Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween: An Irish Invention

On my way to a Halloween party with the Irish American Society.




Happy Halloween to you and yours! 

The 31st day of October has always been a special day for me.  A time of fun, parties, and eating lots of candy!  What about for you?  No matter what your age, can you envision happy memories of Halloweens past?  I sincerely hope so. 

Halloween:  An Irish Invention

Wondering from whence the festival of Halloween originated?  The Irish, of course!  Superstitions and customs abound in the hearts and minds of the people even to this day.  Halloween, also known as “All Hallow’s Eve” and in the Irish, “ Samhain”, (pronounced as “sow-rain”), has its beginnings dating back to pre-Christian times.

To the ancient people of Ireland known as the Celts, October 31 represented the end of the growing season and the period when the family was once again reunited after the long separation at “booleying.”  “Booleying: included taking the sheep and cattle to higher ground during the summer, after the crops had been sown, by the younger members.  Sometimes the entire family would migrate to the pastoral area and live there for several months.  On All Hallows, everyone returned home, bringing their livestock with them.  The day became associated with  family reunions and a time to celebrate the old year ending  while heralding in the new year beginning.[i] 

The ancient Druid festival known as Samhain or "November's Eve," commemorated the coming of winter and an occasion to remember and honor one one's dead ancestors.  After the coming of Christianity during the 8th century, it became an important church observation  as the “eve” before All Saints Day on November 1.    By day, families gathered together to make merry, while by night, the spirits of their ancestors were believed to return to their earthly homes and warm themselves before the start of a long, cold dreary winter.  In welcome, houses’ doors were left open, extra chairs placed close to the blazing fire, and dishes of porridge left out just in case the spirits got hungry. 

Bonfires were lit on the hillsides to light their way home while the living gathered around it performing such traditional favorites like the Bonfire Dance.  The Bonfire Dance is a round or circle dance performed with any number of couples and still widely performed today.   At this same time, fairies roamed the countryside freely heading back to their winter home, always on the look out to make mischief for unsuspecting humans.  People donned costumes to “confuse” these spirits and protect themselves from being carried away.

Festive Foods

Traditions run strongly centering on the various types of food to be served, eaten and enjoyed during the celebration of this holiday.   October 31 was designated as a “day of abstinence” (no meat allowed) by the Catholic Church.  Therefore families, both rich and poor alike, would gather together and feast on a special meatless dinner which might include such wonderful dishes as: Boxty (potato pancakes;) Stampy (a cake;) Colcannon, a dish including potatoes, onions, and kale or cabbage (see recipe below;) and Barm Brack (a fruited bread.)    

When preparing the barm brack, coins and charms would get rolled up in waxed paper and then hidden in its’ mushy depths.  The charms have special meanings and when found in your brack, it foretold future:  a ring meant marriage, a thimble designated spinsterhood, a matchstick predestined your husband would beat you, a pea fated poverty, a bean signified wealth, a religious metal determined you might enter religious orders, and the button fated bachelorhood.[ii]   Today this tradition continues with the trinkets also being added into the Colcannon as well.

Halloween:  A Night of Games and Making Jack-o-lanterns

During Victorian times, a multitude of games to be played abounded on this special eve.  Dunking or bobbing for apples and coins out of a tub always proved a crowd pleaser for the younger children, while fortune-telling games entertained the older groups.  One such game used burning nutshells in the hearth to forecast the future romantic prospects for both boys and girls.  Another favorite pastime employed beans for the same reason. The beans jumped when heated and their direction and speed would “divine” their future.  

The tradition of the jack-o-lantern originates from Ireland too, only turnips were used instead of pumpkins.  (The carving of “pumpkins” started in America because they happened to be a lot more plentiful than turnips here.)  Per Irish lore, the original “Jack O’Lantern” had lived back in the day and was an extremely evil blacksmith.  So evil in fact that the devil banned him from hell, dooming his spirit to walk the earth for eternity.   But he did allow Jack to carry around a hollowed out turnip with a burning coal ember placed in its interior.[iii]   Just like today, a face or other shape is carved into its flesh and a lit candle placed inside.  The jack-o-lantern would be placed on a window sill of the house, on the gate outside, or hung from a rope and carried from place to place as people walked.         

Wearing a Costume is Steeped in Tradition

Costume wearing dates back to the days of the Druids, who believed that on Samhain, the realms between the living and the dead were at their closest!  The evil spirits would attempt to collect as many souls as they could so precaution was needed by the living to protect themselves.  People dressed up like witches, goblins, fairies, and other creatures hoping to confuse the evil ones from noticing them.  As the years passes, children (and adults too!) continued to don costumes and go from house to house chanting, “Help the Halloween Party!” to all who answered their door to gather gifts of food or money.   (Now “trick or treat” is also used as well.) [iv]

Halloween, when my brothers and sisters and I grew up, was a time of great anticipation and fun.  Of course, each year there was some sort of costume for us to wear.  I had a wide variety of different ones over the years but the one I can still remember most was of “Cinderella.” It sported a shiny blue dress with gold stars and a plastic mask for the face.  (Oh my, how uncomfortable those masks were to wear….I would only put it on after I rang the doorbell at each new house.)  My own chants of “Trick or Treat” continue to resound in my mind and I can still happily envision those piles and piles of candy gathered spread out my dining table the next day.    


Potatoes! Potatoes! Everywhere:  A Recipe for Colcannon

Is maith na fataí nuair bhíos an bláth bán orthu. (Irish Proverb)
(When the blossom grows white, the potatoes are good.)

The Irish and their love of the potato manifest itself throughout this recipe.  I have found that the Czechs love their potatoes about as much as the infamous Irish. So being part Irish, part Moravian; how could I not LOVE potatoes myself!  The humble potato appears in all types of recipes but one of my favorite Irish versions is colcannon, a basic mashed potato recipe made with kale or cabbage.  (Traditionally made with kale but now cabbage is widely used.)  The colcannon once served at the old Tipperary Inn in Dallas, Texas was the best I ever tasted and memories of its superb flavor fueled my hunt for the best recipe.    To find the right one took some research and the one following is the one that suits me best.   All the recipes use the same ingredients; however, the ratio between the cabbages to the potato varies greatly. 
                                                                                                        
Colcannon   (cál ceannann)

1 lb. kale or cabbage
2 lbs. potatoes
Salt & pepper to taste
4 tbsp. butter
½ cup warm milk
3-6 scallion, chopped

Boil peeled potatoes in salted water until tender.  Drain well.  Mash thoroughly; add the salt & pepper.  Add the butter and enough of the milk to make it creamy.  In another pan, boil the cabbage or kale in salted water for about 7-8 min. until tender.  Drain in colander to get out excess water.  Cut up or blend the cabbage to very small chunks.  Mix the mashed potatoes and the kale/cabbage together well.  Add the scallions and stir again.

If you wish to add charms or coins at Halloween, make sure to wrap them securely in waxed paper before hiding them in the mixture. (Remember to let everyone who eats it know about the added extras before consuming.) Serve the colcannon by spooning into bowls or onto the plate.  Make an indentation in the middle of the mound and add a small touch of butter.  This makes just the right finishing touch and gives it just a little more flavor. 

Now Go Have Fun
 
I hope you enjoyed this brief snippet about how the Irish “invented” Halloween.  Believe me there is so much more and I had to pick and choose what information to include. 

For now, go eat some Colcannon, play some games, or just eat a piece of two of candy or fruit.   And the next time you hear those words

 “Trick or Treat” or “Help the Halloween Party”

Remember it was all started by the Irish.

Happy Halloween.
Sharon


[i] Sharkie, Brendan, “How the Irish invented Halloween,” online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com, Ireland, October 31, 2013.
[ii] Haggerty, Bridget, “An Irish Halloween – Part 1, online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com, October 31, 2013.
[iii] Sharkie, Brendan, “How the Irish invented Halloween,” online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com. October 31, 2013.
[iv] Haggerty, Bridget, “An Irish Halloween – Part 1, online at http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com, October 31, 2013.

No comments:

Post a Comment