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| On my way to a Halloween party with the Irish American Society. |
Happy Halloween to you and yours!
The 31st
day of October has always been a special day for me. A time of fun, parties, and eating lots of
candy! What about for you? No matter what your age, can you envision
happy memories of Halloweens past? I sincerely
hope so.
Halloween: An Irish Invention
Wondering from
whence the festival of Halloween originated?
The Irish, of course!
Superstitions and customs abound in the hearts and minds of the people
even to this day. Halloween, also known as “All
Hallow’s Eve” and in the Irish, “ Samhain”, (pronounced as “sow-rain”), has its
beginnings dating back to pre-Christian times.
To the ancient people of Ireland known
as the Celts, October 31 represented the end of the growing season and the period
when the family was once again reunited after the long separation at “booleying.”
“Booleying: included taking the sheep
and cattle to higher ground during the summer, after the crops had been sown, by
the younger members. Sometimes the
entire family would migrate to the pastoral area and live there for several
months. On All Hallows, everyone returned home, bringing their livestock with
them. The day became associated
with family reunions and a time to
celebrate the old year ending while heralding
in the new year beginning.[i]
The ancient Druid festival known
as Samhain or "November's Eve,"
commemorated the coming of winter and an occasion to remember and honor one one's
dead ancestors. After the coming of
Christianity during the 8th century, it became an important church
observation as the “eve” before All
Saints Day on November 1. By day, families
gathered together to make merry, while by night, the spirits of their ancestors
were believed to return to their earthly homes and warm themselves before the start of a long, cold dreary winter. In welcome, houses’ doors were left open,
extra chairs placed close to the blazing fire, and dishes of porridge left out
just in case the spirits got hungry.
Bonfires were lit on the
hillsides to light their way home while the living gathered around it
performing such traditional favorites like the Bonfire Dance. The Bonfire Dance is a round or circle dance
performed with any number of couples and still widely performed today. At this same time, fairies roamed the
countryside freely heading back to their winter home, always on the look out to
make mischief for unsuspecting humans.
People donned costumes to “confuse” these spirits and protect themselves
from being carried away.
Festive Foods
Traditions run strongly
centering on the various types of food to be served, eaten and enjoyed during
the celebration of this holiday. October
31 was designated as a “day of abstinence” (no meat allowed) by the Catholic
Church. Therefore families, both rich
and poor alike, would gather together and feast on a special meatless dinner
which might include such wonderful dishes as: Boxty (potato pancakes;) Stampy
(a cake;) Colcannon, a dish including potatoes, onions, and kale or cabbage (see
recipe below;) and Barm Brack (a fruited bread.)
When preparing the barm brack,
coins and charms would get rolled up in waxed paper and then hidden in its’
mushy depths. The charms have special
meanings and when found in your brack, it foretold future: a ring meant marriage, a thimble designated
spinsterhood, a matchstick predestined your husband would beat you, a pea fated
poverty, a bean signified wealth, a religious metal determined you might enter
religious orders, and the button fated bachelorhood.[ii] Today this tradition continues with the
trinkets also being added into the Colcannon as well.
Halloween: A Night of
Games and Making Jack-o-lanterns
During Victorian times, a
multitude of games to be played abounded on this special eve. Dunking or bobbing for apples and coins out
of a tub always proved a crowd pleaser for the younger children, while
fortune-telling games entertained the older groups. One such game used burning nutshells in the
hearth to forecast the future romantic prospects for both boys and girls. Another favorite pastime employed beans for
the same reason. The beans jumped when heated and their direction and speed
would “divine” their future.
The tradition of the jack-o-lantern originates from Ireland
too, only turnips were used instead of pumpkins. (The carving of “pumpkins” started in America because
they happened to be a lot more plentiful than turnips here.) Per Irish lore, the original “Jack O’Lantern”
had lived back in the day and was an extremely evil blacksmith. So evil in fact that the devil banned him
from hell, dooming his spirit to walk the earth for eternity. But he
did allow Jack to carry around a hollowed out turnip with a burning coal ember
placed in its interior.[iii]
Just like today, a face or other shape
is carved into its flesh and a lit candle placed
inside. The jack-o-lantern would be
placed on a window sill of the house, on the gate outside, or hung from a rope
and carried from place to place as people walked.
Wearing a
Costume is Steeped in Tradition
Costume wearing dates back to the days of the Druids,
who believed that on Samhain, the realms between the living and the dead were
at their closest! The evil spirits would
attempt to collect as many souls as they could so precaution was needed by the
living to protect themselves. People
dressed up like witches, goblins, fairies, and other creatures hoping to
confuse the evil ones from noticing them.
As the years passes, children (and adults too!) continued to don
costumes and go from house to house chanting, “Help the Halloween Party!” to
all who answered their door to gather gifts of food or money. (Now “trick or treat” is also used as well.) [iv]
Halloween, when my brothers
and sisters and I grew up, was a time of great anticipation and fun. Of course, each year there was some sort of
costume for us to wear. I had a wide
variety of different ones over the years but the one I can still remember most
was of “Cinderella.” It sported a shiny blue dress with gold stars and a plastic
mask for the face. (Oh my, how uncomfortable
those masks were to wear….I would only put it on after I rang the doorbell at
each new house.) My own chants of “Trick
or Treat” continue to resound in my mind and I can still happily envision those
piles and piles of candy gathered spread out my dining table the next day.
Potatoes! Potatoes! Everywhere: A Recipe for Colcannon
Is maith na
fataí nuair bhíos an bláth bán orthu. (Irish Proverb)
(When the
blossom grows white, the potatoes are good.)
The Irish and their love of
the potato manifest itself throughout this recipe. I have found that the Czechs love their
potatoes about as much as the infamous Irish. So being part Irish, part
Moravian; how could I not LOVE potatoes myself!
The humble potato appears in all types of recipes but one of my favorite
Irish versions is colcannon,
a basic mashed potato recipe made with kale or cabbage. (Traditionally made with kale but now cabbage
is widely used.) The colcannon once
served at the old Tipperary Inn in Dallas,
Texas was the best I ever tasted
and memories of its superb flavor fueled my hunt for the best recipe. To find the right one took some research and
the one following is the one that suits me best. All the recipes use the same ingredients;
however, the ratio between the cabbages to the potato varies greatly.
Colcannon (cál ceannann)
1 lb. kale or cabbage
2 lbs. potatoes
Salt & pepper to taste
4 tbsp. butter
½ cup warm milk
3-6 scallion, chopped
Boil peeled potatoes in
salted water until tender. Drain
well. Mash thoroughly; add the salt
& pepper. Add the butter and enough
of the milk to make it creamy. In
another pan, boil the cabbage or kale in salted water for about 7-8 min. until
tender. Drain in colander to get out
excess water. Cut up or blend the
cabbage to very small chunks. Mix the
mashed potatoes and the kale/cabbage together well. Add the scallions and stir again.
If you wish to add charms or
coins at Halloween, make sure to wrap them securely in waxed paper before
hiding them in the mixture. (Remember to let everyone who eats it know about
the added extras before consuming.) Serve the colcannon by spooning into bowls
or onto the plate. Make an indentation
in the middle of the mound and add a small touch of butter. This makes just the right finishing touch and
gives it just a little more flavor.
Now Go Have Fun
I hope you enjoyed this
brief snippet about how the Irish “invented” Halloween. Believe me there is so much more and I had to
pick and choose what information to include.
For now, go eat some Colcannon,
play some games, or just eat a piece of two of candy or fruit. And
the next time you hear those words
“Trick or Treat” or “Help the Halloween Party”
Remember it was all started
by the Irish.
Happy Halloween.
Sharon
[i] Sharkie,
Brendan, “How the Irish invented Halloween,” online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com,
Ireland,
October 31, 2013.
[ii]
Haggerty, Bridget, “An Irish Halloween – Part 1, online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com,
October 31, 2013.
[iii]
Sharkie, Brendan, “How the Irish invented Halloween,” online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com.
October 31, 2013.
[iv]
Haggerty, Bridget, “An Irish Halloween – Part 1, online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com,
October 31, 2013.
