By DR. PAUL H. RISK
At 6:29 this evening the sun will disappear slowly in the west as darkness falls. At 7:28 p.m. the moon, only three days past full will climb above the eastern horizon. The breezes will momentarily pause as an expectant hush falls over the land. An owl may hoot mysteriously in the dark while wraithlike bats flutter on leathery wings. Yes, Charlie Brown, the Great Pumpkin will slowly and silently rise out the pumpkin patch, gleaming and glowering down on all the tiny, costumed mortals who play at being the frightening things of the night. Halloween is here. Heh! Heh! Heh!
Both the moon and Halloween are surrounded by a wealth of mythology. Full moons are particularly impressive and for generations the belief has existed that exposure to its rays can drive one beyond the edges of sanity into the world of the lunatic.
Pumpkin-orange at first, the moon will lighten through yellow to brilliant white as it rises higher in the sky, bathing the land all night long and not setting until 9:08 in the morning.
Slightly above the moon you can see the sparkling star cluster of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters. Directly below, Taurus the Bull spans the sky, its red eye, the star Aldebaran, gleaming. A little below you’ll see a brilliant “star” that is the planet Jupiter.
Formerly known as All Hallows Eve, Halloween was once a day to honor saints. However, according to the ancient Celts, summer officially ended on the 31st of October and they named the holiday Samhain, the Celtic New Year. One Halloween belief is that on that day, the spirits of those who died during the preceding year return to possess the bodies of the living. For protection, people dressed in strange and frightening costumes to discourage the evil spirits.
Trick or Treating, according to Jerry Wilson, writing on the history and traditions of Halloween, began with a ninth century custom called ”souling.” On November 2nd, All Souls Day, early Christians went from village to village begging for “soul cakes,” square pieces of bread studded with currants. The more soul cakes a person received, the more prayers they promised to offer on behalf of those who had died, a process they hoped would help the wandering souls get to heaven.
According to Irish tales, the Jack-o-lantern originated when a drunkard named Jack tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved a cross into the tree trunk making it impossible for the devil to climb down. After some intense bargaining, Jack promised never to trick him again and let him descend. When Jack died, St. Peter refused to allow him into heaven because of his dealings with evil and the devil barred the door of hell as well since Jack had once tricked him. That left poor Jack roaming through the world in disembodied form forever. Satan gave him a glowing ember from his many fires to light his way at night, placing it in a hollow turnip to make it last longer. As a result, the Irish originally used turnips as “Jack’s lanterns” However, immigrants to the United States found that pumpkins worked better and they have been used ever since.
Nowadays Halloween is more fun than fury, more happy than horrible. Yet, many people worry excessively about its dark and deep implications and the sight of joyful little “ghouls” and “goblins” with shopping bags as large as themselves strikes terror in their over-anxious hearts.
Perhaps we ought to relax a little and just enjoy the season. Let the ancient tales tingle your imagination a bit and wonder a little about the meaning of all the unusual celestial events connected with this Halloween. Will unexplainable, supernatural things happen tonight? Hmmmm? Probably not, but who knows?
In any case, keep a close watch on the moon. Perhaps you’ll glimpse the fleeting shadow of a pointy-hatted, gnarl-nosed old hag riding a flying broom sweep across its glowing face. Of course, it may only be the silhouette of a migrating goose, heading south for the winter. But —-maybe not. Whatever else, remember that too many somber adults taking things too seriously can spoil a log of fun for kids. Just relax and enjoy yourselves.
Dr. Risk is a professor emeritus in the College of Forestry at Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. Email: prisk@sfasu.edu.
