10 | Steel Notes Magazine steelnotesmagazine . com | October 2014
souls , has been suggested as the origin of trick-or-treating . The custom dates back at least as far as the 15th century and was found in parts of England , Belgium , Germany , Austria and Italy . Groups of poor people , often children , would go door-to-door during Allhallowtide , collecting soul cakes , in exchange for praying for the dead , especially the souls of the givers ’ friends and relatives . Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona ( 1593 ). The custom of wearing costumes has been explicated by Prince Sorie Conteh , who wrote : “ It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints ’ Day , and All Hallows ’ Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the next world . In order to avoid being recognised by any soul that might be seeking such vengeance , people would don masks or costumes to disguise their identities ”. In the Middle Ages , churches displayed the relics of martyred saints and those parishes that were too poor to have relics let parishioners dress up as the saints instead , a practice that some Christians continue in Halloween celebrations today . folklorist Kingsley Palmer , in addition to others , has suggested that the carved jack-o ’ -lantern , a popular symbol of Halloween , originally represented the souls of the dead . On Halloween , in medieval Europe , “ fires [ were ] lit to guide these souls on their way and deflect them from haunting honest Christian folk .” In addition , households in Austria , England , Ireland often had “ candles burning in every room to guide the souls back to visit their earthly homes ”. These were known as “ soul lights ”. Many Christians in continental Europe , especially in France , acknowledged “ a belief that once a year , on Hallowe ’ en , the dead of the churchyards rose for one wild , hideous carnival ,” known as the danse macabre , which has been commonly depicted in church decoration , especially on the walls of cathedrals , monasteries , and cemeteries . Christopher Allmand and Rosamond McKitterick write in The New Cambridge Medieval History that “ Christians were moved by the sight of the Infant Jesus playing on his mother ’ s knee ; their hearts were touched by the Pietà ; and patron saints reassured them by their presence . But , all the while , the danse macabre urged them not to forget the end of all earthly things .” This danse macabre , which was enacted by “ Christian village children [ who ] celebrated the vigil of All Saints ” in the 16th Century , has been suggested as the predecessor of modern day costume parties on this same day .
In parts of Britain , these customs came under attack during the Reformation as some Protestants berated purgatory as a “ popish ” doctrine incompatible with the notion of predestination . Thus , for some Nonconformist Protestants , the theology of All Hallows ’ Eve was redefined ; without the doctrine of purgatory , “ the returning souls cannot be journeying from Purgatory on their way to Heaven , as Catholics frequently believe and assert . Instead , the so-called ghosts are thought to be in actuality evil spirits . As such they are threatening .” Other Protestants maintained belief in an intermediate state , known as Hades ( Bosom of Abraham ), and continued to observe the original customs , especially souling , candlelit processions and the ringing of church bells in memory of the dead . With regard to the evil spirits , on Halloween , “ barns and homes were blessed to protect people and livestock from the effect of witches , who were believed to accompany the malignant spirits as they traveled the earth .” In the 19th century , in some rural parts of England , families gathered on hills on the night of All Hallows ’ Eve . One held a bunch of burning straw on a pitchfork while the rest knelt around him in a circle , praying for the souls of relatives and friends until the flames went out . This was known as teen ’ lay , derived either from the Old English tendan ( meaning to kindle ) or a word related to Old Irish tenlach ( meaning hearth ). The rising popularity of Guy Fawkes Night ( 5 November ) from 1605 onward , saw many Halloween traditions appropriated by that holiday instead , and Halloween ’ s popularity waned in Britain , with the noteworthy exception of Scotland . There and in Ireland , they had been celebrating Samhain and Halloween since at least the early Middle Ages , and the Scottish kirk took a more pragmatic approach to Halloween , seeing it as important to the life cycle and rites of passage of communities and thus ensuring its survival in the country .
In France , some Christian families , on the night of All Hallows ’ Eve , prayed beside the graves of their loved ones , setting down dishes full of milk for them . On Halloween , in Italy , some families left a large meal out for ghosts of their passed relatives , before they departed for church services . In Spain , on this night , special pastries are baked , known as “ bones of the holy ” ( Spanish : Huesos de Santo ) and put them on the
10 | Steel Notes Magazine steelnotesmagazine . com | October 2014