Halloween: Ominous omens and silly superstitions

Times Past

Jonathan Smyth

The long, dark, and wintery evenings have very much closed in on us at this stage and there is a decidedly ghostly chill about them. The children are only settled back to school when their excitement doubles in the realisation that midterm is approaching and they have the added thrill of Halloween. And what annual high jinks do we suppose they may get up to?

With all the talk of hauntings and pranks we find our senses heightened as we lean towards the eerie side of things. We look forward to frosted mornings, and experience grim shadows cast by daylight’s shortening hours, and our senses absorb the atmospheric sound of rustling leaves beneath our feet. A thin vapour, they say, separates us from an unseen world of spirits from our Celtic past who are said to roam the earth on the evening of October 31.

As children from olden days will remember, the thought of witches, undead figures and fearful sprites entered many a youngsters mind and frightened them to the depths of their subconscious. What might we do at Halloween? We could try to find a good seanchaí and listen to a few tales. Ireland has a great reputation for stories, and you would have to be a bit on the boring side not to like them. Traditional figments of fear at Halloween are increasingly commercialised. Still, it is a time of fun for the family. Especially when the children are young.

Omens and superstitions

What do we know about omens and superstitions? Perhaps they are a warning, alerting us to a situation, or are they a manifestation from our psyche. Having been caught unawares, fear is like a motionless ghoul, you realised was staring at you through the window. Ghostly things happen when you least expect them. Around the world, omens can come in a variety of ominous forms. I remember being told never to eat blackberries after October 31 because the devil's spit had gotten them. In the distant past I had also heard it called the cuckoo’s spit by a man of an older generation.

Irish people once believed in a malignant creature known as the púca who sneaked about to curse the remaining berries during Halloween to coat the last of the berries in a spit-like substance. The púca is referred to as a type of devil that can take the form of a large black dog, which is considered a harbinger of doom.

Halloween was a time when the dead, it was believed, could return to their former homes. So, in olden times, if you heard a rattle at the door or a strange shuffling in the hallway, it may mean the arrival of a friendly presence. None-the-less, few of us would wish to experience anything too frightening. The most exciting thing I will probably aim for myself, is watching a horror film starring Vincent Price.

Welsh rarebits

In Wales, they refer to Halloween as ‘Nos Calan Gaeaf,’ which when translated means, the evening before ‘the first of winter'. A Welsh warning tells people to avoid gathering at a crossroads at Halloween. They believed where crossroads and styles are located, you could be subject to the sighting of a disembodied ghostly figure or some other sprite found perched on a ditch, road, or pathway at midnight. In Welsh folklore there are three calendar nights devoted to spooks. Another creature in Welsh Celtic mythology to be feared was the Hwch Ddu Gwta, which is a giant black sow without a tail and whose eyes are red. This creature is to be avoided and feared for it has the power to crush its victim’s bones to bits, should one be unlucky enough to cross paths with it.

Tempting fate is bad business and this may be especially true for the people who stood around a bonfire for the purpose of throwing white stones into the flames. Each stone displayed specific markings. On the following day when the fire had gone out, each of the participants hoked over the ashes to look for any of the white stones still visible. If one of those white stones should be found, it would mean that the individual to whom it belonged would not see another Halloween.

Scottish shenanigans

In the 19th century the royalty got up to a few of their own unusual shenanigans at Balmoral Castle amidst the scenic Scottish Highlands. If the generally ‘unamused’ Queen Victoria happened to stay at Balmoral around Halloween she liked to take part in the high jinks organised for her. One activity involved the burning of a grotesque looking figure they built earlier that day to go on the bonfire. She, the Queen herself, was given a burning torch which she swung for good measure before lobbing the lot into the assembled material that made the bonfire. Soon the searing flames rose high. Presumably, the ugly figure was a representation of a form of evil and the fire warded off the spirit’s power. Perhaps, the whole malarkey may have somewhat amused herself.

Christian associations

There is an interesting Christian link with the night whose origin came from Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Britannic cultures. In an article from October 2018, ‘Halloween and Its Christian Roots’, written for the St Anthony Messenger magazine, by Susan Hines-Brigger, gave an informative account on the topic. She poses a question: Where does the Christian aspect of the festival come from? In her response, she explains: ‘In 835 AD, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration for all the martyrs (later All Saints’) from 13th May to 1st November. The night before 1st November became commonly known as All Hallow’s Eve. Eventually the name was shortened to the current Halloween.’

The feast of All Souls Day on November 2 commemorates the souls of the faithful departed and adds a positive spiritual progression to what began originally as the ‘pagan’ festival of Halloween.

USA

Halloween in the United States mainly evolved from Irish, Celtic, and European cultural practices whose origins can be traced back to the Gaelic festival of Samhain, a celebration marking the end of the harvest season before passing through the invisible door leading us into winter.

In Ireland and Scotland, the month of November is translated into the native language of both countries as Samhain. In ancient times, communities gathered around bonfires and feasted while hidden portals linking their world to unseen realms were exposed to allow spirits to roam the earth for one night. Much of the enjoyable door to door ‘trick or treating’ and the fantastic costumes worn by children and adults today have a definite American feel.

Out of interest, have you carved your pumpkin yet? On many doorsteps, the carved features will cast shadows from the candle flame within. Spooky decorations were already up across the country since last week, and some were even spotted from early October. This Halloween, keep your eyes peeled for those witches and their pesky cackling. There may be a ghostly chill in the nightly air. Have fun and enjoy!