Halloween

Halloween History & Early Collectibles

2008-09-29T17:50:00Z

Halloween's Celtic Roots

Although Halloween has its roots in ancient Celtic superstition, Halloween as a holiday is deeply American in its traditions. Having evolved into a celebration with no religious basis, Halloween has become a holiday whose purpose is pure fun.

In the Celtic world, (Ireland, the U.K., and northern France 2,000 years ago), the year began with the onset of winter, and ended when families celebrated the harvest with feasting and bonfires, giving thanks for the crops that would see them through the coming year. Lanterns were carved out of large turnips and lighted to guide the revelers to the feast. Bonfires were lit and sacrifices were made in thanksgiving for plentiful crops, and Priests dressed up in ceremonial animal heads and skins. It was a holiday for courting couples as well. Hopeful suitors came bearing sweets for the younger children in hopes of a few minutes of privacy with their sweethearts.

Halloween in America

Colonial America celebrated Halloween with dances, singing, fortune telling, ghost stories, and mischief making, but due to the rigid Protestant belief system in the New England Colonies, these activities were limited mostly to Maryland and the southern colonies. By the 1850’s Autumnal and harvest celebrations were common, but Halloween was not universally celebrated in the U.S.

Halloween & the Potato Famine

The influx of Irish immigrants fleeing the Potato Famine had begun to have a lasting effect on how Americans celebrated Halloween. These immigrants brought with them a holiday celebration with deep Celtic roots including dressing in costume, telling stories about the dead, carving pumpkins, and handing out treats.

Halloween for Families and Friends

In the late 18^th Century, religious and civic leaders lead a movement to turn Halloween towards community and family get-togethers and away from witches, pranks and ghosts. Newspaper editorials urged parents to minimize the frightening and grotesque, and consequently, by the end of the 19^th century, Halloween had lost most of its superstitious and religious connotations. From then until World War I, Halloween was celebrated largely during parties for children and adults.

Early Halloween Collectibles

Friends and families would gather at each others houses where the children would bob for apples and the adults would play bridge or mahjong. Parties featured games, festive costumes, and seasonal foods, and because of the popularity of Halloween parties, the earliest collectibles for this holiday have to do with entertaining. These Halloween collectibles include tableware such as plates, napkins, and décor, place cards, party invitations, games and tally pads for bridge, all of which can bring surprising sums, including $20 for a circa 1930’s paper plate, or $100 for an intact box of Halloween themed seals (gummed stickers) by Gibson or Dennison.

By the 1950’s Halloween had evolved into a celebration for children. To combat rampant Halloween vandalism, the practice or Halloween bribery or Trick-or-treating was revived. This was seen as an inexpensive way for the entire community to share in the celebration, and in theory, the handing out of treats prevented the playing of tricks. Today, America spends approximately $6.9 billion annually on Halloween.

1920's Halloween Ephemera

2008-08-28T14:03:00Z

While lots of Halloween items were made of tin and later plastic, the bulk of the older pieces are pressed-cardboard, paper composition, or papier-mache. Papier-mache candy containers were handed out to children at parties, where the point was the candy they held. Unlike the decorations for other holidays that were lovingly stored and brought out year after year, early Halloween décor and trinkets were made to be used and discarded. Pressed cardboard lanterns were lighted for parties, and burned up by their candles. Cut paper decorations were covered with tape or torn during cleanup. Kids ate the candy and tossed the containers.

Candy Containers

Possibly the most sought after vintage Halloween collectibles are the candy holders made in Germany for the American market from 1919 until about 1935. The brainchild of American discount retailers like Frank W. Woolworth and Sebastian S. Kresge, these papier-mache creations came in a variety of styles and shapes such as jack-o’-lanterns, witches, scary fruit and vegetables, cats, owls, skeletons, and devils.

Some had bobbing heads, some had open heads, and some had parts with removable bases. Because they were made by hand by artisans in very small factories or even private homes, the overall quality of the containers is remarkably high and each piece has its subtle variations. Collectors love these papier-mache curiosities and pay anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand for hard to find examples.

Tricks, not Treats

Savvy collectors have been buying vintage Halloween since the early 1980’s, but the real collecting craze started in 1995. However, as with many aspects of collecting, popularity and high prices lead to fakes and forgeries. The marketplace is full of artificially aged reproductions which tend to be smaller and not as carefully made as the originals.

Halloween Traditions From Around The World

2007-10-31T16:30:00Z

As one of the world's oldest holidays, Halloween is still celebrated today in multiple countries around the globe, but it is in North America and Canada that it maintains its highest level of popularity. Every year, 65% of Americans decorate their homes and offices for Halloween...a percentage exceeded only by Christmas. Halloween is the holiday when the most candy is sold and is second only to Christmas in terms of total sales. Take a look at some of these Halloween customs from around the globe:

Austria
In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before retiring on Halloween night because it was once believed such items would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night which for the Austrians was considered to be brimming with strong cosmic energies.

China
In China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of photographs of family members who have departed while bonfires and lanterns are lit in order to light the paths of the spirits as they travel the earth on Halloween night. Worshipers in Buddhist temples fashion "boats of the law" from paper, some of which are very large, which are then burned in the evening hours. The purpose of this custom is twofold: as a remembrance of the dead and in order to free the spirits of the "pretas" in order that they might ascend to heaven. "Pretas" are the spirits of those who died as a result of an accident or drowning and whose bodies were consequently never buried. The presence of "pretas" among the living is thought by the Chinese to be dangerous. Under the guidance of Buddhist temples, societies are formed to carry out ceremonies for the "pretas," which includes the lighting of lanterns. Monks are invited to recite sacred verses and offerings of fruit are presented.

Czechoslovakia
In Czechoslovakia, chairs are placed by the fireside on Halloween night. There is one chair for each living family member and one for each family member's spirit.

England
At one time, English children made "punkies" out of large beetroots, upon which they carved a design of their choice. Then, they would carry their "punkies" through the streets while singing the "Punkie Night Song" as they knocked on doors and asked for money. In some rural areas, turnip lanterns were placed on gateposts to protect homes from the spirits who roamed on Halloween night. Another custom was to toss objects such as stones, vegetables and nuts into a bonfire to frighten away the spirits. These symbolic sacrifices were also employed as fortune-telling tools. If a pebble thrown into the flames at night was no longer visible in the morning, then it was believed that the person who tossed the pebble would not survive another year. If nuts tossed into the blaze by young lovers then exploded, it signified a quarrelsome marriage. For the most part however, the English ceased celebrating Halloween with the spread of Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation. Since followers of the new religion did not believe in Saints, they saw no reason to celebrate the Eve of All Saints' Day. However, in recent years, the American "trick or treating" custom, together with the donning of costumes for going door-to-door, has become a relatively popular pastime among English children at Halloween, although many of the adults (particularly the older generations) have little idea as to why they are being asked for sweets and are usually ill-prepared to accommodate their small and hopeful callers.

Germany
In Germany, the people put away their knives on Halloween night because they do not want to risk harm befalling the returning spirits.

Ireland
In Ireland, believed to be the birthplace of Halloween, the tradition is still celebrated as much as it is in the United States. In rural areas, bonfires are lit as they were in the days of the Celts and children dress up in costumes to spend the evening "trick-or-treating" in their neighborhoods. After the visiting, most people attend parties with neighbors and friends. At these parties, many games are played, including "snap-apple," in which an apple on a string is tied to a door frame or tree, and players attempt to take a bite out of the suspended apple. In addition to bobbing for apples, parents often arrange treasure hunts with sweets or pastries as the "treasure." The Irish also play a card game where cards are laid face-down on a table with sweets or coins beneath them. When a child selects a card, he or she receives whatever prize might be found there. A traditional food is eaten on Halloween called "barnbrack." This is a type of fruitcake which can be baked at home or store-bought. A muslin-wrapped treat is baked inside the cake which, so it is said, can foretell the future of the one who finds it. If the prize is a ring, then that person will soon be wed and a piece of straw means a prosperous year is forthcoming. Children are also known to play tricks upon their neighbors on Halloween night. One of which is known as "knock-a-dolly," where children knock on the doors of their neighbors but then run away before the door is opened.

Mexico & Latin America
Among Spanish-speaking nations, Halloween is known as "El Dia de los Muertos." It is a joyous and happy holiday...a time to remember friends and family who have died. Officially commemorated on November 2 (All Souls' Day), the three-day celebration actually begins on the evening of October 31. Designed to honor the dead who are believed to return to their homes on Halloween, many families construct an altar in their home and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, fresh water and samples of the deceased's favorite foods and drinks. Frequently, a basin and towel are left out in order that the spirit can wash prior to indulging in the feast. Candles and incense are burned to help the departed find his or her way home. Relatives also tidy the grave sites of deceased family members, including snipping weeds, making repairs and painting. The grave is then adorned with flowers, wreaths or paper streamers. Often, a live person is placed inside a coffin, which is then paraded through the streets while vendors toss fruit, flowers and candies into the casket. On November 2, relatives gather at the grave site to picnic and reminisce. Some of these gatherings may even include tequila and a mariachi band although American Halloween customs are gradually taking over this celebration. In Mexico during the Autumn, countless numbers of Monarch butterflies return to the shelter of Mexico's Oyamel Fir trees. It was the belief of the Aztecs that these butterflies bore the spirits of dead ancestors.

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2007-01-01T05:00:00Z

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