The Roots of Halloween
Halloween15 min

The Roots of Halloween

Halloween grew out of an old Gaelic festival that marked the end of the grazing season, and its lanterns were carved from something sturdier, and far less orange, than a pumpkin.

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Show notes

Original jack-o'-lanterns were carved from turnips and mangel-wurzels, not pumpkins, to ward off spirits.

Ancient Samhain was largely a practical pastoral quarter day rather than a pagan death cult.

Medieval Christians traded spiced soul cakes for prayers to help deceased relatives escape Purgatory.

English children kept souling alive after the Reformation by swapping theological prayers for rhymes.

Communities promoted organized trick-or-treating during the nineteen thirties to curb widespread holiday vandalism.

In this episode
  1. 01Intro1 min
  2. 02The Grotesque Root in the Dark2 min
  3. 03The Invention of a Celtic Death Cult3 min
  4. 04Purgatory and the Liturgical Calendar2 min
  5. 05Purgatory and the Liturgical Calendar2 min
  6. 06Crossing the Atlantic and Taming Mischief3 min
  7. 07The Modern Mosaic3 min
  8. 08Outro1 min
Sources
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