
the "Great Jack o' Lantern Blaze" featuring thousands of lighted carved
pumpkins.[21] Some locales have had to modify their celebrations
due to disruptive behavior on the part of young adults. Madison,
Wisconsin hosts an annual Halloween celebration. In 2002, due to the
large crowds in the State Street area, a riot broke out, necessitating
the use of mounted police and tear gas to disperse the crowds.[22]
Likewise, Chapel Hill, site of the University of North Carolina, has a
downtown street party which in 2007 drew a crowd estimated at 80,000 on
downtown Franklin Street, in a town with a population of just 54,000. In
2008, in an effort to curb the influx of out-of-towners, mayor Kevin
Foy put measures in place to make commuting downtown more difficult on
Halloween.[23] In 2014, large crowds of college students rioted at the
Keene, New Hampshire Pumpkin Fest, whereupon the City Council voted not
to grant a permit for the following year's festival,[24] and organizers
moved the event to Laconia for 2015.[25] Brazil Main article: Saci Day The
Brazilian non-governmental organization named Amigos do Saci created
Saci Day as a Brazilian parallel in opposition to the
"American-influenced" holiday of Halloween that saw minor celebration in
Brazil. The Saci is a mischievous evil character in Brazilian folklore.
Saci Day is commemorated on October 31, the same day as Halloween, and
is an official holiday in the state of São Paulo. Despite official
recognition in São Paulo and several other municipalities throughout the
country, few Brazilians celebrate it.[26][27] Dominican Republic In
the Dominican Republic it has been gaining popularity, largely due to
many Dominicans living in the United States and then bringing the custom
to the island. In the larger cities of Santiago or Santo Domingo it has
become more common to see children trick-or-treating, but in smaller
towns and villages it is almost entirely absent, partly due to religious
opposition. Tourist areas such as Sosua and Punta Cana feature many
venues with Halloween celebrations, predominantly geared towards
adults.[28] Mexico (Día de Muertos) Observed in Mexico and
Mexican communities abroad, Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos)
celebrations arose from the syncretism of indigenous Aztec traditions
with the Christian Hallowtide of the Spanish colonizers. Flower
decorations, altars and candies are part of this holiday season. The
holiday is distinct from Halloween in its origins and observances, but
the two have become associated because of cross-border connections
between Mexico and the United States through popular culture and
migration, as the two celebrations occur at the same time of year and
may involve similar imagery, such as skeletons. Halloween and Día de
Muertos have influenced each other in some areas of the United States
and Mexico, with Halloween traditions such as costumes and face-painting
becoming increasingly common features of the Mexican
festival.[29][30][31] Asia China The Chinese celebrate the
"Hungry Ghost Festival" in mid-July, when it is customary to float river
lanterns to remember those who have died. By contrast, Halloween is
often called "All Saints' Festival" (Wànshèngjié, 萬聖節), or (less
commonly) "All Saints' Eve" (Wànshèngyè, 萬聖夜) or "Eve of All Saints'
Day" (Wànshèngjié Qiányè, 萬聖節前夕), stemming from the term "All Hallows
Eve" (hallow referring to the souls of holy saints). Chinese Christian
churches hold religious celebrations. Non-religious celebrations are
dominated by expatriate Americans or Canadians, but costume parties are
also popular for Chinese young adults, especially in large cities. Hong
Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park (Halloween Bash) host annual Halloween
shows. Mainland China has been less influenced by Anglo
traditions than Hong Kong and Halloween is generally considered
"foreign". As Halloween has become more popular globally it has also
become more popular in China, however, particularly amongst children
attending private or international schools with many foreign teachers
from North America.[32] Hong Kong Traditional "door-to-door"
trick or treating is not commonly practiced in Hong Kong due to the vast
majority of Hong Kong residents living in high-rise apartment blocks.
However, in many buildings catering to expatriates, Halloween parties
and limited trick or treating is arranged by the management. Instances
of street-level trick or treating in Hong Kong occur in ultra-exclusive
gated housing communities such as The Beverly Hills populated by Hong
Kong's super-rich and in expatriate areas like Discovery Bay and the Red
Hill Peninsula. For the general public, there are events at Tsim Sha
Tsui's Avenue of the Stars that try to mimic the celebration.[33] In the
Lan Kwai Fong area of Hong Kong, known as a major entertainment
district for the international community, a Halloween celebration and
parade has taken place for over 20 years, with many people dressing in
costume and making their way around the streets to various drinking
establishments.[34] Many international schools also celebrate Halloween
with costumes, and some put an academic twist on the celebrations such
as the "Book-o-ween" celebrations at Hong Kong International School
where students dress as favorite literary characters. Japan Halloween
arrived in Japan mainly as a result of American pop culture. In 2009 it
was celebrated only by expats.[35] The wearing of elaborate costumes by
young adults at night has since become popular in areas such as
Amerikamura in Osaka and Shibuya in Tokyo, where, in October 2012, about
1700 people dressed in costumes to take part in the Halloween
Festival.[36] Celebrations have become popular with young adults as a
costume party and club event.[37] Trick-or-treating for Japanese
children has taken hold in some areas. By the mid-2010s, Yakuza were
giving snacks and sweets to children.[38] Philippines The
period from 31 October through 2 November is a time for remembering dead
family members and friends. Many Filipinos travel back to their
hometowns for family gatherings of festive remembrance.[39] Trick-or-treating
is gradually replacing the dying tradition of Pangangaluluwâ, a local
analogue of the old English custom of souling. People in the provinces
still observe Pangangaluluwâ by going in groups to every house and
offering a song in exchange for money or food. The participants, usually
children, would sing carols about the souls in Purgatory, with the
abúloy (alms for the dead) used to pay for Masses for these souls. Along
with the requested alms, householders sometimes gave the children suman
(rice cakes). During the night, various small items, such as clothing,
plants, etc., would "mysteriously" disappear, only to be discovered the
next morning in the yard or in the middle of the street. In older times,
it was believed that the spirits of ancestors and loved ones visited
the living on this night, manifesting their presence by taking an
item.[40] As the observation of Christmas traditions in the
Philippines begins as early as September, it is a common sight to see
Halloween decorations next to Christmas decorations in urban
settings.[citation needed] Saudi Arabia Starting 2022, Saudi Arabia began to celebrate Halloween in the public in Riyadh under its Vision 2030[41] Singapore Around
mid-July Singapore Chinese celebrate "Zhong Yuan Jie / Yu Lan Jie"
(Hungry Ghosts Festival), a time when it is believed that the spirits of
the dead come back to visit their families.[42] In recent years,
Halloween celebrations are becoming more popular, with influence from
the west.[43] In 2012, there were over 19 major Halloween celebration
events around Singapore.[44] SCAPE's Museum of Horrors held its fourth
scare fest in 2014.[45] Universal Studios Singapore hosts "Halloween
Horror Nights".[46] South Korea The popularity of the holiday
among young people in South Korea comes from English academies and
corporate marketing strategies, and was influenced by Halloween
celebrations in Japan and America.[47] Despite not being a public
holiday, it is celebrated in different areas around Seoul, especially
Itaewon and Hongdae.[48] Taiwan Traditionally,
Taiwanese people celebrate "Zhong Yuan Pudu Festival", where spirits
that do not have any surviving family members to pay respects to them,
are able to roam the Earth during the seventh lunar month. It is known
as Ghost Month.[49] While some have compared it to Halloween, it has no
relations and the overall meaning is different. In recent years, mainly
as a result of American pop culture, Halloween is becoming more
widespread amongst young Taiwanese people. Halloween events are held in
many areas across Taipei, such as Xinyi Special District and Shilin
District where there are many international schools and expats.[50]
Halloween parties are celebrated differently based on different age
groups. One of the most popular Halloween event is the Tianmu Halloween
Festival, which started in 2009 and is organised by the Taipei City
Office of Commerce.[51] The 2-day annual festivity has attracted more
than 240,000 visitors in 2019. During this festival, stores and
businesses in Tianmu place pumpkin lanterns outside their stores to
identify themselves as trick-or-treat destinations for children.[52] Oceania Australia Non-religious
celebrations of Halloween modelled on North American festivities are
growing increasingly popular in Australia despite not being
traditionally part of the culture.[53] Some Australians criticise this
intrusion into their culture.[54][55] Many dislike the commercialisation
and American pop-culture influence.[55][56] Some supporters of the
event place it alongside other cultural traditions such as Saint
Patrick's Day.[57] Halloween historian and author of Halloween:
Pagan Festival to Trick or Treat, Mark Oxbrow says while Halloween may
have been popularised by depictions of it in US movies and TV shows, it
is not a new entry into Australian culture.[58] His research shows
Halloween was first celebrated in Australia in Castlemaine, Victoria, in
1858, which was 43 years before Federation. His research shows
Halloween traditions were brought to the country by Scottish miners who
settled in Victoria during the Gold Rush. Because of the
polarised opinions about Halloween, growing numbers of people are
decorating their letter boxes to indicate that children are welcome to
come knocking. In the past decade, the popularity of Halloween in
Australia has grown.[59] In 2020, the first magazine dedicated solely to
celebrating Halloween in Australia was launched, called Hallozween,[60]
and in 2021, sales of costumes, decorations and carving pumpkins soared
to an all-time high[61] despite the effect of the global COVID-19
pandemic limiting celebrations. New Zealand In New Zealand,
Halloween is not celebrated to the same extent as in North America,
although in recent years non-religious celebrations have become more
common.[62][63] Trick-or-treat has become increasingly popular with
minors in New Zealand, despite being not a "British or Kiwi event" and
the influence of American globalisation.[64] One criticism of Halloween
in New Zealand is that it is overly commercialised - by The Warehouse,
for example.[64] Europe Over the years, Halloween has become
more popular in Europe and has been partially ousting some older customs
like the Rübengeistern [de] (English: turnip ghosts, beet spirit),
Martinisingen, and others.[65] France Halloween was introduced
to most of France in the 1990s.[66] In Brittany, Halloween had been
celebrated for centuries and is known as Kalan Goañv (Night of Spirits).
During this time, it is believed that the spirits of the dead return to
the world of the living lead by the Ankou, the collector of souls.[67]
Also during this time, Bretons bake Kornigou, a pastry shaped like the
antlers of a stag.[citation needed] Germany Halloween was not
generally observed in Germany prior to the 1990s, but has been
increasing in popularity. It has been associated with the influence of
United States culture, and "Trick or Treating" (German: Süßes sonst
gibt's Saures) has been occurring in various German cities, especially
in areas such as the Dahlem neighborhood in Berlin, which was part of
the American zone during the Cold War. Today, Halloween in Germany
brings in 200 million euros a year, through multiple industries.[68]
Halloween is celebrated by both children and adults. Adults celebrate at
themed costume parties and clubs, while children go trick or treating.
Complaints of vandalism associated with Halloween "Tricks" are
increasing, particularly from many elderly Germans unfamiliar with
"Trick or Treating".[69] Greece In Greece, Halloween is not
celebrated widely and it is a working day, with little public interest,
since the early 2000s. Recently, it has somewhat increased in popularity
as both a secular celebration; although Carnival is vastly more popular
among Greeks. For very few, Halloween is[when?] considered the fourth
most popular festival in the country after Christmas, Easter, and
Carnival. Retail businesses, bars, nightclubs, and certain theme parks
might organize Halloween parties. This boost in popularity has been
attributed to the influence of western consumerism. Since it is a
working day, Halloween is not celebrated on 31 October unless the date
falls on a weekend, in which case it is celebrated by some during the
last weekend before All Hallow's Eve, usually in the form of themed
house parties and retail business decorations. Trick-or-treating is not
widely popular because similar activities are already undertaken during
Carnival. The slight rise in popularity of Halloween in Greece has led
to some increase in its popularity throughout nearby countries in the
Balkans and Cyprus. In the latter, there has been an increase in
Greek-Cypriot retailers selling Halloween merchandise every year.[70] Ireland On
Halloween night, adults and children dress up as various monsters and
creatures, light bonfires, and enjoy fireworks displays; Derry in
Northern Ireland is home to the largest organized Halloween celebration
on the island, in the form of a street carnival and fireworks
display.[72] Games are often played, such as bobbing for apples,
in which apples, peanuts, other nuts and fruits, and some small coins
are placed in a basin of water.[73] Everyone takes turns catching as
many items possible using only their mouths. Another common game
involves the hands-free eating of an apple hung on a string attached to
the ceiling. Games of divination are also played at Halloween.[74]
Colcannon is traditionally served on Halloween.[73] 31 October is
the busiest day of the year for the Emergency Services.[75] Bangers and
fireworks are illegal in the Republic of Ireland; however, they are
commonly smuggled in from Northern Ireland where they are legal.[76]
Bonfires are frequently built around Halloween.[77] Trick-or-treating is
popular amongst children on 31 October and Halloween parties and events
are commonplace. October Holiday occurs on the last Monday of
October and may fall on Halloween. Its Irish names are Lá Saoire i Mí
Dheireadh Fómhair or Lá Saoire Oíche Shamhna, the latter translating
literally as 'Halloween holiday'. Italy In Italy, All Saints'
Day is a public holiday. On 2 November, Tutti i Morti or All Souls' Day,
families remember loved ones who have died. These are still the main
holidays.[78] In some Italian tradition, children would awake on the
morning of All Saints or All Souls to find small gifts from their
deceased ancestors. In Sardinia, Concas de Mortu (Head of the deads),
carved pumpkins that look like skulls, with candles inside are
displayed.[79][80][81] Halloween is, however, gaining in popularity, and
involves costume parties for young adults.[82] The traditions to carve
pumpkins in a skull figure, lighting candles inside, or to beg for small
gifts for the deads e.g. sweets or nuts, also belong to North
Italy.[83] In Veneto these carved pumpkins were called lumère (lanterns)
or suche dei morti (deads' pumpkins).[84] Poland Since the
fall of Communism in 1989, Halloween has become increasingly popular in
Poland. Particularly, it is celebrated among younger people. The influx
of Western tourists and expats throughout the 1990s introduced the
costume party aspect of Hallowe'en celebrations, particularly in clubs
and at private house parties. Door-to-door trick or treating is not
common. Pumpkin carving is becoming more evident, following a strong
North American version of the tradition. Romania Romanians
observe the Feast of St. Andrew, patron saint of Romania, on 30
November. On St. Andrew's Eve ghosts are said to be about. A number of
customs related to divination, in other places connected to Halloween,
are associated with this night.[85] However, with the popularity of
Dracula in western Europe, around Halloween the Romanian tourist
industry promotes trips to locations connected to the historical Vlad
Tepeș and the more fanciful Dracula of Bram Stoker. One of the most
successful Halloween Parties in Transylvania takes place in Sighișoara,
the citadel where Vlad the Impaler was born. This party include magician
shows, ballet show and The Ritual Killing of a Living Dead[86] The
biggest Halloween party in Transylvania take place at Bran Castle, aka
Dracula's Castle from Transylvania.[87] Both the Catholic and
Orthodox Churches in Romania discourage Halloween celebrations, advising
their parishioners to focus rather on the "Day of the Dead" on 1
November, when special religious observances are held for the souls of
the deceased.[88] Opposition by religious and nationalist groups,
including calls to ban costumes and decorations in schools in 2015, have
been met with criticism.[89][90][91] Halloween parties are popular in
bars and nightclubs.[92] Russia In Russia, most Christians are
Orthodox, and in the Orthodox Church, Halloween is on the Saturday
after Pentecost, and therefore 4 to 5 months before western Halloween.
Celebration of western Halloween began in the 1990s around the downfall
of the Soviet regime, when costume and ghoulish parties spread in night
clubs throughout Russia. Halloween is generally celebrated by younger
generations and is not widely celebrated in civic society (e.g. theaters
or libraries). In fact, Halloween is among the Western celebrations
that the Russian government and politicians—which have grown
increasingly anti-Western in the early 2010s—are trying to eliminate
from public celebration.[93][94][95] Spain In Spain,
celebrations involve eating castanyes (roasted chestnuts), panellets
(special almond balls covered in pine nuts), moniatos (roast or baked
sweet potato), Ossos de Sant cake and preserved fruit (candied or glazed
fruit). Moscatell (Muscat) is drunk from porrons.[96] Around the time
of this celebration, it is common for street vendors to sell hot toasted
chestnuts wrapped in newspaper. In many places, confectioners often
organise raffles of chestnuts and preserved fruit. The tradition
of eating these foods comes from the fact that during All Saints' night,
on the eve of All Souls' Day in the Christian tradition, bell ringers
would ring bells in commemoration of the dead into the early morning.
Friends and relatives would help with this task, and everyone would eat
these foods for sustenance.[97] Other versions of the story state
that the Castanyada originates at the end of the 18th century and comes
from the old funeral meals, where other foods, such as vegetables and
dried fruit were not served. The meal had the symbolic significance of a
communion with the souls of the departed: while the chestnuts were
roasting, prayers would be said for the person who had just died.[98] The
festival is usually depicted with the figure of a castanyera: an old
lady, dressed in peasant's clothing and wearing a headscarf, sitting
behind a table, roasting chestnuts for street sale. In recent
years, the Castanyada has become a revetlla of All Saints and is
celebrated in the home and community. It is the first of the four main
school festivals, alongside Christmas, Carnestoltes and St George's Day,
without reference to ritual or commemoration of the dead.[99] Galicia
is known to have the second largest Halloween or Samain festivals in
Europe and during this time, a drink called Queimada is often
served.[citation needed] Sweden On All Hallow's Eve, a Requiem
Mass is widely attended every year at Uppsala Cathedral, part of the
Lutheran Church of Sweden.[100] Throughout the period of
Allhallowtide, starting with All Hallow's Eve, Swedish families visit
churchyards and adorn the graves of their family members with lit
candles and wreaths fashioned from pine branches.[100] Among
children, the practice of dressing in costume and collecting candy
gained popularity beginning around 2005.[101] The American traditions of
Halloween have however been met with skepticism among the older
generations, in part due to conflicting with the Swedish traditions on
All Hallow's Eve and in part due to their commercialism.[102] In Sweden,
All Saint's Day/ All Hallow's Eve is observed on the Saturday occurring
between October 31 and November 6, whereas Halloween is observed on
October 31, every year. Switzerland In Switzerland, Halloween,
after first becoming popular in 1999, is on the wane, and is most
popular with young adults who attend parties. Switzerland already has a
"festival overload" and even though Swiss people like to dress up for
any occasion, they do prefer a traditional element, such as in the
Fasnacht tradition of chasing away winter using noise and
masks.[103][104] United Kingdom and Crown dependencies England See also: Mischief Night and Allantide In
the past, on All Souls' Eve families would stay up late, and little
"soul cakes" were eaten. At the stroke of midnight, there was solemn
silence among households, which had candles burning in every room to
guide the souls back to visit their earthly homes and a glass of wine on
the table to refresh them. The tradition of giving soul cakes that
originated in Great Britain and Ireland was known as souling, often seen
as the origin of modern trick or treating in North America, and souling
continued in parts of England as late as the 1930s, with children going
from door to door singing songs and saying prayers for the dead in
return for cakes or money.[105] Trick or treating and other
Halloween celebrations are extremely popular, with shops decorated with
witches and pumpkins, and young people attending costume parties.[106] Scotland The
name Halloween is first attested in the 16th century as a Scottish
shortening of the fuller All-Hallow-Even, that is, the night before All
Hallows' Day.[107] Dumfries poet John Mayne's 1780 poem made note of
pranks at Halloween "What fearfu' pranks ensue!". Scottish poet Robert
Burns was influenced by Mayne's composition, and portrayed some of the
customs in his poem Halloween (1785).[108] According to Burns, Halloween
is "thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other
mischief-making beings are all abroad on their baneful midnight
errands".[109] Among the earliest record of Guising at Halloween
in Scotland is in 1895, where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns
made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes,
fruit and money.[110] If children approached the door of a house, they
were given offerings of food. The children's practice of "guising",
going from door to door in costumes for food or coins, is a traditional
Halloween custom in Scotland.[3] These days children who knock on their
neighbours doors have to sing a song or tell stories for a gift of
sweets or money.[111] A traditional Halloween game includes apple
"dooking",[112] or "dunking" or (i.e., retrieving one from a bucket of
water using only one's mouth), and attempting to eat, while blindfolded,
a treacle/jam-coated scone hanging on a piece of string. Traditional
customs and lore include divination practices, ways of trying to
predict the future. A traditional Scottish form of divining one's future
spouse is to carve an apple in one long strip, then toss the peel over
one's shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first
letter of the future spouse's name.[113] In Kilmarnock, Halloween is also celebrated on the last Friday of the month, and is known colloquially as "Killieween".[114] Isle of Man See also: Hop-tu-Naa Halloween is a popular traditional occasion on the Isle of Man, where it is known as Hop-tu-Naa. Elsewhere Saint Helena In
Saint Helena, Halloween is actively celebrated, largely along the
American model, with ghosts, skeletons, devils, vampires, witches and
the like. Imitation pumpkins are used instead of real pumpkins because
the pumpkin harvesting season in Saint Helena's hemisphere is not near
Halloween. Trick-or-treating is widespread. Party venues provide
entertainment for adults." (wikipedia.org) "Candy
corn is a small, pyramid-shaped candy, typically divided into three
sections of different colors, with a waxy texture and a flavor based on
honey, sugar, butter, and vanilla.[1][2] It is a staple candy of the
fall season and Halloween in North America.[2] Candy corn's
traditional colors of yellow, orange, and white represent the colors of
the fall harvest,[2] or of corn on the cob,[3] with the wide yellow end
resembling a corn kernel.[1] Candy corn has a reputation for
generating polarizing responses, with articles referring to it as
"Halloween's most contentious sweet"[1] which people either "love" or
"hate".[2][4][5] History "Chicken Feed" was the original candy
name, with production starting in the late 1880s.[6] It was first
invented in the 1880s by a Wunderle Candy Company employee, George
Renninger.[7] Wunderle Candy Company was the first to produce the candy
in 1888.[8] The Goelitz Confectionery Company, now called Jelly Belly,
began manufacturing the product in 1898.[9] While Jelly Belly
still makes candy corn, the largest manufacturer of candy corn is
Brach's Confections owned by the Ferrara Candy Company.[9] Brach's makes
approximately 7 billion pieces of candy corn per year and possesses 85
percent of the total share of the candy corn industry during the
Halloween season.[9] Along with other agriculture-inspired treats
in the late 19th century, America's confectioners sought to market
candy corn to a largely rural society.[10] During the late 19th century,
"butter cream" candies molded into many types of nature-inspired
shapes, including chestnuts, turnips, and clover leaves, were quite
popular but what made candy corn stand out was its bright and iconic
tri-color layering.[5] Although it is currently most popular in
the fall, candy corn was only sometimes associated with the fall and
Halloween seasons. For the first half of the 20th century, candy corn
was a well-known "penny candy" or bulk confectionery. It was advertised
as an affordable and popular treat that could be eaten year-round.[5] Candy
corn developed into a fall and Halloween staple around the 1950s when
people began to hand out individually wrapped candy to
trick-or-treaters. The harvest-themed colors and increased advertising
in October also helped candy corn become a fall staple.[5] The National Confectioners Association has deemed October 30, the day before Halloween, "National Candy Corn Day".[7] Sales As
of 2016, annual production in the United States was 35 million pounds,
or almost 9 billion pieces of candy.[11] The majority of candy corn
sales occur during the Halloween season.[1] Production Originally,
the candy was made by hand.[12] Manufacturers first combined sugar,
corn syrup and water, and cooked them to form a slurry. Fondant was
added for texture and marshmallows were added to provide a soft
bite.[12] The final mixture was heated and poured into shaped molds.
Three passes, one for each colored section, were required during the
pouring process.[citation needed] The recipe is similar today.
The production method, called "corn starch modeling",[13] likewise
remains the same, though tasks initially performed by hand were soon
taken over by machines made for that purpose.[14] Ingredients Candy
corn is made with sugar, corn syrup, salt, sesame oil, honey,
artificial flavor, food colorings, gelatin, and confectioner's glaze.
The confectioner's glaze is made from lac resin, a bug secretion.[15] Variants A
popular variation called "harvest corn" adds cocoa powder;[16] it
features a chocolate brown wide end, orange center, and pointed white
tip. It is often available around Thanksgiving.[6] During the Halloween
season, blackberry cobbler candy corn can be found in Eastern Canada, as
well as candy corn shaped like pumpkins. Confectioners have introduced
additional color variations suited to other holidays.[13] The
Christmas variant, sometimes called "reindeer corn",[11] typically has a
red end and a green center. The Valentine's Day variant, sometimes
called "cupid corn",[17] typically has a red end and a pink center. In
the United States during Independence Day celebrations, corn with a blue
end, white center, and red tip, named "freedom corn", can be found at
celebratory cook outs and patriotic celebrations. The Easter variant,
sometimes called "bunny corn", is typically a two-color candy, and comes
with a variety of pastel bases, pink, green, yellow, and purple, with
white tips all in one package.[18] There have been caramel apple
and green apple, s'mores and pumpkin spice, carrot corn (green and
orange, with a carrot cake flavor), and birthday cake candy corn
flavors.[19] In 2022, Brach's released a tailgate variant with fruit
punch, vanilla ice cream, popcorn, hotdog, and hamburger flavored
pieces.[20] Candy corn flavored snacks have become more widely
available with candy corn flavored variants of snack foods and candy,
including Oreos, M&M's, marshmallows, and more." (wikipedia.org) "Halloween
or Hallowe'en[9][10] (less commonly known as Allhalloween,[11] All
Hallows' Eve,[12] or All Saints' Eve)[13] is a celebration observed in
many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of
All Hallows' Day. It is at the beginning of the observance of
Allhallowtide,[14] the time in the liturgical year dedicated to
remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the
faithful departed.[5][15][16][17] In popular culture, the day has become
a celebration of horror, being associated with the macabre and
supernatural.[18] One theory holds that many Halloween traditions
were influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic
festival Samhain, which are believed to have pagan
roots.[19][20][21][22] Some go further and suggest that Samhain may have
been Christianized as All Hallow's Day, along with its eve, by the
early Church.[23] Other academics believe Halloween began solely as a
Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallow's Day.[24][25][26][27]
Celebrated in Ireland and Scotland for centuries, Irish and Scottish
immigrants took many Halloween customs to North America in the 19th
century,[28][29] and then through American influence various Halloween
customs spread to other countries by the late 20th and early 21st
century.[18][30] Popular Halloween activities include
trick-or-treating (or the related guising and souling), attending
Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into
jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games,
playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and
watching horror or Halloween-themed films.[31] Some people practice the
Christian observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church
services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead,[32][1][33]
although it is a secular celebration for others.[34][2][35] Some
Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows' Eve, a
tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this
vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul
cakes.[36][37][38][39] Etymology The word Halloween or
Hallowe'en ("Saints' evening"[40]) is of Christian origin;[41][42] a
term equivalent to "All Hallows Eve" is attested in Old English.[43] The
word hallowe[']en comes from the Scottish form of All Hallows' Eve (the
evening before All Hallows' Day):[44] even is the Scots term for "eve"
or "evening",[45] and is contracted to e'en or een;[46] (All) Hallow(s)
E(v)en became Hallowe'en. History Christian origins and historic customs Halloween
is thought to have influences from Christian beliefs and
practices.[47][48] The English word 'Halloween' comes from "All Hallows'
Eve", being the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows'
Day (All Saints' Day) on 1 November and All Souls' Day on 2
November.[49] Since the time of the early Church,[50] major feasts in
Christianity (such as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost) had vigils that
began the night before, as did the feast of All Hallows'.[51][47] These
three days are collectively called Allhallowtide and are a time when
Western Christians honour all saints and pray for recently departed
souls who have yet to reach Heaven. Commemorations of all saints and
martyrs were held by several churches on various dates, mostly in
springtime.[52] In 4th-century Roman Edessa it was held on 13 May, and
on 13 May 609, Pope Boniface IV re-dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to "St
Mary and all martyrs".[53] This was the date of Lemuria, an ancient
Roman festival of the dead.[54] In the 8th century, Pope Gregory
III (731–741) founded an oratory in St Peter's for the relics "of the
holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors".[47][55] Some
sources say it was dedicated on 1 November,[56] while others say it was
on Palm Sunday in April 732.[57][58] By 800, there is evidence that
churches in Ireland[59] and Northumbria were holding a feast
commemorating all saints on 1 November.[60] Alcuin of Northumbria, a
member of Charlemagne's court, may then have introduced this 1 November
date in the Frankish Empire.[61] In 835, it became the official date in
the Frankish Empire.[60] Some suggest this was due to Celtic influence,
while others suggest it was a Germanic idea,[60] although it is claimed
that both Germanic and Celtic-speaking peoples commemorated the dead at
the beginning of winter.[62] They may have seen it as the most fitting
time to do so, as it is a time of 'dying' in nature.[60][62] It is also
suggested the change was made on the "practical grounds that Rome in
summer could not accommodate the great number of pilgrims who flocked to
it", and perhaps because of public health concerns over Roman Fever,
which claimed a number of lives during Rome's sultry summers.[63][47] On
All Hallows' Eve, Christians in some parts of the world visit
cemeteries to pray and place flowers and candles on the graves of their
loved ones.[64] Top: Christians in Bangladesh lighting candles on the
headstone of a relative. Bottom: Lutheran Christians praying and
lighting candles in front of the central crucifix of a graveyard. By
the end of the 12th century, the celebration had become known as the
holy days of obligation in Western Christianity and involved such
traditions as ringing church bells for souls in purgatory. It was also
"customary for criers dressed in black to parade the streets, ringing a
bell of mournful sound and calling on all good Christians to remember
the poor souls".[65] The Allhallowtide custom of baking and sharing soul
cakes for all christened souls,[66] has been suggested as the origin of
trick-or-treating.[67] The custom dates back at least as far as the
15th century[68] and was found in parts of England, Wales, Flanders,
Bavaria and Austria.[69] Groups of poor people, often children, would go
door-to-door during Allhallowtide, collecting soul cakes, in exchange
for praying for the dead, especially the souls of the givers' friends
and relatives. This was called "souling".[68][70][71] Soul cakes were
also offered for the souls themselves to eat,[69] or the 'soulers' would
act as their representatives.[72] As with the Lenten tradition of hot
cross buns, soul cakes were often marked with a cross, indicating they
were baked as alms.[73] Shakespeare mentions souling in his comedy The
Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593).[74] While souling, Christians would
carry "lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips", which could have
originally represented souls of the dead;[75][76] jack-o'-lanterns were
used to ward off evil spirits.[77][78] On All Saints' and All Souls' Day
during the 19th century, candles were lit in homes in Ireland,[79]
Flanders, Bavaria, and in Tyrol, where they were called "soul
lights",[80] that served "to guide the souls back to visit their earthly
homes".[81] In many of these places, candles were also lit at graves on
All Souls' Day.[80] In Brittany, libations of milk were poured on the
graves of kinfolk,[69] or food would be left overnight on the dinner
table for the returning souls;[80] a custom also found in Tyrol and
parts of Italy.[82][80] Christian minister Prince Sorie Conteh
linked the wearing of costumes to the belief in vengeful ghosts: "It was
traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the
earth until All Saints' Day, and All Hallows' Eve provided one last
chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to
the next world. In order to avoid being recognized by any soul that
might be seeking such vengeance, people would don masks or
costumes".[83] In the Middle Ages, churches in Europe that were too poor
to display relics of martyred saints at Allhallowtide let parishioners
dress up as saints instead.[84][85] Some Christians observe this custom
at Halloween today.[86] Lesley Bannatyne believes this could have been a
Christianization of an earlier pagan custom.[87] Many Christians in
mainland Europe, especially in France, believed "that once a year, on
Hallowe'en, the dead of the churchyards rose for one wild, hideous
carnival" known as the danse macabre, which was often depicted in church
decoration.[88] Christopher Allmand and Rosamond McKitterick write in
The New Cambridge Medieval History that the danse macabre urged
Christians "not to forget the end of all earthly things".[89] The danse
macabre was sometimes enacted in European village pageants and court
masques, with people "dressing up as corpses from various strata of
society", and this may be the origin of Halloween costume
parties.[90][91][92][75] In Britain, these customs came under
attack during the Reformation, as Protestants berated purgatory as a
"popish" doctrine incompatible with the Calvinist doctrine of
predestination. State-sanctioned ceremonies associated with the
intercession of saints and prayer for souls in purgatory were abolished
during the Elizabethan reform, though All Hallow's Day remained in the
English liturgical calendar to "commemorate saints as godly human
beings".[93] For some Nonconformist Protestants, the theology of All
Hallows' Eve was redefined; "souls cannot be journeying from Purgatory
on their way to Heaven, as Catholics frequently believe and assert.
Instead, the so-called ghosts are thought to be in actuality evil
spirits".[94] Other Protestants believed in an intermediate state known
as Hades (Bosom of Abraham).[95] In some localities, Catholics and
Protestants continued souling, candlelit processions, or ringing church
bells for the dead;[49][96] the Anglican church eventually suppressed
this bell-ringing.[97] Mark Donnelly, a professor of medieval
archaeology, and historian Daniel Diehl write that "barns and homes were
blessed to protect people and livestock from the effect of witches, who
were believed to accompany the malignant spirits as they traveled the
earth".[98] After 1605, Hallowtide was eclipsed in England by Guy Fawkes
Night (5 November), which appropriated some of its customs.[99] In
England, the ending of official ceremonies related to the intercession
of saints led to the development of new, unofficial Hallowtide customs.
In 18th–19th century rural Lancashire, Catholic families gathered on
hills on the night of All Hallows' Eve. One held a bunch of burning
straw on a pitchfork while the rest knelt around him, praying for the
souls of relatives and friends until the flames went out. This was known
as teen'lay.[100] There was a similar custom in Hertfordshire, and the
lighting of 'tindle' fires in Derbyshire.[101] Some suggested these
'tindles' were originally lit to "guide the poor souls back to
earth".[102] In Scotland and Ireland, old Allhallowtide customs that
were at odds with Reformed teaching were not suppressed as they "were
important to the life cycle and rites of passage of local communities"
and curbing them would have been difficult.[28] In parts of Italy
until the 15th century, families left a meal out for the ghosts of
relatives, before leaving for church services.[82] In 19th-century
Italy, churches staged "theatrical re-enactments of scenes from the
lives of the saints" on All Hallow's Day, with "participants represented
by realistic wax figures".[82] In 1823, the graveyard of Holy Spirit
Hospital in Rome presented a scene in which bodies of those who recently
died were arrayed around a wax statue of an angel who pointed upward
towards heaven.[82] In the same country, "parish priests went
house-to-house, asking for small gifts of food which they shared among
themselves throughout that night".[82] In Spain, they continue to bake
special pastries called "bones of the holy" (Spanish: Huesos de Santo)
and set them on graves.[103] At cemeteries in Spain and France, as well
as in Latin America, priests lead Christian processions and services
during Allhallowtide, after which people keep an all night vigil.[104]
In 19th-century San Sebastián, there was a procession to the city
cemetery at Allhallowtide, an event that drew beggars who "appeal[ed] to
the tender recollections of one's deceased relations and friends" for
sympathy. Gaelic folk influence Today's
Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs
and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries, some of which are
believed to have pagan roots.[106] Jack Santino, a folklorist, writes
that "there was throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existing between
customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated
with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived".[107] The
origins of Halloween customs are typically linked to the Gaelic festival
Samhain.[108] Samhain is one of the quarter days in the medieval
Gaelic calendar and has been celebrated on 31 October – 1 November[109]
in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.[110][111] A kindred festival
has been held by the Brittonic Celts, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan
Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany; a name meaning "first day
of winter". For the Celts, the day ended and began at sunset; thus the
festival begins the evening before 1 November by modern reckoning.[112]
Samhain is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature. The names
have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up
until the 19th century,[113] and are still the Gaelic and Welsh names
for Halloween. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and
beginning of winter or the 'darker half' of the year.[115][116] It was
seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the
Otherworld thinned. This meant the Aos Sí, the 'spirits' or 'fairies',
could more easily come into this world and were particularly
active.[117][118] Most scholars see them as "degraded versions of
ancient gods [...] whose power remained active in the people's minds
even after they had been officially replaced by later religious
beliefs".[119] They were both respected and feared, with individuals
often invoking the protection of God when approaching their
dwellings.[120][121] At Samhain, the Aos Sí were appeased to ensure the
people and livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink,
or portions of the crops, were left outside for them.[122][123][124] The
souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking
hospitality.[125] Places were set at the dinner table and by the fire to
welcome them.[126] The belief that the souls of the dead return home on
one night of the year and must be appeased seems to have ancient
origins and is found in many cultures.[69] In 19th century Ireland,
"candles would be lit and prayers formally offered for the souls of the
dead. After this the eating, drinking, and games would begin".[127] Throughout
Ireland and Britain, especially in the Celtic-speaking regions, the
household festivities included divination rituals and games intended to
foretell one's future, especially regarding death and marriage.[128]
Apples and nuts were often used, and customs included apple bobbing, nut
roasting, scrying or mirror-gazing, pouring molten lead or egg whites
into water, dream interpretation, and others.[129] Special bonfires were
lit and there were rituals involving them. Their flames, smoke, and
ashes were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers.[115] In some
places, torches lit from the bonfire were carried sunwise around homes
and fields to protect them.[113] It is suggested the fires were a kind
of imitative or sympathetic magic – they mimicked the Sun and held back
the decay and darkness of winter.[126][130][131] They were also used for
divination and to ward off evil spirits.[77] In Scotland, these
bonfires and divination games were banned by the church elders in some
parishes.[132] In Wales, bonfires were also lit to "prevent the souls of
the dead from falling to earth".[133] Later, these bonfires "kept away
the devil".[134] photograph From at least the 16th
century,[136] the festival included mumming and guising in Ireland,
Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales.[137] This involved people going
house-to-house in costume (or in disguise), usually reciting verses or
songs in exchange for food. It may have originally been a tradition
whereby people impersonated the Aos Sí, or the souls of the dead, and
received offerings on their behalf, similar to 'souling'. Impersonating
these beings, or wearing a disguise, was also believed to protect
oneself from them.[138] In parts of southern Ireland, the guisers
included a hobby horse. A man dressed as a Láir Bhán (white mare) led
youths house-to-house reciting verses – some of which had pagan
overtones – in exchange for food. If the household donated food it could
expect good fortune from the 'Muck Olla'; not doing so would bring
misfortune.[139] In Scotland, youths went house-to-house with masked,
painted or blackened faces, often threatening to do mischief if they
were not welcomed.[137] F. Marian McNeill suggests the ancient festival
included people in costume representing the spirits, and that faces were
marked or blackened with ashes from the sacred bonfire.[136] In parts
of Wales, men went about dressed as fearsome beings called
gwrachod.[137] In the late 19th and early 20th century, young people in
Glamorgan and Orkney cross-dressed.[137] Elsewhere in Europe,
mumming was part of other festivals, but in the Celtic-speaking regions,
it was "particularly appropriate to a night upon which supernatural
beings were said to be abroad and could be imitated or warded off by
human wanderers".[137] From at least the 18th century, "imitating
malignant spirits" led to playing pranks in Ireland and the Scottish
Highlands. Wearing costumes and playing pranks at Halloween did not
spread to England until the 20th century.[137] Pranksters used
hollowed-out turnips or mangel wurzels as lanterns, often carved with
grotesque faces.[137] By those who made them, the lanterns were
variously said to represent the spirits,[137] or used to ward off evil
spirits.[140][141] They were common in parts of Ireland and the Scottish
Highlands in the 19th century,[137] as well as in Somerset (see Punkie
Night). In the 20th century they spread to other parts of Britain and
became generally known as jack-o'-lanterns.[137] Spread to North America Lesley
Bannatyne and Cindy Ott write that Anglican colonists in the southern
United States and Catholic colonists in Maryland "recognized All
Hallow's Eve in their church calendars",[142][143] although the Puritans
of New England strongly opposed the holiday, along with other
traditional celebrations of the established Church, including
Christmas.[144] Almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th century give no
indication that Halloween was widely celebrated in North America.[28] It
was not until after mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th
century that Halloween became a major holiday in America.[28] Most
American Halloween traditions were inherited from the Irish and
Scots,[29][145] though "In Cajun areas, a nocturnal Mass was said in
cemeteries on Halloween night. Candles that had been blessed were placed
on graves, and families sometimes spent the entire night at the
graveside".[146] Originally confined to these immigrant communities, it
was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and was celebrated
coast to coast by people of all social, racial, and religious
backgrounds by the early 20th century.[147] Then, through American
influence, these Halloween traditions spread to many other countries by
the late 20th and early 21st century, including to mainland Europe and
some parts of the Far East. Symbols At
Halloween, yards, public spaces, and some houses may be decorated with
traditionally macabre symbols including skeletons, ghosts, cobwebs,
headstones, and witches. Development of artifacts and symbols
associated with Halloween formed over time. Jack-o'-lanterns are
traditionally carried by guisers on All Hallows' Eve in order to
frighten evil spirits.[76][149] There is a popular Irish Christian
folktale associated with the jack-o'-lantern,[150] which in folklore is
said to represent a "soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and
hell":[151] On route home after a night's drinking, Jack
encounters the Devil and tricks him into climbing a tree. A
quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus
trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim
his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused
entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to
let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of
hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed
out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his
lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.[152] In
Ireland and Scotland, the turnip has traditionally been carved during
Halloween,[153][154] but immigrants to North America used the native
pumpkin, which is both much softer and much larger, making it easier to
carve than a turnip.[153] The American tradition of carving pumpkins is
recorded in 1837[155] and was originally associated with harvest time in
general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the
mid-to-late 19th century.[156] The modern imagery of Halloween
comes from many sources, including Christian eschatology, national
customs, works of Gothic and horror literature (such as the novels
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and Dracula) and classic horror
films such as Frankenstein (1931) and The Mummy (1932).[157][158]
Imagery of the skull, a reference to Golgotha in the Christian
tradition, serves as "a reminder of death and the transitory quality of
human life" and is consequently found in memento mori and vanitas
compositions;[159] skulls have therefore been commonplace in Halloween,
which touches on this theme.[160] Traditionally, the back walls of
churches are "decorated with a depiction of the Last Judgment, complete
with graves opening and the dead rising, with a heaven filled with
angels and a hell filled with devils", a motif that has permeated the
observance of this triduum.[161] One of the earliest works on the
subject of Halloween is from Scottish poet John Mayne, who, in 1780,
made note of pranks at Halloween; "What fearfu' pranks ensue!", as well
as the supernatural associated with the night, "bogles" (ghosts),[162]
influencing Robert Burns' "Halloween" (1785).[163] Elements of the
autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also
prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around
Halloween. Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, and
mythical monsters.[164] Black cats, which have been long associated with
witches, are also a common symbol of Halloween. Black, orange, and
sometimes purple are Halloween's traditional colors.[165] Trick-or-treating and guising Main article: Trick-or-treating Trick-or-treating
is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in
costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or
sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick"
implies a "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their
property if no treat is given.[67] The practice is said to have roots in
the medieval practice of mumming, which is closely related to
souling.[166] John Pymm wrote that "many of the feast days associated
with the presentation of mumming plays were celebrated by the Christian
Church."[167] These feast days included All Hallows' Eve, Christmas,
Twelfth Night and Shrove Tuesday.[168][169] Mumming practiced in
Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe,[170] involved masked
persons in fancy dress who "paraded the streets and entered houses to
dance or play dice in silence". In England, from the medieval
period,[172] up until the 1930s,[173] people practiced the Christian
custom of souling on Halloween, which involved groups of soulers, both
Protestant and Catholic,[96] going from parish to parish, begging the
rich for soul cakes, in exchange for praying for the souls of the givers
and their friends.[70] In the Philippines, the practice of souling is
called Pangangaluluwa and is practiced on All Hallow's Eve among
children in rural areas.[31] People drape themselves in white cloths to
represent souls and then visit houses, where they sing in return for
prayers and sweets.[31] In Scotland and Ireland, guising –
children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins –
is a secular Halloween custom.[174] It is recorded in Scotland at
Halloween in 1895 where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made
out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes,
fruit, and money.[154][175] In Ireland, the most popular phrase for kids
to shout (until the 2000s) was "Help the Halloween Party".[174] The
practice of guising at Halloween in North America was first recorded in
1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, reported children
going "guising" around the neighborhood.[176] American historian
and author Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts wrote the first book-length
history of Halloween in the US; The Book of Hallowe'en (1919), and
references souling in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America".[177] In her
book, Kelley touches on customs that arrived from across the Atlantic;
"Americans have fostered them, and are making this an occasion something
like what it must have been in its best days overseas. All Halloween
customs in the United States are borrowed directly or adapted from those
of other countries".[178] While the first reference to "guising"
in North America occurs in 1911, another reference to ritual begging on
Halloween appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in
Chicago in 1920.[179] The earliest known use in print of the term "trick
or treat" appears in 1927, in the Blackie Herald, of Alberta,
Canada.[180] The thousands of Halloween postcards produced
between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show
children but not trick-or-treating.[181] Trick-or-treating does not seem
to have become a widespread practice in North America until the 1930s,
with the first US appearances of the term in 1934,[182] and the first
use in a national publication occurring in 1939.[183] A popular
variant of trick-or-treating, known as trunk-or-treating (or Halloween
tailgating), occurs when "children are offered treats from the trunks of
cars parked in a church parking lot", or sometimes, a school parking
lot.[103][184] In a trunk-or-treat event, the trunk (boot) of each
automobile is decorated with a certain theme,[185] such as those of
children's literature, movies, scripture, and job roles.[186]
Trunk-or-treating has grown in popularity due to its perception as being
more safe than going door to door, a point that resonates well with
parents, as well as the fact that it "solves the rural conundrum in
which homes [are] built a half-mile apart". Costumes Main article: Halloween costume Halloween
costumes were traditionally modeled after figures such as vampires,
ghosts, skeletons, scary looking witches, and devils.[67] Over time, the
costume selection extended to include popular characters from fiction,
celebrities, and generic archetypes such as ninjas and princesses. Dressing
up in costumes and going "guising" was prevalent in Scotland and
Ireland at Halloween by the late 19th century.[154] A Scottish term, the
tradition is called "guising" because of the disguises or costumes worn
by the children.[175] In Ireland and Scotland, the masks are known as
'false faces',[41][189] a term recorded in Ayr, Scotland in 1890 by a
Scot describing guisers: "I had mind it was Halloween . . . the wee
callans (boys) were at it already, rinning aboot wi’ their fause-faces
(false faces) on and their bits o’ turnip lanthrons (lanterns) in their
haun (hand)".[41] Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the
US in the early 20th century, as often for adults as for children, and
when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in Canada and the US in the
1920s and 1930s.[180][190] Eddie J. Smith, in his book Halloween,
Hallowed is Thy Name, offers a religious perspective to the wearing of
costumes on All Hallows' Eve, suggesting that by dressing up as
creatures "who at one time caused us to fear and tremble", people are
able to poke fun at Satan "whose kingdom has been plundered by our
Saviour". Images of skeletons and the dead are traditional decorations
used as memento mori.[191][192] "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" is a
fundraising program to support UNICEF,[67] a United Nations Programme
that provides humanitarian aid to children in developing countries.
Started as a local event in a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood in
1950 and expanded nationally in 1952, the program involves the
distribution of small boxes by schools (or in modern times, corporate
sponsors like Hallmark, at their licensed stores) to trick-or-treaters,
in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they
visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $118
million for UNICEF since its inception. In Canada, in 2006, UNICEF
decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes, citing safety
and administrative concerns; after consultation with schools, they
instead redesigned the program.[193][194] The yearly New York's
Village Halloween Parade was begun in 1974; it is the world's largest
Halloween parade and America's only major nighttime parade, attracting
more than 60,000 costumed participants, two million spectators, and a
worldwide television audience.[195] Since the late 2010s, ethnic stereotypes as costumes have increasingly come under scrutiny in the United States.[196][197][198] Pet costumes According
to a 2018 report from the National Retail Federation, 30 million
Americans will spend an estimated $480 million on Halloween costumes for
their pets in 2018. This is up from an estimated $200 million in 2010.
The most popular costumes for pets are the pumpkin, followed by the hot
dog, and the bumblebee in third place.[199] Games and other activities There
are several games traditionally associated with Halloween. Some of
these games originated as divination rituals or ways of foretelling
one's future, especially regarding death, marriage and children. During
the Middle Ages, these rituals were done by a "rare few" in rural
communities as they were considered to be "deadly serious"
practices.[200] In recent centuries, these divination games have been "a
common feature of the household festivities" in Ireland and
Britain.[128] They often involve apples and hazelnuts. In Celtic
mythology, apples were strongly associated with the Otherworld and
immortality, while hazelnuts were associated with divine wisdom.[201]
Some also suggest that they derive from Roman practices in celebration
of Pomona.[67] The following activities were a common feature of
Halloween in Ireland and Britain during the 17th–20th centuries. Some
have become more widespread and continue to be popular today. One common
game is apple bobbing or dunking (which may be called "dooking" in
Scotland)[202] in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water
and the participants must use only their teeth to remove an apple from
the basin. A variant of dunking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a
fork between the teeth and trying to drive the fork into an apple.
Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones
by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain
attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to a sticky
face. Another once-popular game involves hanging a small wooden rod from
the ceiling at head height, with a lit candle on one end and an apple
hanging from the other. The rod is spun round and everyone takes turns
to try to catch the apple with their teeth.[203] Several of the
traditional activities from Ireland and Britain involve foretelling
one's future partner or spouse. An apple would be peeled in one long
strip, then the peel tossed over the shoulder. The peel is believed to
land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's
name.[204][205] Two hazelnuts would be roasted near a fire; one named
for the person roasting them and the other for the person they desire.
If the nuts jump away from the heat, it is a bad sign, but if the nuts
roast quietly it foretells a good match.[206][207] A salty oatmeal
bannock would be baked; the person would eat it in three bites and then
go to bed in silence without anything to drink. This is said to result
in a dream in which their future spouse offers them a drink to quench
their thirst.[208] Unmarried women were told that if they sat in a
darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of
their future husband would appear in the mirror.[209] The custom was
widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards[210] from the
late 19th century and early 20th century. Another popular Irish
game was known as púicíní ("blindfolds"); a person would be blindfolded
and then would choose between several saucers. The item in the saucer
would provide a hint as to their future: a ring would mean that they
would marry soon; clay, that they would die soon, perhaps within the
year; water, that they would emigrate; rosary beads, that they would
take Holy Orders (become a nun, priest, monk, etc.); a coin, that they
would become rich; a bean, that they would be poor.[211][212][213][214]
The game features prominently in the James Joyce short story "Clay"
(1914). In Ireland and Scotland, items would be hidden in food –
usually a cake, barmbrack, cranachan, champ or colcannon – and portions
of it served out at random. A person's future would be foretold by the
item they happened to find; for example, a ring meant marriage and a
coin meant wealth.[218] Up until the 19th century, the Halloween
bonfires were also used for divination in parts of Scotland, Wales and
Brittany. When the fire died down, a ring of stones would be laid in the
ashes, one for each person. In the morning, if any stone was mislaid it
was said that the person it represented would not live out the
year.[113] In Mexico, children create altars to invite the spirits of
deceased children to return (angelitos).[219] Telling ghost
stories, listening to Halloween-themed songs and watching horror films
are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series
and Halloween-themed specials (with the specials usually aimed at
children) are commonly aired on or before Halloween, while new horror
films are often released before Halloween to take advantage of the
holiday. Haunted attractions Main article: Haunted attraction (simulated) Haunted
attractions are entertainment venues designed to thrill and scare
patrons. Most attractions are seasonal Halloween businesses that may
include haunted houses, corn mazes, and hayrides,[220] and the level of
sophistication of the effects has risen as the industry has grown. The
first recorded purpose-built haunted attraction was the Orton and
Spooner Ghost House, which opened in 1915 in Liphook, England. This
attraction actually most closely resembles a carnival fun house, powered
by steam.[221][222] The House still exists, in the Hollycombe Steam
Collection. It was during the 1930s, about the same time as
trick-or-treating, that Halloween-themed haunted houses first began to
appear in America. It was in the late 1950s that haunted houses as a
major attraction began to appear, focusing first on California.
Sponsored by the Children's Health Home Junior Auxiliary, the San Mateo
Haunted House opened in 1957. The San Bernardino Assistance League
Haunted House opened in 1958. Home haunts began appearing across the
country during 1962 and 1963. In 1964, the San Manteo Haunted House
opened, as well as the Children's Museum Haunted House in
Indianapolis.[223] The haunted house as an American cultural icon
can be attributed to the opening of The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland
on 12 August 1969.[224] Knott's Berry Farm began hosting its own
Halloween night attraction, Knott's Scary Farm, which opened in
1973.[225] Evangelical Christians adopted a form of these attractions by
opening one of the first "hell houses" in 1972.[226] The first
Halloween haunted house run by a nonprofit organization was produced in
1970 by the Sycamore-Deer Park Jaycees in Clifton, Ohio. It was
cosponsored by WSAI, an AM radio station broadcasting out of Cincinnati,
Ohio. It was last produced in 1982.[227] Other Jaycees followed suit
with their own versions after the success of the Ohio house. The March
of Dimes copyrighted a "Mini haunted house for the March of Dimes" in
1976 and began fundraising through their local chapters by conducting
haunted houses soon after. Although they apparently quit supporting this
type of event nationally sometime in the 1980s, some March of Dimes
haunted houses have persisted until today.[228] On the evening of
11 May 1984, in Jackson Township, New Jersey, the Haunted Castle at Six
Flags Great Adventure caught fire. As a result of the fire, eight
teenagers perished.[229] The backlash to the tragedy was a tightening of
regulations relating to safety, building codes and the frequency of
inspections of attractions nationwide. The smaller venues, especially
the nonprofit attractions, were unable to compete financially, and the
better funded commercial enterprises filled the vacuum.[230][231]
Facilities that were once able to avoid regulation because they were
considered to be temporary installations now had to adhere to the
stricter codes required of permanent attractions.[232][233][234] In
the late 1980s and early 1990s, theme parks became a notable figure in
the Halloween business. Six Flags Fright Fest began in 1986 and
Universal Studios Florida began Halloween Horror Nights in 1991. Knott's
Scary Farm experienced a surge in attendance in the 1990s as a result
of America's obsession with Halloween as a cultural event. Theme parks
have played a major role in globalizing the holiday. Universal Studios
Singapore and Universal Studios Japan both participate, while Disney now
mounts Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party events at its parks in
Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo, as well as in the United States.[235] The
theme park haunts are by far the largest, both in scale and attendance. Food Pumpkins for sale during Halloween On
All Hallows' Eve, many Western Christian denominations encourage
abstinence from meat, giving rise to a variety of vegetarian foods
associated with this day.[237] A candy apple Because in the
Northern Hemisphere Halloween comes in the wake of the yearly apple
harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America),
caramel apples or taffy apples are common Halloween treats made by
rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by
rolling them in nuts. At one time, candy apples were commonly
given to trick-or-treating children, but the practice rapidly waned in
the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items
like pins and razor blades in the apples in the United States.[238]
While there is evidence of such incidents,[239] relative to the degree
of reporting of such cases, actual cases involving malicious acts are
extremely rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless,
many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant because of
the mass media. At the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered
free X-rays of children's Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of
tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents
involved parents who poisoned their own children's candy.[240] One
custom that persists in modern-day Ireland is the baking (or more often
nowadays, the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish: báirín breac), which is a
light fruitcake, into which a plain ring, a coin, and other charms are
placed before baking.[241] It is considered fortunate to be the lucky
one who finds it.[241] It has also been said that those who get a ring
will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the
tradition of king cake at the festival of Epiphany. Halloween-themed
foods are also produced by companies in the lead up to the night, for
example Cadbury releasing Goo Heads (similar to Creme Eggs) in spooky
wrapping. List of foods associated with Halloween: Barmbrack (Ireland) Bonfire toffee (Great Britain) Candy apples/toffee apples (Great Britain and Ireland) Candy apples, candy corn, candy pumpkins (North America) Chocolate Monkey nuts (peanuts in their shells) (Ireland and Scotland) Caramel apples Caramel corn Colcannon (Ireland; see below) Halloween cake Sweets/candy Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, etc. Roasted pumpkin seeds Roasted sweet corn Soul cakes Pumpkin pie Christian observances On
Hallowe'en (All Hallows' Eve), in Poland, believers were once taught to
pray out loud as they walk through the forests in order that the souls
of the dead might find comfort; in Spain, Christian priests in tiny
villages toll their church bells in order to remind their congregants to
remember the dead on All Hallows' Eve.[243] In Ireland, and among
immigrants in Canada, a custom includes the Christian practice of
abstinence, keeping All Hallows' Eve as a meat-free day and serving
pancakes or colcannon instead.[244] The Christian Church
traditionally observed Hallowe'en through a vigil. Worshippers prepared
themselves for feasting on the following All Saints' Day with prayers
and fasting.[245] This church service is known as the Vigil of All
Hallows or the Vigil of All Saints;[246][247] an initiative known as
Night of Light seeks to further spread the Vigil of All Hallows
throughout Christendom.[248][249] After the service, "suitable
festivities and entertainments" often follow, as well as a visit to the
graveyard or cemetery, where flowers and candles are often placed in
preparation for All Hallows' Day.[250][251] In England, Light Parties
are organized by churches after worship services on Halloween with the
focus on Jesus as the Light of the World.[252] In Finland, because so
many people visit the cemeteries on All Hallows' Eve to light votive
candles there, they "are known as valomeri, or seas of light". Today,
Christian attitudes towards Halloween are diverse. In the Anglican
Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions
associated with All Hallow's Eve.[254][255] Some of these practices
include praying, fasting and attending worship services.[3][6][7]
O LORD our God, increase, we pray thee, and multiply upon us the gifts
of thy grace: that we, who do prevent the glorious festival of all thy
Saints, may of thee be enabled joyfully to follow them in all virtuous
and godly living. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world
without end. Amen. —Collect of the Vigil of All Saints, The Anglican
Breviary[256] Other Protestant Christians also celebrate All
Hallows' Eve as Reformation Day, a day to remember the Protestant
Reformation, alongside All Hallow's Eve or independently from it.[257]
This is because Martin Luther is said to have nailed his Ninety-five
Theses to All Saints' Church in Wittenberg on All Hallows' Eve.[258]
Often, "Harvest Festivals" or "Reformation Festivals" are held on All
Hallows' Eve, in which children dress up as Bible characters or
Reformers.[259] In addition to distributing candy to children who are
trick-or-treating on Hallowe'en, many Christians also provide gospel
tracts to them. One organization, the American Tract Society, stated
that around 3 million gospel tracts are ordered from them alone for
Hallowe'en celebrations.[260] Others order Halloween-themed Scripture
Candy to pass out to children on this day.[261][262] Some
Christians feel concerned about the modern celebration of Halloween
because they feel it trivializes – or celebrates – paganism, the occult,
or other practices and cultural phenomena deemed incompatible with
their beliefs.[263] Father Gabriele Amorth, an exorcist in Rome, has
said, "if English and American children like to dress up as witches and
devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a
game, there is no harm in that."[264] In more recent years, the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on
Halloween.[265] Similarly, many contemporary Protestant churches view
Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches
where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy
for free. To these Christians, Halloween holds no threat to the
spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and
the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson
and a part of many of their parishioners' heritage.[266] Christian
minister Sam Portaro wrote that Halloween is about using "humor and
ridicule to confront the power of death".[267] In the Roman
Catholic Church, Halloween's Christian connection is acknowledged, and
Halloween celebrations are common in many Catholic parochial schools,
such as in the United States,[268][269] while schools throughout Ireland
also close for the Halloween break.[270][271] Many fundamentalist and
evangelical churches use "Hell houses" and comic-style tracts in order
to make use of Halloween's popularity as an opportunity for
evangelism.[272] Others consider Halloween to be completely incompatible
with the Christian faith due to its putative origins in the Festival of
the Dead celebration.[273] Indeed, even though Eastern Orthodox
Christians observe All Hallows' Day on the First Sunday after Pentecost,
the Eastern Orthodox Church recommends the observance of Vespers or a
Paraklesis on the Western observance of All Hallows' Eve, out of the
pastoral need to provide an alternative to popular celebrations.[274] Analogous celebrations and perspectives Judaism Main article: Jews and Halloween According
to Alfred J. Kolatch in the Second Jewish Book of Why, in Judaism,
Halloween is not permitted by Jewish Halakha because it violates
Leviticus 18:3, which forbids Jews from partaking in gentile customs.
Many Jews observe Yizkor communally four times a year, which is vaguely
similar to the observance of Allhallowtide in Christianity, in the sense
that prayers are said for both "martyrs and for one's own family".[275]
Nevertheless, many American Jews celebrate Halloween, disconnected from
its Christian origins.[276] Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser has said
that "There is no religious reason why contemporary Jews should not
celebrate Halloween" while Orthodox Rabbi Michael Broyde has argued
against Jews' observing the holiday.[277] Purim has sometimes been
compared to Halloween, in part due to some observants wearing costumes,
especially of Biblical figures described in the Purim narrative.[278] Islam Sheikh
Idris Palmer, author of A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding
Islam, has ruled that Muslims should not participate in Halloween,
stating that "participation in Halloween is worse than participation in
Christmas, Easter, ... it is more sinful than congratulating the
Christians for their prostration to the crucifix".[279] It has also been
ruled to be haram by the National Fatwa Council of Malaysia because of
its alleged pagan roots stating "Halloween is celebrated using a
humorous theme mixed with horror to entertain and resist the spirit of
death that influence humans".[280][281] Dar Al-Ifta Al-Missriyyah
disagrees provided the celebration is not referred to as an 'eid' and
that behaviour remains in line with Islamic principles.[282] Hinduism Hindus
remember the dead during the festival of Pitru Paksha, during which
Hindus pay homage to and perform a ceremony "to keep the souls of their
ancestors at rest". It is celebrated in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada,
usually in mid-September.[283] The celebration of the Hindu festival
Diwali sometimes conflicts with the date of Halloween; but some Hindus
choose to participate in the popular customs of Halloween.[284] Other
Hindus, such as Soumya Dasgupta, have opposed the celebration on the
grounds that Western holidays like Halloween have "begun to adversely
affect our indigenous festivals".[285] Neopaganism There is no
consistent rule or view on Halloween amongst those who describe
themselves as Neopagans or Wiccans. Some Neopagans do not observe
Halloween, but instead observe Samhain on 1 November,[286] some
neopagans do enjoy Halloween festivities, stating that one can observe
both "the solemnity of Samhain in addition to the fun of Halloween".
Some neopagans are opposed to the celebration of Hallowe'en, stating
that it "trivializes Samhain",[287] and "avoid Halloween, because of the
interruptions from trick or treaters".[288] The Manitoban writes that
"Wiccans don't officially celebrate Halloween, despite the fact that 31
Oct. will still have a star beside it in any good Wiccan's day planner.
Starting at sundown, Wiccans celebrate a holiday known as Samhain.
Samhain actually comes from old Celtic traditions and is not exclusive
to Neopagan religions like Wicca. While the traditions of this holiday
originate in Celtic countries, modern day Wiccans don't try to
historically replicate Samhain celebrations. Some traditional Samhain
rituals are still practised, but at its core, the period is treated as a
time to celebrate darkness and the dead – a possible reason why Samhain
can be confused with Halloween celebrations."[286] Geography Main article: Geography of Halloween The
traditions and importance of Halloween vary greatly among countries
that observe it. In Scotland and Ireland, traditional Halloween customs
include children dressing up in costume going "guising", holding
parties, while other practices in Ireland include lighting bonfires, and
having firework displays.[174][289][290] In Brittany children would
play practical jokes by setting candles inside skulls in graveyards to
frighten visitors.[291] Mass transatlantic immigration in the 19th
century popularized Halloween in North America, and celebration in the
United States and Canada has had a significant impact on how the event
is observed in other nations.[174] This larger North American influence,
particularly in iconic and commercial elements, has extended to places
such as Brazil, Ecuador, Chile,[292] Australia,[293] New Zealand,[294]
(most) continental Europe, Finland,[295] Japan, and other parts of East
Asia.[18] Cost According to the National Retail Federation,
Americans are expected to spend $12.2 billion on Halloween in 2023, up
from $10.6 billion in 2022. Of this amount, $3.9 billion is projected to
be spent on home decorations, up from $2.7 billion in 2019. The
popularity of Halloween decorations has been growing in recent years,
with retailers offering a wider range of increasingly elaborate and
oversized decorations." (wikipedia.org)
Condition:New
Brand:Greenbrier International, Inc.
Type:Favors
Occasion:Halloween
Color:Black
Theme:Witches & Wizards
Style:Gothic
Material:Plastic
Features:Decorative, Hangable
Time Period Manufactured:2020-Now
Country/Region of Manufacture:China
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