For Everyone: We love Halloween! It's one of our favorite holidays. We were surprised to hear that in Austria they do not celebrate Halloween. Instead, they celebrate a holiday called Rauhnachte. A long time ago, farmers used to believe, on Rauhnachte, animals in the barn could speak and had other magical powers!
Halloween History: No one is sure how old Halloween really is, but trace its probable origins back to BC times to the ancient Celts (pronounced selts), who lived in England, Ireland, Wales, and France. Almost all spooky Halloween customs were started by the Celts.
A Door Opens: The ancient Celts believed that the night before each new year, which they celebrated on the first day in November, a door opened between this world and the Otherworld - a place the ancient Celts believed was inhabited by supernatural spirits both good and bad. They believed that October 31 was the most dangerous night in the year. That night, people were exposed to the entire supernatural world.
Samhain: On October 31 each year, the ancient Celts believed that the ghosts of fruits and vegetables and the ghosts of people, spirits both good and bad, could visit the earth. On that date, the ancient Celts held a festival called Samhain (pronounced SAH-win), which celebrated the end of summer and the end of the food growing season. It was really a thank you party for all the fruits and vegetables in hopes that they would not be too mad that they had been harvested and were fated to be eaten. To protect themselves from bad spirits, the ancient Celts lit huge bonfires on high hilltops to scare bad ghosts away. Good spirits were not scared away by fire, and thus knew they were welcome.
Black Cats & Spooky Tales: The ancient Celts believed, on October 31st, the good spirits of the dead would come back to earth in the form of an animal, often in the form of a black cat, to be reunited with loved ones. Today, silhouettes of black cats are used as Halloween decorations, and people tell spooky tales, just as the ancient Celts did hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Sabbat: In Europe, there were people that thought of themselves as witches, with magical powers. They built big bonfires and made "magic" potions that they drank all year long on days they called Sabbats. They carried broomsticks with them to keep an eye on the fire, to sweep up little sparks, so the fire did not get out of hand. Of course, quite a few broomsticks caught on fire, but they were simply tossed into the bonfire. But, the Sabbat held on All Hallows Eve (Halloween) was special. People believed on that date, witches could fly on their broomsticks, but only on that special date.
Trick or Treat: Trick or Treat began in Ireland. Kids went door to door, begging for food on Halloween. They promised good luck to those who gave them food, and bad luck to those who did not.
Spooky Costumes: Again we have to thank the ancient Celts for the custom of wearing spooky costumes on Halloween, although in modern times, that has been expanded to include any costume, especially super heroes and princesses. In ancient times, the Celts believed that they could fool evil spirits into thinking they were evil spirits too, so the bad spirits would leave them alone. To do this, they dressed in costumes of ghosts and goblins.
Pumpkins: How did pumpkins get in the act? Most probably, pumpkins replaced turnips and potatoes, which are the vegetables the ancient Celts used to carve during the ancient Samhain festival. They carved happy faces, not scary ones. These were carved in honor of Jack-o-Lantern. Legend said that Jack was once a person, who when he died, could not get into heaven because he was too stingy, but the devil did not want him either. So his spirit wandered about, carrying a lantern. Yet another spooky tale put about by the ancient Irish Celts.
Baked Pumpkin Seeds: Baked pumpkin seeds are easy to make and fun to eat! Here's the recipe we use: Dig out the pumpkin seeds, rinse them off, let them dry on a paper towel for a couple of hours, dump them on a cookie sheet (without the paper towel, of course), and cook at 400 degrees for about an hour. Throw them in a bowl, sprinkle with butter and salt, and eat, shells and all.
Pumpkin Soft drink: For a pumpkin themed soft drink, place one or two scoops of orange sherbet in a glass. Pour in cold ginger ale. It does not taste a bit like pumpkin, but it is orange and bubbly, and very delicious. Add a straw, and drink!