With the arrival of Halloween comes the end of many weeks of black-and-orange color themes and those traditionally commercialized images of pumpkins, witches, kids in costumes and other scary stuff.
But what about the origins of these symbols? Curiosity may have killed the proverbial cat, but the Prowler always enjoys reading and sharing holiday history, trivia and lore.
Black is popular because it's the color that absorbs the most heat (important in cold weather) and representative of the lengthening hours of night. Orange represents autumn bonfires, as well as the color of changing leaves.
Jack-o'-lanterns were originally not pumpkins, but potatoes, turnips or other veggies carved to hold a candle. Travelers carried them like decorative flashlights, sans today's batteries and halogen bulbs.
Take your pick from two explanations for costume-wearing, both derived from ancient pagan traditions. At Samhain--the Celtic New Year of Oct. 31--the veil between this world and what lies beyond is supposedly its thinnest. To confuse and discourage wandering spirits from meddling with human affairs, costumes were donned.
Another explanation suggests that the costumes worn at this time represent New Year's resolutions, of sorts. Hence, if you hope for riches and romance, dress as a princess. To become more attractive or social, try being a butterfly. Dress as a wolf or lion for strength, courage or respect.
And now for one of the most common images--witches on broomsticks. In the Middle Ages, growing crops were critical to peasants' survival. Using the light of the moon to see by, they sometimes took pitchforks, sticks, brooms and other tools and danced at night, jumping high to encourage the crops to grow to similar heights. Through misunderstanding folks mistakenly equated the fertility rite with evil intentions, and evil with witches.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 30, 1996.
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