Thank god for Halloween!

It’s that time of the year again, and people are getting ready to spook the hell out of others (pun intended). However, despite it being a joyous occasion for people to start dressing up: there will always be the social media Karens, the Debby Downers. Who adore publishing their pseudo-Biblical grievances about spooky season all over social media. Yes, we all know these evangelical fundamentalists who will start weeping (in tongues), as soon as they see the mere mention of this celebration. Burn the CD’s, play back the records. Oh, no, it’s Halloween again and the Devil is on the loose! It is this particular reaction that always reminds me of what the late Anton LaVey said in his 9th Satanic statement: “The Devil has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years.” This statement, becomes all the more evident as people who are either: conservative or open-minded Halloween devotees, prepare themselves for the winter solstice festivities!

Clearly, the only thing in churches that rake in more tithes than sex and sin, is Satan. Little do these morality crusaders know that Halloween actually originated as a (plagiarised) Christian celebration, which the Catholics stole from the Celtic pagans. Albeit unsurprising, as this is actually the case for all these popular ‘sacred’ Christian holidays, celebrated to this day: from Easter (originally Eostre – Germanic Pagan), to Christmas (originally Yule – Norse Pagan). Alas, such polemical conversations will have to wait…

The Christian social and political monopoly, especially in the West, has resulted in many of these sacred; ancient traditions from native faiths to be branded and as “demonic” or “Satanic”. I mean, you have probably heard of-, or even read some silly Facebook post about Halloween being the time where Satanists come to kidnap your cat and sacrifice your children. In no particular order. To violate your virgins, or brainwash your pets into worshiping the devil, via obscene orgies and rituals, involving a variety of bodily fluids. However, instead of practicing some inductive reasoning, with the aid of the information and resources at our fingertips. Many who are categorised underneath the ‘Occult umbrella’ (sometimes not even by their own choice), have to endure the yoke of perpetual misinformation and propaganda, peddled by evangelical Christians who, again, seem to loudly misunderstand things, quite a lot. And by that I mean, they make no secret of their self-righteous, uneducated and myopic voices about things they do not even know the first thing about.

Moreover, those who do follow the diverse occult philosophies (whether atheistic or theistic), are always accused of actively plotting Christian demise with the help of demons. Speaking of which, they are also accused of procuring Christian infants and virgins for their alleged bizarre rituals. Where do these people find the time and resources to manage the logistics of such a complex endeavour!? Doing it where nobody notices it, and getting away with it, without leaving a trace?

I mean, there will always be that idiot (probably like me) who will sneak a selfie and post it on Social Media – for shits and giggles. Blowing up the entire kafkaesque and orgiastic endeavour to viral proportions. I mean, it may well sound out of this world bonkers. And that’s because it is. I’ve explained this product of a widespread moral panic in more depth, in two preprint research papers. The first, titled; Satan speaks: Satanism and the post-apartheid scare of ‘the other’ in a Christian hegemonic South Africa. And the second, The ‘Satanic Panic’: exploring the influence of film in formulating narratives surrounding the lived religion of the Occult and its practitioners. You should go and read it.

Anyway, back to Halloween: where does it come from? And is it really “Satan’s birthday”?

Simply put, no. Obviously not, because Satan does not exist. However, let’s look at a little semantics first: Halloween, originally written as “Hallow’ e’en” on letter heads during the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500 C.E.), is actually a linguistic contraction (TLDR: a language phenomenon where terms and phrases get abbreviated), from the original (old) English: “All Hallow’s Eve”, a.k.a “All Saints’ Eve”. It marked the start of what was known by the Catholics then as “Allhallowtide”. A season reserved in the Christian liturgical calendar, to revere the lives of departed saints (hallowed). In other words, the souls of important dead faithful, and martyrs (those who fought and died for the Christian faith).

The dominant theory, regarding the origins of Halloween, avers that it was Christianised (more-or-less “stolen”, by Christians) in c. 9 C.E. who belonged to the first de facto Christian denomination: the Roman Catholic Church. Who ‘hijacked’ and repurposed this season, from the original Celtic pagan harvest festival, Samhain (pronounced ‘sauin’ as per the original Irish/Scottish Gaelic)! This festival was no more than a celebration of an end to the harvest season of crops (summer), and the start of winter (the “darker-half” of the year) in the Northern hemisphere. It was a festival celebrated by mostly lower-class farmers; featuring the slaughtering of cattle, accompanied by feasting, drinking and merrymaking around large bonfires.

Cattle were slaughtered to appease the Celtic harvest gods so they may keep the people, their crops and cattle safe during the cold winter ahead. Furthermore, large and ‘special bonfires’ were allocated for protection and cleansing rituals: as they were deemed to be sources of power. It was also believed that during this time, the veil between the living and the dead were at its thinnest, and so the Pagans prepared meals and set tables for their dearly departed relatives. A lot similar to the Mexican Dia de los Muertos festival, celebrated around the same time (October/November) to this day, in many Spanish/Latin-American territories.

The Celtic pagans, however, believed that the Aos Sí (in native-Irish religion, referring to ‘spirits’, ‘faeries’ or more directly translated, ‘people of the mounds’) would come visit the realm of the living. And seek hospitality. Although, apart from these individual celebrations, the main communal festivities were usually held at burial mounds in the hills (which were opened). As it was believed to be ‘portals’ through which spirits travel from the nether realm. Processions started at sundown on 31 October -ending again at sunrise on 1 November. Mumming and guising (disguises/costumes) were also a large part of the festival. People went door-to-door in costumes resembling pagan deities, reciting verses or rhymes in exchange for food and gifts. Some scholars believe that costumes may also have been a way of imitating the guises of, and/or disguising oneself from the Aos Sí. Divination also formed a big part of the overall celebrations, and often involved nuts and apples.

Eventually, Rome conquered the Celts c. 43 C.E. and ruled until 410 C.E. Resulting in the Roman Catholic Church, moving “All Saints’ Day” (usually held on 31 October, as well) to 1 November, while allocating 2 November for the celebration of “All Souls’ Day”. After the Roman Catholic Church had taken over the Celtic holiday of Samhain. Rebranding it and all that jazz, as a means to eradicate native pagan beliefs in the name of Christ… – in the Middle Ages, the original Celtic mumming and guising was replaced with “Soulling”. Which was a practice that emerged in late-modern England (1500-1800); practiced until around the 1930’s, where children and the poor went door-to-door begging (without costumes, though) for “soul cakes” (basically, a low-budget scone).

It was named as such, because they were given to these poor beggars in exchange for a promise of prayers for the departed (so that they may pass on from Purgatory, to Heaven), during Hallowmass. Beggars usually sang hymns, and recited?prayers?“for the souls of the givers and their friends”. Some Catholic churchgoers even had their soul cakes blessed by a priest (for a small fee, of course) before being distributed. The beggars subsequently promised to pray for these souls throughout the month of November. Which was -and in some locations, today still is, a month dedicated especially to praying for Catholic Christian (Hallowed) souls. Any leftover soul cakes were then shared among families, or given to the poor.

Most sources are in agreement that the aforementioned traditions of ritualised begging, are main examples of where the roots of late-modern (1800’s) ‘trick-or-treating’ lie. However, this too is contested by others as some argue that Scotland’s traditional day of guising, infamously known as “Guy Fawkes Day (Night)” (remember, remember, the 5th of November…) also made a contribution. A third opinion holds; though the modus operandi of trick-or-treating, today, is similar to the aforementioned. The origins of the actual ‘ritualised’ practice of trick-or-treating is actually more recent. It appears to have originated around the early 1900’s, during the Great Depression in the United States. Young pranksters would vandalise property “for the hell of it” -pardon the pun. The earliest reference to Halloween, Ruth Edna Kelly notes in her book, The Book of Hallowe’en (1919:141), “bags filled with flour sprinkle the passers-by. Doorbells are rung and mysterious raps sounded on doors, things thrown into halls, and knobs stolen…Hallowe’en parties are the real survival of the ancient merrymakings.”

Kelly thus describes the practice of Halloween festivities then, not as preludes to solicitation, but rather pranks that sought to inconvenience or aggravate its victims. Which resulted in much laughter from the perpetrators (obviously)! This statement also accords well with Newspaper articles, trending in the early 1900’s; reporting news of similar events. However, the question of origins, and its connection between old traditions of beggary, worsening acts of vandalism, and now “trick-or-treating”. Begs an answer to a missing link… The aforementioned acts of vandalism, during Halloween in modern America was strongly condemned during the late 1920’s. And festive-pranking was discouraged because it went from stealing doorknobs, to tipping over cars and burning buildings (among other acts of severe vandalism). Authorities sought to control the unruly pranksters, but were continually outnumbered. However, following wide-spread condemnation. The tradition (along with its ‘celebrations’) appeared to have ended, by the late 1900’s.

It reemerged again, however, when cities started encouraging parties as a more apt and acceptable form of fun (without the need for vandalism). Eventually, these parties spread in popularity and later civic groups started sponsoring costume parades, and cities became invaded with children dressed as goblins, witches on broomsticks, clowns, gangsters and hoodlums! Windows were already decorated in order to deter pranksters from putting up their own versions. Halloween celebrations subsequently not only became a treat for children, but also a preventative tactic against expensive pranks. Yet, even though expensive pranks were averted, that did not mean; pranks were eliminated altogether! Children in the 1900’s, instead pranked with minor inconvenience to its victims.

For example, hanging a dead fish on doorknobs and ringing the doorbell/knocking; then running away. This signalled, in many ways, the perfect prank: it annoyed the host, without really causing any real harm, or damage. It intruded in a way which was not just unpreventable but also unprovable: waging a sort of ‘invisible war’ against the peace and privacy of the households affected.

And so, with these events falling into place, it preluded the perfect “trick-or-treat”-ing endeavour. Yet, it never became a fully-fledged ‘ritual’ per se, until 1927 in Alberta, Canada. When the first description of a “trick-or-treat” emerged in a local newspaper. And then suddenly, sporadic accounts emerged with the words “trick-or-treat” written all over it. And it subsequently became known, ever since, as the contemporary Halloween practice we know and love today: Costumes, doorbell-ringing, and treats! Eventually, Hollywood (aided by the American post-Great Depression capitalism economy) soon took advantage of this mummery-tradition, popularising the blockbuster, John Carpenter’s Halloween in 1978. Followed by an entire series, stretching all the way to 2009, and then a remake of the original in 2018. Then the Church started spreading their conspiracy theories about Satanic cults, during what’s known as the “Satanic Panic” of the 80′ & 90’s…

And finally, who is “Jack”, and why is he a scary candle-lit pumpkin?

Today, one of the most popular iconographies, marking Halloween – aside from bats, trick-or-treating and dressing-up – is scary pumpkins. Its origins and myth are about as old as Halloween itself. Starting as an legend/old-wives-tale/scary ghost story, a tale of Irish-Catholic identity. The legend is much like the Christmas tale of Charles Dickens’ protagonist character Ebenezer Scrooge, in his novella (narrative prose fiction): A Christmas Carol.

The tale is tells the story of “Stingy Jack” (a.k.a “Jack o’ the Lantern“): a foul, old, drunkard of a blacksmith; who was a bit of a schemer, and all-round prude. Jack thrived on deceit and manipulating people for his own benefit. That was until his antics, eventually caught the attention of Satan when rumours of his vile reputation started to spread. Satan, however, took more than a passing glimpse of an interest in ol’ Jack and his antics. Thus he decided to orchestrate a sequence of events, which would result in their eventual meeting. One evening, in the rural hills of Ireland, Satan ordered one of his demons to pose as a dead man for “Stingy” Jack to bump into, on the side of the road.

When Jack encountered the corpse; a deranged face, with a foul grin plastered on its face, stared back at him. Jack almost collapsed out of shock. And simultaneously, he realised; his time was up. Satan had come to collect his soul. He then fell to his knees, begging the demon for a final request: one final drink, before he departed the world. The demon granted his request, and Jack invited Satan to the nearest tavern for a drink! One drink became two, and two became three, and so on and so forth… – eventually the pair became quite inebriated. As is bound to happen when you drink with an Irishman. When it was time to settle the bill, Jack told Satan (his new drinking buddy) that he didn’t have any money. So, Jack decided to appeal to Satan’s ego; suggesting that, since he was the devil he could turn himself into a piece of silver!

Satan, of course, obliged while Jack – instead of paying – shoved the silver coin in his pocket, fully aware that it contained a small crucifix within. Satan fought to get out, but was trapped in by said crucifix. Jack then made another deal with Satan, bargaining again, that if he left him alone for a decade (10 years). He (Jack) would promise to release Satan from his silver prison. Satan agreed and the deal was made. Ten years went by, and Satan came to visit Jack again. Ready to claim his soul and escourt him to the pits of hell. However, this time round, Jack appealed to Satan again. This time for an apple from the nearest tree, to quell his hunger before embarking on the long journey ahead. Yet, while Satan was busy selecting a choice apple, Jack carved four crucifixes on the bark of the tree, trapping Satan (again) within its branches. This time, Jack told Satan that he would release him only if he agreed that he would not take him to hell. Again, Satan had little choice but to submit to his request.

And so, “Stingy” Jack continued on with his life merrily, knowing that he was safe, and that he tricked Satan -not just once, but twice! Eventually, many years of alcohol abuse took its toll and Jack died. He may have outsmarted Satan, but he could not cheat his way out of mortality. Upon his arrival at the Pearly Gates, St. Peter turned him away. I mean, it is rather self-explanatory that heaven would refuse a lying and deceitful drunkard like Jack (…sorry, Christians). Alas, unphased, Jack decided to brave the journey down to hell where his brooding arch-nemesis was waiting. Biding his time to get revenge on Jack. Satan, ironically, being the honest and true-to-his-word one between them both cited their initial agreement. Back when Jack was still very much alive; turning Jack away from the Black Gates, too.

However, even though neither St. Peter, nor Satan. Would grant Stingy Jack entrance into their respective ‘eternal realms’, Satan did grant Jack one last wish out of pity. Jack only asked for an ember from the depths of hell, to provide him with light while he wandered the world in darkness. Satan picked one, small, burning red coal, and handed it to Jack. In order to carry the flaming ember, Jack hollowed out a Turnip and used it as a makeshift lantern. Ever since, Jack’s ghost has reportedly been spotted wandering, aimlessly, around the Irish countryside. And so, whenever one of the locals would spot glimpses of strange light, they say, “That’s just Jack o’ the lantern.” And therefore, it is said that Jack’s spirit was damned to wander the mortal realm, until Judgement Day.

However, the Irish Celts did not want his spirit to visit their houses. So, every year on 31 October (Samhain), they took precautions: placing carved Turnips and Rutabagas, with menacing faces containing a candle/ember on their doorsteps. In the hopes that it would serve as deterrent for bad spirits, including Stingy Jack’s. Between the 19th-20th centuries, when the Irish migrated to America; along came their Catholic beliefs, traditional myths and folklore. Eventually, they also discovered that the Pumpkin, a sort of gourd-species indigenous to the United States, was bigger and thus more effective for the aforementioned purposes.

And so, the next time you argue with idiots on the internet about the origins of Halloween: find out where they live, knock on their door the evening of the 31st, read a Bible verse to them, and offer to pray for their kids, parents (-or pets). And if they slam the door in your face without giving you a scone, tell them that you will ask the menacing spirit of Stingy Jack, to come and pay them a visit! As that’s what Halloween is about: soliciting free food from the overly religious, by blackmailing them with the salvation of their loved ones, while dressed as their biggest nightmare. Go forth, scare the Karens, and have yourself a happy Halloween!