Halloween Trivia
1. Which of the following were used as carved lanterns in England, rather than today’s pumpkins: beets, potatoes, turnips, or apples? In England, large beets are used. They place a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away.
2. What punishment did Jack of jack-o’-lantern have until Judgment Day? The jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree’s trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree. According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.
3. What was frequently baked into cakes in the past centuries in Europe, in order to bring wealth to the individual finding it? Silver coins were baked into cakes and the finder would supposedly find wealth as a result.
4. What was the significance of finding a thimble in your cake on Halloween in centuries past in Europe? The significance of finding a thimble in your cake was that they believed the finder would never marry.
5. What was the significance of finding a ring in your cake on Halloween? The person who finds a ring in their cake would marry soon.
6. What Celtic festival is thought to be the source of present-day Halloween celebrations? Almost all stories about the origin of Halloween state that Halloween had its origins among the ancient Celts and is based on their “Feast of Samhain.”
7. Who was Samhain? Some historians believe that Samhain was the Celtic God of the Dead, however, most historians and McBain’s Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language says that ‘samhuinn’ (the Scots Gaelic spelling) means ‘summer’s end’…” The Celts observed only two seasons of the year: summer and winter. So, Samhain was celebrated at one of the transitions between these seasons.
8. What Roman festival was later added to the celebration of Halloween occurring in late October? It was used to honor the dead. The Roman festival of All Soul’s Day was added to the festival of All Saint’s Day.
9. What Christian festival follows Halloween on November 1st? All Saints’ Day is the Christian festival following Halloween on November 1st.
10. What is another name for Halloween in England? Originally Halloween was called All Hallow’s Eve.
11. What Roman holiday or festival occurred in the first part of November and honored the goddess of fruit? For four hundred years the Romans ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and today the tradition of “bobbing” for apples is practiced today on Halloween.
12. What animal frequently associated with Halloween did the Celts believe had once been human? They thought that cats had once been human beings, but were changed as punishment for their evil deeds. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.
13. In what country did trick-or-treating originate? The American “trick-or-treating” probably dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would be for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots originated because it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, and to avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits.
14. What group “trick-or-treats” for money in order to help children around the world?
UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a group that collects money on Halloween to provide children around the world with clean drinking water, food and clothing. This started in 1950 when a school class had the idea of collecting money for needy children while they were out trick-or-treating. They sent the money they made, which was about $17, to UNICEF.
15. What was the original name for Halloween? The name is actually a shortened version of “All Hallows’ Even,” the eve of All Hallows’ Day.
16. What is the meaning of Halloween? Hallow is an Old English word for “holy person,” and All Hallows’ Day is simply another name for All Saints’ Day, the day on which Catholics commemorate all the saints. At some point, people began referring to All Hallows’ Even as “Hallowe’en” and then simply “Halloween.”
17. Who wrote “Halloween”, a poem describing “guisers” in a British Isles’ village?
The poem “Halloween” was written by Robert Burns and guisers refers to children.
18. In what century was All Saints’ Day established on November 1st? All Saints’ Day was originally observed on May 13 in the eighth century. Pope Gregory III moved it to November 1. Officially, this new date was chosen to mark the papal dedication of a church honoring the saints. But it is commonly believed that the observance was actually moved to correspond with other pagan fall festivals.
19. What was the name of the mass said on Halloween? The Catholic mass said on Halloween /All Saints’ Day was known as Allhallowmas.
20. What celebration began on November 1st for the Celts? Celts celebrated their new year on November 1 and this was called Samhain. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter.
21. On the evening of the Celtic festival that was the forerunner of Halloween, what was ordered to be done to all homes? On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people placed bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter. In addition, all people were required to extinguish their home fire and relight it from the festival bonfire.
22. In what year did the Romans conquer the Celts and combine their festivals to make the predecessor of Halloween? In 43 A.C.E, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory, and combined their festivals to make All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween.
23. In ancient Ireland what was the name of the god in whose honor people begged for food in a parade? In ancient Ireland people begged for food in a parade in honor of the God named “Muck Olla.”
24. In ancient Wales what did people mark and put in a bonfire? Kostroma (from “Koster” meaning ‘bonfire’ in Welsh), a fertility Goddess, personification of spring, who dies at the end of spring, only to arise once more at the end of winter. She was represented as girl dressed in white with oak branch in the hand. Her thatched scarecrow is burnt in a bonfire representing the “Parting of Spring”.
25. What did people do when they went a-souling? Christians would walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes” made of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they promised to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.
26. What are the pastries called that people received on All Soul’s Day when they went a-souling? The pastries that people received on All Souls’ Day when they went a-souling was called “soul cakes”.
27. Was Halloween widely celebrated in colonial America? Halloween was not widely celebrated in America during the first few hundred years of settlement. The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840’s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine.
28. From what Saxon word meaning “wise one” does the word witch derive? The Saxon word, wicca, masculine, and wicce, feminine, means a wizard or a witch. Wicca is a corruption of witega, a wise one, prophet, seer, magician, or sorcerer. The Anglo-Saxon word witan means to see or to know.
29. In what tale does Grimm tell about an old owl circling overhead warning of a witch close by? (This tale led to our association today of owls and witches with Halloween.
The Grimm’s Brother tale called, “Jorinda and Joringel,” tells of a witch, who changed herself into a screech owl and circles overhead bringing terror.
30. In the past, people in Brittany heard what sound just prior to midnight on the eve of All Soul’s Day? Prior to midnight on the eve of All Soul’s Day the people went into the cemeteries at nightfall to kneel bare-headed at the graves of their loved ones, pour holy water or milk on the tombstone and ring bells.
31. Is Halloween celebrated in Latin America as it is in North America? In Latin America, All Souls’ Day, which takes place on November 2, is commemorated with a three-day celebration that begins on the evening of October 31. The celebration is designed to honor the dead who. Many families construct an altar in their homes to honor deceased relatives and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, samples of the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks, and fresh water. Often, a washbasin and towel are left out so that the spirit can wash before indulging in the feast. Candles and incense are burned to help the deceased find the way home. Relatives also tidy the gravesites of their departed family members. This can include snipping weeds, making repairs, and painting. The grave is then decorated with flowers, wreaths, or paper streamers. On November 2, relatives gather at the gravesite to picnic and remember their loved ones..
32. In Scotland what are the large carved-out turnips called? (They are similar to our jack-o’-lanterns.) From what I read the names “Jack-O-Lantern” or “Jack of the Lantern”, were the original names. They come from the “Stingy Jack” story of Ireland.
Bibliography
www.halloweentrivia.com
www.altreligion.about.com/library/weekly
www.boneworks.net/oldsites/halloween 98
www.theholiday spot.com/halloween
www.illusions.com
www.bright.net
www.realmagic.com
www.historychannel.com
