Well, it is October again and I thought people might want some Hallowe'en graphics for their pages, so here's some pictures. And, being me, I wanted to put some actual content up as well. So, today I'll be doing some more research about Hallowe'en. The graphics, like all my graphics, are linkware. There is no charge to use them, but you must copy them to your own server, and give me credit with a link back to this page or my main page so that others may find them.

Hallowe'en means many different things to different people. To the average North American child, it is a chance to get all dressed up and go trick or treating and get all sorts of tasty things. Several denominations of Protestant churches associate it with devil worship and discourage people from participating in it in any way. The Catholic church uses it as a time to commemorate the lives of those who have died, celebrating both All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. New Age, Wiccan and Pagan people celebrate Samhain or harvest festivals, and claim a connection with pre-Christian pagan festivals from ancient times.

So what is Hallowe'en? Perhaps that question can best be answered by beginning with another question: What was Hallowe'en and how did it all start?

Robbie Burns' poem "Halloween" is a good illustration of many of the Hallowe'en traditions practiced in rural Scotland during his lifetime. (1759-1796) Most of the Hallowe'en celebrations in Britain included attempts to fortell the future; specifically by unmarried people to find out who they would marry, and details about the future spouse/marriage such as whether they would have a happy and successful marriage, be well off or poor, etc.

Favorite methods of figuring these things out included:
Going out to the kale (cabbage) patch, walking backward until one's foot struck a cabbage-stalk and pulling it up. The shape of the stalk indicated the shape and size of one's future partner. For instance, whether it was large or small, straight or crooked. The amount of adhering dirt reflected the amount of money the person would have. One then tasted the inside of the stalk. If it was sweet, they would have a nice disposition, if bitter they would be disagreable.

This done, the stalks were placed over the lintel of the doorway to the house. If more than one person was performing the ritual, they put them in a certain noted order. The first person, in order, of the opposite sex who walked through the doorway after the kale was placed would have the same first name as one's future spouse.

Another method of foretelling future relationships was to place two hazelnuts in the fireplace, side by side. One would be named after the person placing them there, the other after the object of their affections. If the nuts sat and burned away quietly, it meant they would have a good and happy relationship. If one began to jump around, then people believed that person would be unfaithful.

I've included a small Hallowe'en game for people to play. You will need to download Macromedia Shockwave in order to play it. No, it doesn't teach children to value healthy food, but what kid really wants a toothbrush for Hallowe'en? It is good clean fun. I hope you enjoy it!

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Created and last updated by Strawberry, October 2000