Those of you who have followed our blogs & publications over the years will know at the heart of what we aim to do at Talking Trees is ‘Keeping Alive the Old Ways & Celebrating the Year’ which includes both new traditions as well as the ancient. Halloween as we know it today is probably the best and most successful example of a mash folklore. At the heart of folklore is the root of the word itself – Lore - ‘a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth’. And as we all know that as we pass things on, they change and become of the place, the time and often of the people themselves. Halloween has certainly done just that and has become a ‘folklore’ phenomenon in and of The USA to the point where I’d cite it as being the ‘origin’ place of it in its current form and popularity, with its roots coming from the Scottish, Irish and other European settlers.
We are currently ‘touring’ America and Canada and over the past month have seen a level of preparation and anticipation of this folklore event in these countries that is not matched anywhere else.
Its easy as a folklorist from Britain to become a bit ‘sniffy’ when it comes to folklore because of our long history, our hybrid culture developed from being a conquered and conquering nation and our roots as agricultural/pastoral, all of which has resulted in a wealth of past traditions, superstitions and annual celebrations. However, our ‘younger cousins’ have masterfully taken the core elements of a summers end festival, originating in our isles, to great heights of new ‘join-in’ festivity.
Our blend of Halloween connects Gaelic Samhain, marked particularly in Ireland, Scotland and Isle of Man and Nos Galan Gaeaf in Wales, that marked the end of summer and beginning of winter, together with the Christian church’s marking All Saints Day and Catholic All Souls Day, a tradition of seasonal bonfires, initially part of the end of the pastoral cycle, and Bonfire traditions following The Gunpowder Plot’s notoriety particularly in Southern England and into the Midlands, all of which led to a version of Halloween that was particularly celebrated in the Northern regions of the UK. A recent survey showed that people aged 60 plus had little or no association or memory of celebration of Halloween as children if they lived in the South or Midlands and that only northern and particularly Scottish people had recollections of the time being marked in any way. What we do know is that turnip carved lanterns, apple bobbing, divination games and guising door to door ‘begging ‘was part of the ‘northern’ traditions apparently influenced by wanting to recognise the change of season and with an inherent fear of the dark months and association with ghosts and the fey folk that have been recorded by that age group. But it appears that it began to spread, to become more present over the past 30 years, into all of the UK as America’s celebrations influenced us.
The key elements of ‘our’ Halloween were taken over to the States by those first settlers, together with a sprinkling of Victorian revival folklore ‘traditions’ and the writings of the likes of James George Frazer (1854–1941), who was a famous British anthropologist of his day, and who wrote the phenomenally successful book The Golden Bough in which he attempted to explain a history of our traditions - not always very accurately some would say - giving versions of how and why things were done.
What followed became America’s own full-on take which has now been brought back to us and the rest of the world, such is its popularity.
I could be cynical that the ‘candy’producers, modern popular culture such as films and TV and all types of commercial gain have fuelled the development of this seasonal celebration, however when we look at many a tradition there have always been ‘facilitators’ that financially benefit as interest and opportunity present themselves, with their contributions adding to the occasion. I think of the monks back in Chirbury in the late 12th and 13th centuries, who made tiny saint figures, to be purchased aiding connection and prayer, basically holy merchandise, that were sold to people who attended the gatherings on the borderland hills in places such as nearby Rorrington, where we once lived, and that even now they could occasionally be found ‘littering’ the banks of the stream.
What we have noticed here in the States is not just the pumpkin ‘Jack-a-lanterns’ grotesque carved faces but that many, many homes have pumpkins, squash, corn cobs and all manner of vegetables, corn, flowers adorning their porches and as wreaths on doors and swags along balconies that seem to hark much more to a celebration of harvest end. The popularity of Farmer’s Almanacs over here in some way has helped perpetuate and keep alive the seasonal influences, often referencing the origins and beginnings back to the early settlers’ countries and linking it to Summers end and the end of the agricultural cycle. The other influence seems to be the proximity to Mexico and Latin-American culture which has its own celebration of DÃa de los Muertos- Day of the Dead, that takes place over a couple of days incorporating Catholic All Souls Day on November 2nd. The beautiful decoration on many of the rather grisly skulls and skeletons that populate these celebrations really bring a different level of creativity and colour into proceedings, as life as much as death is honoured and have spilled into Halloween decorations and costumes.
We have of course also seen streets, shops, homes ‘dressed’ in suitably scary and very commercial looking Halloween merchandise and shops filled with so many sweet items for ‘Trick-or-Treat’ purposes that one can only imagine dentists gleefully rubbing their hands as they deal with the aftermath. But there really is a palpable excitement here as suitably themed music permeates the air, flyers and posters for events are everywhere and there is a real feeling of marking the day. This is after all at the heart of many a folklore tradition – it is of the moment; it is of the people now and it is being shared not only through generations but back to the ‘origin’ countries – showing them/us how to do it. I should add that not all Americans mark Halloween in this manner and some prefer not to mark it at all, but it is hard to get away from being involved, such is its popularity, especially if you have children, but not exclusively.
And yes there is a big part of me that craves a quiet private bonfire of lawn raked leaves & garden cuttings, a simple jacket potato, a baked apple, candlelight and only an owl serenading my marking the cross-quarter day of Samhain (a tradition I have taken on from our Gaelic neighbours traditions) where I remember my recent and past ancestors, have time to contemplate summers end and mark winter’s beginning. But being in the USA & Canada, seen through my folklorist eyes, has made me realise the true celebration is that we are united as people still wanting to keep alive the old ways and celebrate the year. The enthusiasm is catching.
Thank you to all the lovely people in the USA and Canada that we have met on our travels and for sharing your folklore and ways of celebrating with us.
Here are some Folklore Traditions in the UK that are rather calming compared to our USA cousins and that you may want to try as part of your celebrations today.
Listen to or try singing some ‘Souling’ songs – these were songs traditionally sung for the dead that became taken around houses in return for a soul cake or other financial or food recompense. By singing a souling song the soul of recently departed loved ones , that may be in purgatory would come closer to their heavenly goal. (Most associated with All Soul’s Day – 2ndDecember) it became one of many ‘begging’ traditions to support the poor and needy, together with ‘guising’ (the tradition of disguising yourself) then going door to door or in a central location to achieve food or finance to help survival when work was short.
Make some Soul Cakes- certainly nowhere near the intake of sugar of current ‘trick or treat candy! The Soul cake would traditionally be marked with a cross cut into it. Large estate houses were recorded as having cooks bake many batches made to hand out to the poor and needy. Or perhaps a bowl of Frumenty, a porridge like meal that could be sweet or savoury and was recoded as given to the ploughmen on finishing the harvest as well as featuring in Christmas meals in poorer households.
Divination Games – became popular as this time of the year has become associated with our ancestors and the dead. One such game was looking into a mirror at midnight and seeing who appears to predict a future spouse.
Apples are particularly associated with this time of year with apple bobbing, apples on strings and even the pips in apples being utilised into divination games.
It is hardly surprising that minds became focussed on death as the winter began and the vulnerable were picked off by illness, cold and famine. It is thought that by wearing costumes, lighting bonfires and making merry was a way to face up to the demons lurking and waiting to get us in the dark winter nights.
Ghostly Tales – the telling of ghostly tales over the winter months has long been popular, as we are in the darker part of the year and we find ourselves more easily frightened by the shadows, we become drawn to reading, listening to or sharing tales – true or otherwise.
However you choose to mark this time of the year we wish you more treats than tricks, happiness, a bit of frightening fun and that you have a cosy late-autumn and wintertime . Make time to remember those who are no longer with us and invite them into your hearts and homes to mark summers end with you and the transition into winter.
You may want to take a look at our new Countdown ‘Advent’ Calendars from our shop
Both have a slightly more folklore and ghostly look. The Winter Wassailing Countdown shows mummers visiting the crab apple tree to wassail it for a bountiful supply of fruit in the following year to benefit the animals of the woods and The Yuletide Hauntings Countdown includes famous December Hauntings behind each door and shows a ghostly Mari Lwyd on its front.
