Halloween traditions Archives - View from the Front Porch

30 10, 2017

Where did Halloween come from?

By judythemorgan|2017-10-05T10:20:13-05:00October 30th, 2017|Holidays|0 Comments

Halloween’s origin dates to The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, United Kingdom, and France.

Celts believed the boundary between worlds of the living and the dead became blurred the night before their New Year, which is November 1^st.

On October 31^st they celebrated the festival of Samhain, lit bonfires, and wore costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.

In the eighth century Pope Gregory III designated November 1^st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs and incorporated some Samhain traditions.

October 31^st became All Hallows’ Eve and eventually Halloween, the secular, community-based events filled with craved pumpkins and trick-or-treat, that we celebrate today.

But why crave pumpkins?

An Irish myth about an old drunk called “Stingy Jack” is said to be the reason.

Can you guess why he was called stingy? Of course, because he never wanted to pay for his drinks.

Read the full story here or watch to the fun, spooky video below:

The Irish used turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets for their lights to keep Stingy Jack away and ward off evil spirits on All Hallow’s Eve. Pumpkins became the jack-o-lanterns when waves of Irish immigrants came to America to escape the Potato Famine. They quickly discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out.

Oh, and one more tidbit of information about jack-o-lanterns. This advice comes from the antique dealer me, not the Irish storyteller. Be careful where you display your cleverly carved jack-o-lanterns. The base of a pumpkin can stay moist for days and will rot and stain wood or even marble. Put either foil or a dish with a raised edge under any pumpkins or gourds you display this fall. I’ve stained more than one old piece of furniture decorating for fall with gourds and tiny pumpkins.

Ideas for Romancing Halloween

By judythemorgan|2015-10-22T18:47:29-05:00October 29th, 2013|one word Wednesday|1 Comment

On Monday, we talked about the origins of Halloween and the legend behind why we carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. Today let’s enjoy some vintage Halloween cards and explore folktales that help young women identify their future husbands.Romance writers should love these folktales and see potential romance stories.

According to folklore, young women have tossed apple-peels over their shoulders on Halloween, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands’ initials.

Or, peered at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water to learn about their futures.

Or, stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands’ faces.

One legend claims the first successful apple-bobber will be the first to marry.

Another suggests that matchmaking Irish cooks bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who finds it.

Scottish fortune-tellers recommend eligible young women name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace on Halloween night. The nut that burns to ashes rather than popping or exploding, represents the girl’s future husband.

In a confusing version of this same tale, the opposite was true: The nut that burns symbolized a love that would not last.

Another option with food suggest eating a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts, and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night can bring dreams about a future husband.

But what if you’ve already found your mate, you say.

Then try some of these ideas for romancing your Halloween night.

~~Decorate your house for a Halloween evening. Let flickering candlelight set the mood. Place gourds or pumpkins hollowed out and filled with orange and purple flowers.

~~Prepare a warm and intimate Halloween dinner. How about a delicious pumpkin soup, followed by a herb roasted chicken with mashed potatoes – maybe you’ll find a ring inside –, and, of course, dark chocolate for dessert? Click here for the chicken recipe. And here for a wonderful pumpkin soup recipe from the Pioneer Woman.

~~Cuddle together on the couch and watch a scary movie. Frightening moments give you the perfect excuse to snuggle. Check out IMdb’s list of the 60 Scariest Movies if you need ideas.

~~Plan midnight picnic with finger foods. Head into the woods – near a graveyard if you want to be spooky. If you want to be warm and safe, picnic in front of a roaring fire or in the middle of your bed.

~~Enjoy a hayride if you live in a rural area. Nothing better than burrowing beneath a warm blanket and watching the night sky to stimulate romance.

~~Book a bed and breakfast in a rural, isolated area for a romantic escape.

~~Attend a Halloween costume party BUT don’t tell each other about your costume and arrive separately. Pretend you’re truly strangers meeting for the first time.

~~Head out to a local haunted house for a scary date night holding each other’s hands.

Wishing you a fun-filled, romantic Halloween evening.

Why do we carve pumpkins on Halloween?

By judythemorgan|2017-10-05T09:45:17-05:00October 28th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|5 Comments

This week is a time of celebration and superstition and tradition. It’s Halloween.But do you know why we celebrate Halloween?

The origins date back to The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in Ireland, United Kingdom, and France.

November 1^st was the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The Celts believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred the night before their New Year. On October 31^st, the New Year’s Eve, they celebrated the festival of Samhain. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.

By the eighth century the traditions evolved when Pope Gregory III designated November 1^st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs, incorporating some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before became known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween.

Through the years, Halloween has become the secular, community-based event we know today.

That’s the history of the holiday, but the Irish in me loves finding the story behind the holiday traditions.

Like the legend behind making jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween decorations, which originated from an Irish myth about an old drunk called “Stingy Jack.”

Can you guess why he was called stingy? Of course, because he never wanted to pay for his drinks.

As the story goes, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him.

When it came time to pay, true to his name, Stingy Jack talked the Devil into turning himself into a coin he could use to pay for their drinks… And then the story gets interesting.

Jack dies. But, because he made deals with the devil, God won’t let him into heaven. Because of his deal with the devil not to take his soul, he can’t go to hell.

So Jack roams the dark Halloween night with a burning coal in a carved-out turnip. The Irish refer to his ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” or “Jack O’Lantern.”

Read the full story here or watch to the fun, spooky video below:

On All Hallow’s Eve, the Irish hollow out turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets then place a light inside to keep Stingy Jack away and ward off evil spirits.

Turnip Jack-o-lanterns changed to pumpkin jack-o-lanterns when waves of Irish immigrants came to America in the 1800’s to escape the Potato Famine. They quickly discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out.

And thus begin our tradition of carving and lighting pumpkins for Halloween.Oh, and one more tidbit of information about jack-o-lanterns. This advice comes from the antique dealer me, not the Irish storyteller.Be careful where you display your cleverly carved jack-o-lanterns. The base of a pumpkin can stay moist for days and will rot and stain wood or even marble. Put either foil or a dish with a raised edge under any pumpkins or gourds you display this fall.