Halloween

What is Halloween?
Halloween or Hallowe'en (a
contraction of "All Hallows'
Evening"), also known as All
Hallows' Eve, is a yearly
celebration on October 31, the
eve of the Western Christian feast
of All Hallows' Day. It initiates the
triduum of Hallowmas, the time in
the liturgical year dedicated to
remembering the dead, including

The symbols of
Halloween
Ghosts and Skeletons :
Ghosts are universal
symbols for the
departed. Skeletons and
bones are symbols of
death. Samhain is the
festival of the dead, so it
seems fitting that ghosts
and skeletons would be
used. It was thought
that on this night of the

More symbols of
Halloween
Spiders and Webs : Spider
and webs represent dark,
spooky places and haunted
houses long forgotten.
Bats : Because they fly only
at night and live in tombs and
abandoned churches, bats are
believed to be an omen of
evil. linked to death and
occult rituals.
Owls : Superstitions
suggest that owls ate the
souls of the dying by

Even more symbols of

Halloween
Witches : witches are thought
to be tellers of fortune and to
cast spells, both good and bad.
Broomsticks : Witches and
broomsticks go hand in hand.
Often witches are depicted riding
them across the night sky with a
black cat on the end.
Black Cats : Cats have been
considered by many to be
spiritual animals. Western
superstitions would have us
believed that black cats have

Jack-o-lantern
A Jack-o-lantern is a
carved pumpkin and was
named after the
phenomenon of strange
light flickering over peat
bogs called will-o-the-wisp
or Jack-o-lantern. The term
will-o-the-wisp uses
wisp (a bundle of sticks
or paper sometimes used as
a torch) and the proper
name Will, thus Will-of-

A story about Jack-olantern

Some old Irish folk tale tells
of Stingy Jack, a lazy yet
shrewd farmer who uses a
cross to trap the Devil. The
story says that Jack tricked the
Devil into climbing an apple
tree, and once he was up
there Jack quickly placed

Yet another story

Another story says that Jack was getting
chased by some villagers from whom he had
stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it
was time for him to die. However, the thief
stalled his death by tempting the Devil with a
chance to bedevil the church-going villagers
chasing him. Jack told the Devil to turn into a
coin with wich he would pay for the stolen
goods. Later, when the Devil disappeared, the
Christian villagers would fight over who had
stolen it. The Devil agreed to this plan. He
turned himself into a silver coin and jumped
into Jacks wallet, only to find himself next to a

But you still dont know

where does the name Jacko-lantern come, do you?
In both folktales, Jack only lets the Devil go
when he agrees never to take his soul. After a
while the thief died, as all living things do. Of
course, his life had been too sinful for Jack to
go to Heaven; however, the Devil had
promised not to take his soul, and so he was
barred from hell as well. Jack now had
nowhere to go. He asked how he would see
where to go, as he had no light, and the Devil
mockingly tossed him an ember from the
flames of hell, that would never burn out. Jack
carved out one of his turnips (which were his

Trick or treat
The custom of 'trick or treat' probably has
several origins. And they are mostly Irish. An old
Irish peasant practice called for going door to door
to collect money, bread cake, cheese, eggs, butter,
nuts, apples, etc., in preparation for the festival of
St. Columbus Kill. Yet another custom was the
begging for soul cakes, or offerings for one's self particularly in exchange for promises of prosperity
or protection against bad luck. It is with this custom
the concept of the fairies came to be incorporated
as people used to go door to door begging for
treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually
result in practical jokes being visited on the owner
of the house.

Halloween Quotes
Shadows of a thousand years rise again
unseen,
Voices whisper in the tress, Tonight is
Halloween!
This the night the night of the graves
delight
When witches go ridin,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
this near Halloween.
To suffering there is a limit; to fearing,
none.

Yeah, I know Halloween

is over, but I just
wanted to tell you

H a we e n
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