Halloween Tidbits
- Irish and Scottish immigrants (combining the features of the Celtic and Christian holidays) brought Halloween to America. They celebrated the event with feasting, divinations, and mischief making.
- People had been carving gourds or pumpkins and using them as lanterns long before this practice was associated with Halloween. In 1850, for example, poet John Greenleaf Whittier mentioned the practice of his boyhood in The Pumpkin.
- In late 18th century America, Halloween was a night for mischief and pranks. Boys would make “tick-tacks,” cutting notches in the ends of a wooden spool and winding string around it. The spool would be placed right up against a window, with a nail serving as an axle. When the string was pulled, it made a loud and rapid “tick-tack” noise.
- The name “Halloween” began as “All Hallows Eve.” This became “All Hallow E’en,” leading to “Hallowe’en,” or Halloween. It was the evening before All Hallows Day, which was later called All Saints’ Day. (In this case, “hallows” meant “saints.”)
- All Saints’ Day, a feast for all martyrs and saints was celebrated on November 1st for the first time during the 8th century, but customs varied regarding its observance. Pope Gregory IV officially established this date for all Catholic churches in 837.
- Taking place on November 2, All Souls’ Day was a day of prayer for the dead. It was believed that the prayers of those still living could comfort dead souls, or elevate them from Purgatory. The observances began the previous evening with prayers and the ringing of church bells.
The Pumpkin: John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)
OH, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun,
The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run,
And the rock and the tree and the cottage enfold,
With broad leaves all greenness and blossoms all gold,
Like that which o’er Nineveh’s prophet once grew,
While he waited to know that his warning was true,
And longed for the storm-cloud, and listened in vain
For the rush of the whirlwind and red fire-rain.
On the banks of the Xenil the dark Spanish maiden
Comes up with the fruit of the tangled vine laden;
And the Creole of Cuba laughs out to behold
Through orange-leaves shining the broad spheres of gold;
Yet with dearer delight from his home in the North,
On the fields of his harvest the Yankee looks forth,
Where crook-necks are coiling and yellow fruit shines,
And the sun of September melts down on his vines.
Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before,
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?
Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!
When we laughed round the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune,
Our chair a broad pumpkin,—our lantern the moon,
Telling tales of the fairy who travelled like steam,
In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team!
Then thanks for thy present! none sweeter or better
E’er smoked from an oven or circled a platter!
Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine,
Brighter eyes never watched o’er its baking, than thine!
And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,
Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,
That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,
And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,
And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky
Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!
Source: Whittier, John Greenleaf. (1898). The poetical works of John Greenleaf Whittier. W. Garrett Horder, ed. London: Henry Frowde.
Bizarre Halloween Pumpkins
These are truly Spooktacular!
Halloweenie
When the Family Comes Home to Play
Ahhh … the holidays, full of love, good cheer, and LOTS of family. You could just sit around the fire and chat, but if you have little ones — even teens — chances are someone will get bored. Not to mention losing out on a great opportunity for everyone from the youngest to the oldest to get in some fun time! So here are some family party games to play to spice things up a bit.
Hide the Pumpkin (or turkey, or Santa)
A fun twist on the old staple of “Hot and Cold” – assign a decorative pumpkin (or turkey/Santa) as “it”. Someone hides it in the house… then, as the group looks for it, the person who is “it” says “Whooooo” in a soft spooky voice if you’re far away, and a loud “Whooooo” if you’re nearby – getting louder and louder the closer someone get to it. Whoever finds it gets to hide the pumpkin next. For thanksgiving, “gobble” like a turkey, and for Christmas, “HOHOHO” like Santa!
Nuts in a Basket
Assorted nuts are a holiday tradition. In this game, everyone sits in a circle. They each choose a “nutty” name, such as “hazelnut”, “peanut” or “almond”… then someone stands in the middle of the circle and starts the game. Whoever is “it” calls out two nuts at the same time – the two nuts have to switch seats without letting the person in the middle steal their chair. If they have their chair stolen, they’re “it” – or if the person in the middle failed to steal a chair, then he/she is “it” again. To create mass mayhem, the person in the middle can yell out “Nuts in a Basket!” – which means EVERYONE must get up from their chair and find another chair to be in. Lots of fun! You can change this up for “Fruit in a Basket” or “Candies in a Bowl”… whatever you enjoy the most.
For Thanksgiving Dinner I had …
This is an oldie but goodie … and can be changed for Christmas. Quite a simple memory game, the family sits in a circle and someone starts out “For Thanksgiving dinner I had ________”, naming a food. The next person has to start out “For Thanksgiving dinner I had _____ and ______”, repeating the food they just heard, and naming a new one. As you can imagine, the bigger the group, the harder it gets… especially if you go around more than once! Sure to get lots of giggles, and the best part is, you got to get off your feet for a while!
Make a Family Capsule
Same thing as time capsules, only centered around your family! Have them write a Christmas card to themselves in the future. Take a family picture of everyone there – or include a Christmas portrait that you had made. Put in some things that have significance of that particular year… and then close it up, and write a chosen year on it to be opened in the future. You decide – are you going to open it in a year? Five years? Ten? Enjoy!
Gifts for Christ
Something a little more Christ centered is gifts for Christ. Make a little box out of cardboard and fancied it up with some colored glue and jeweled buttons. Every Christmas Day, open the box and read what “gifts” everyone gave to give Christ the past year, and then put in the box new gifts you want to give the Savior the following year. These gifts are things that you want to give the Savior – things like “Being kind to my sister” or “No yelling in the home” or “Read my scriptures everyday” – whatever it is that you want to better your life so that you can better the lives of others, thus “As I have loved you, love one another”.
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