So many different images flow through my mind when I see the word Hallow. Which leads me to the breakdown of the Halloween as a word. The practice of Halloween actually predates the Middle Ages. The night before All Hallows’ Day (the original name for All Saints’ Day, November 1st) is called ‘All Hallows Even’ or ‘All Hallows’ Eve’. ‘All Hallows’ Even’ was shortened to ‘Hallow-e’en’ by the 16th century, and the rest is history.
There was a Hallowmas feast on all Hallows’ Day, it was a Christian feast day believed to date back to the seventh century AD when the Pantheon, a temple built by the emperor Hadrian, was re-dedicated to all the Christian saints.
All Hallows Even also had a practice of Souling. Soulers (mainly consisting of children and the poor) go from door to door during the days of All Hallows Eve and Day singing and saying prayers “for the souls of the givers and their friends”. People would often give them cakes (referred to as souls) when they came to their house. The tradition of giving soul cakes was celebrated in Britain or Ireland during the Medieval period and was continued there until the 1930s.
In some parts of Cheshire in the United Kingdom, during the 19th century, adults and children who went Souling would perform plays. The plays consisted of carrying an Old Hob. This was a horse’s head enveloped in a sheet. The head would be put on a pole and sometimes, a candle would be lit inside, in which case the pole bearer would be covered in a sheet.
Bobbing for apples also took on a different spin as well and was known as “Snap-Apple Night” or “Nutcrack Night”. According to History.com, an apple was speared on one end of a stick while a lit candle was fixed at the other end. The stick was spun around, and the goal was to take a bite of the apple, while avoiding a face full of hot candle wax.
So this Halloween remember that we are fortunate for All Hallows Eve to morph into the fun loving dress up time we all know of today.
Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels
