The Battalion
LIFESTYLES 6
Thursday, October 26,1989
Halloween originally meant to scare away evil
By James A. Johnson
Of The Battalion Staff
“Hurrah for merry Hallowe'en,
The night when playful smiles are seen,
When grinningjack o’lanterns glow.
And shadows into giants grow!
Then ghosts behind the corn-stalks hide.
If witches on their broomsticks ride,
And screech owls hoot from moaning trees.
If graveyards fearful forms release!
As gates break loose from creaky hinge
Black cats on top of fences cringe,
And boys blow beans at window-pane
While girls their lovers entertain.
And merriment, the sweetest boon,
Steps lively to a jolly tune. ”
Anonymous poem from ancient
European literature
The Halloween season triggers thoughts
of horrible masks, strange and unusual
gowns, ghostly figures, frightening pranks
and small children in the quest for a tasty
treat. Although many people celebrate this
festive day, few may know how the holiday
originated.
Halloween has clear connections with the
primitive and sometimes savage rites of the
priestly druids in the pre-Roman, pre-
Christian Celtic communities of Northern
and Western Europe.
To honor their great sun god, the Celts
held what was originally a festival for the
dead. It was believed that on Oct. 31, the
last day of the Celtic year, witches and war-
locks flew about, and hugh bonfires were
built to ward off these malevolent spirits.
A druid ceremony in pre-Christian
times, this festival of the dead was gradually
incorporated into Christian ritual.
In the ninth century, a feast in honor of
the saints was fixed on Nov. 1. And in the
11th century, Nov. 2 was specified as All
Soul’s Day to honor the souls of the dead,
particularly those who had died in the pre
ceding year.
The Celts believed that on Oct. 31 the
lord of the dead assembled the souls of all
those persons who had died in the previous
year, each having been required to expiate
his sins by dwelling in the body of an ani
mal.
The lord then decreed what forms the
dead persons should inhabit for the next 12
months or perhaps admitted some to the
druids’ equivalent of heaven.
In medieval Europe, elves, fairies, and
witches (who occasionally took the shape of
cats) were believed to fly on All Hallows’
Eve, and bonfires were lit to frighten away
any lurking evil spirits.
Thomas Green, associate professor of
anthropology and English at A&M, said
many of today’s Halloween customs re
sulted from the holiday’s early practices.
“Many of the early rituals are the reasons
why our costumes are like fearful crea
tures,” Green said.
He said that while other religions chose
to concentrate on the warding off of evil,
Christians chose to use the holiday for pay
ing respects to the dead.
One familiar sight people saw during the
celebration, Green said, was phantom-like
figures dancing around bonfires which
were burned on hilltops.
Halloween was then a time for games
and rituals involving methods of foretelling
the future. Through such omens as apple
parings thrown over the shoulder or nuts
burned in a fire, young people tried to de-
The hideous and sometimes happy faces of jack-o-lanterns were originally car- were actually used as lights in ancient Halloween celebrations, not just merely
ved into oversized turnips and potatoes — not into pumpkins. Jack-o-lanterns as decoration, which is most common today.
termine their marital prospects.
Holiday traditions were then taken by
the Scots and Irish to America, where the
pumpkin replaced the turnip for what we
know today as the infamous jack-o-lantern.
In Ireland, oversized rutabagas, turnips
and potatoes — instead of pumpkins (which
were not available) — were hollowed out,
carved into hideous faces and illuminated
with candles, to be used as lanterns at Hal
loween celebrations.
The name jack-o-lantern supposedly
came from an Irish, tale of a man named
Jack who was notorious for drunkenness
and for being stingy. One evening at the lo
cal bar, the Devil showed up to claim his
soul. Jack skillfully persuaded the Devil to
have a drink with him before leaving. To
pay for his drink, the Devil turned himself
into a sixpence, which Jack immediately
snatched. He put it into his wallet, which
had a catch in the form of a cross, prevent
ing the Devil from escaping.
Jack eventually released the Devil on the
condition that he be left in peace for an
other year. Twelve months later, Jack
played another practical joke on the Devil,
letting him down from a tree only after he
promised that he would never pursue Jack
again.
Finally, Jack’s body wore out and he
died. Barred from heaven because of his
misdeeds and from Hell because of the
pranks he played on the Devil, Jack in des
peration begged the Devil for a live coal to
light his way out of the dark.
Like the ultimate “Twilight Zone” epi
sode, Jack put the coal into a turnip he was
chewing and, as the story goes, is con
demned to walk the earth with his lantern
until Judgment Day.
By the late 1800s, Halloween had be
come a national observance in the United
States, characterized by games, divinations,
parties, and especially the custom of “trick-
or-treating” dressed in masks and cos
tumes.
There are several theories about the ori
gins of trick-or-treating. One theory claims
that the practice stems from the custom of
“souling” or “soul-caking,” when En
glishmen went around on All Saints’ and
All Souls’ Days begging for soul
cakes(square bread containing dried
grapes) in remembrance of the dead. Those
begging for cakes promised to pray for the
dead relatives of the donors.
The contemporary custom of trick-or-
treating also resembles an ancient Irish
practice on Halloween, when groups of
peasants went from house to house, asking
for money in order to buy luxuries for a
feast and demanding that fatted calves and
black sheep be prepared for the occasion.
Generous donors were assured prosperity,
while threats were voiced against misers
who were too cheap to contribute.
Although the 20th Century customs may
promote a less destructive version of Hal
loween, today’s celebrants still manage to
contribute to the havoc which has been pre
sent since Halloween’s beginning.
Green said Halloween has evolved from
what was initially an adult festival into a hol
iday primarily for children.
Although horror stories and recent neg
ative publicity have turned Halloween into
something considered evil by some, Green
views the holiday as merely another occa
sion for people to celebrate.
“It’s like every other festival,” Green
added. “You abandon some of your inhibi
tions. Everyone has different reasons for
celebrating something in different ways.
While our ancestors considered Hallow
een a serious event, other forms of amuse
ment still make Oct. 31 a day anticipated by
many.
Perhaps the biggest difference between
Halloween of the past and Halloween of the
present is that in its earlier years, partici
pants tried to avoid trouble by warding off
evil spirits. Today, most people find amuse
ment by causing trouble through such “en
joyable” practices as telephone pranks,
wrapping homes with toilet paper and
throwing water balloons at whomever dares
to spoil the fun.
Siory
Photo
OiThe
Frigl
wee ken
Kappa
third ai
house :
in the h
Ten
Bryan-i
group’s
lernity
for the
ion.
“We
lave s<
|ohn E:
aicatior
and a o
tturne
we dec
ome bi
Succe
he ME
heir h
loned
hat is n
This
iromisc
ind, ao
ihilantl
icarier.
Jarne
fom !)
he plat
xirtuni
is the }
nav*-'. a
“We’i
teal to <
.illy sai
;ind of
o stop
hould
odo.”
Rooir
ear ini
he Gri
loom, a
rawiing
Almo
iver, at
aced th
irogran
First,
he wan
o get
tarted.
Lucki
UDA lit
msiness
ions, ii
rood fi
md a $ 1
The c
.illy sail
pent $2
mtil the
bat me
Haunted houses, festivals offer
sinister, light Halloween fun
Looking for a ghoulish time to
make Halloween ’89 memorable?
The Bryan-College Station area
offers a number of events that
should fit this bill, several of
which are free. Happy haunting!
Jaycees’ Haunted House
The annual Bryan-College Sta
tion Jaycees’ Haunted House will
open Friday at 8 p.m. at 4613
Texas Ave. (the old Tom’s Bar-b-
que). The house will be open
through Tuesday, beginning at 8
o’clock nightly and lasting until
the crowd is gone.
Tickets for the event are $4 for
adults and $3 for children 12 and
under and may be purchased at
the house site. Refreshments will
also be sold at the house.
All proceeds from the event
are returned to the community
through Jaycees activities and do
nations to local charities.
For more information, contact
Sam Urso, Haunted House
Chairman, at 846-8751 (day) or
696-6280 (night).
Kappa Alpha Haunted House
The Kappa Alpha Fraternity
will be hosting their third annual
Haunted House in the Kroger
shopping center. The house will
be open Friday and Saturday
from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m., and
Monday and Tuesday from 7
.m. until midnight. Tickets are
2 pre-sale and $3 at the door.
The fraternity is trying to raise
$10,000 for the Muscular Dystro
phy Association.
St. Paul’s Family Fun Festival
St. Paul’s United Methodist
Church will hold a Family Fun
Festival Saturday from 8:30 a.m.
until 7 p.m. at the church — 2506
Cavitt in Bryan. Admission to the
fundraising event is free, and it is
open to the public.
An auction of goods donated
by local merchants will be held
from 10 a.m. until noon. Among
the items to be auctioned are a
portable deer blind and a three-
story doll house.
In addition, a sanctioned ama
teur arm wrestling contest and a
5K fun run will be held.
Weigh-in and registration for
the arm wrestling contest lasts
from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., with
the contest lasting from 2 p.m.
until 5:30 p.m.
Fun run registration begins at
7:30 a.m., and the run begins at
8:30 a.m. Registration fees are
$15 for the arm wrestling contest
and $10 for the fun run. For in
formation about either of these
events, call 779-7608.
Other activities include carni
val games and pony rides. A cos
tume contest will begin at 5:30
p.m. Free festival entertainment
includes puppet shows and a con
cert by the Texas A&M Women’s
Chorus.
For more information, call
779-7608.
OCA Haunted House
The fourth annual Off Cam-
E us Aggies Haunted House will
e held Tuesday from 8 p.m. un
til midnight in the MSC Ball
room.
Tickets for the event, entitled
“Little Shops of Horror,” are $2
and may be purchased at the
door or at the MSC Box Office.
The event is a fundraiser for the
organization, helping them to
sponsor club activities.
For more information, contact
Melissa Miller at 693-8776 or
Sherri Cook at 696-8646.
RH Alio ween
The Residence Hall Associa
tion will hold the annual RHAllo-
ween Tuesday from 8 p.m. until
midnight in the Grove. RHAllo-
ween is intended to provide a safe
activity on campus for both on-
campus and off-campus Aggies.
This year’s activities include a
costume contest beginning at
9:30 p.m. that will be judged by
Dr. John Koldus, vice-president
for Student Services.
Local band X-it will perform
music for dancing all night, while
a screaming contest will provide
appropriate Halloween sounds.
A&M residence halls will spon
sor booths to provide other types
of entertainment, including a
kissing booth, a “marriage” booth
and a ring toss booth.
Refreshments are free. Cos
tumes are not required for admis
sion, although they are encour
aged.
For more information, contact
Jennifer Wiley at 847-0679 or the
RHA office at 847-0689.
Compiled by Selina Gonzalez,
Chuck Lovejoy and Katsy Pit
tman.
Horror videos provide
pleasing party alternative
By Todd Stone
Of The Battalion Staff
If the lack of horror in your Hal
loween has you feeling down, why
not let the video store put some sus
pense back in your October nights?
For many, All Hallows’ Eve has
become nothing but a series of ho-
hum parties, boring haunted houses
and nagging kids banging on their
doors. But if you’re looking for some
excitement, just break out the pop
corn, round up a group of friends,
rent some scary movies at your local
video store and let the horror begin.
Here are a few viewing sugges
tions for the Halloween video con
sumer:
Halloween:
The obvious choice. This is the
movie that started the killing career
of Michael Meyers and established
Jamie Lee Curtis as the horror film
? |ueen. The first “Halloween” is by
ar the scariest. The sequels lose
most of the suspense and originality
of the first. However, “Halloween”
and “Halloween 2” would be a solid
double feature.
Nightmare On Elm Street:
Freddie Krueger is the Michael
Jackson of horror with that razor
finger-glove. The original offers the
most chills with good suspense, great
dream sequences and Freddie
screaching his fingers against all
metals for that cringing chalkboard
effect. Lots of blood too, and a good
horror film needs plenty of blood.
The sequels to “Nightmare” (“F-
reddie’s Revenge,” “The Dream
Warriors” and “The Dream Master”)
aren’t as scary as the original, but
they are clever with good special ef
fects and establish Freddie as a hor
ror cult hero.
Psycho:
Many say this is the perfect Hal
loween movie. Who will forget the
classic shower scene with Norman
Bates (Anthony Perkins), knife in
hand, slicing and dicing his way to
legendary status? Still, I remember
seeing this movie as a special presen
tation at my junior high school. If a
E rincipal isn’t scared to show it to a
unch of 12-year-olds, “Psycho”
probably won’t scare you either. But,
scary or not, it is a well-made film.
The “Psycho” sequels aren’t bad, but
they don’t match the innovation of
the original.
Alien:
For science fiction fans, this is the
perfect Halloween movie: a creature
chasing and killing a helpless space
crew through dark corridors of an
enormous spaceship. The film has
great suspense featuring an intense
climax, original special effects and
quality actors (Sigourney Weaver,
John Hurt). Another good double
feature: “Alien” followed by the
more action-packed “Aliens.”
Young Frankenstein:
In case you need to lighten up,
this film is a hilariously clever par
ody of that eternal Halloween star,
Frankenstein. Gene Wilder stars as
the mad scientist, and Peter Boyle
plays the funniest Frankenstein
ever. Mel Brooks directed the film
and wrote the screenplay with
Wilder.
The Exorcist:
“The Exorcist” is probably the
best film from the collection of de
monic possession films of the 70s
This movie is intense. The posses
sion is gripping, and Satan’s pres
ence is unnerving throughout the
film. Beyond the fear generated, the
film is also a serious drama about re
ligion and faith. And on top of all
that, you get to see a girl’s headdoa
360.
Friday the 13th:
Don’t waste your time. None of
the eight movies offer many thrills
This collection of crap is merely a
hodge-podge of cheap gore, poor
acting and stupid story lines. By the
way, why is it that teenagers who are
having sex or using drugs in these
films are always the ones who die
Maybe the filmmakers are preach
ing.
If the films just listed don’t atch
your eye, the list of quality horror
flicks goes on: “Night of the Living
Dead,” “Carrie,” “The Texas Chain
saw Massacre” and “Rosemary’s Ba
by.” “The Shining” is another must-
see. The film has the perfect horror
movie combination: Stanley Kubrid
directing Jack Nicholson in a Ste-
E hen King story. It doesn’t get an'
etter.
The haunted houses of boredoir
may be open, the keg parties or
oblivion are always there and thf
little munchkins from hell want their
candy. Renting a scary movie ma
not be the perfect solution, but at
least the movies may give you sonK
ideas on how to shut up the pester
ing kids.
y>”
jetting c
“I jus
" gro
nore Er
lio. “I ]
nore, bi
Jut anot
he begii
The 1
he met
udy th
Nns, the
midnigh
'ours of