All Hallows Eve, rise from the dead, haunt us terribly and let the fright never end….

What a gloomy song for a holiday that’s full of laughter, joy, and last-minute costumes. But Halloween, otherwise known as Allhallowtide, wasn’t always a fun, candy-collecting celebration. In fact, trick-or-treating once had a much more spooky name: “souling.” During Allhallowtide, poor people (and often children) would go door-to-door to collect soul cakes in exchange for praying for the giver’s deceased loved ones. Pretty melancholic, right? As Halloween was originally a Christain holiday, Christians would dress up in sombre black drapes and ring mournful bells in the street to remember those who had passed. Soul cakes, marked with the cross, were baked as alms for the poor. Even jack-o-lanterns, with their carved faces, were used to ward off evil spirits. However nowadays, they’re just glowing symbols of festive fun, lighting up our homes with a warm orange flicker.

The Christian minister Prince Sorie Conteh connected the wearing of costumes to the belief in vengeful ghosts. He once stated that 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 recognized by any soul that might be seeking such vengeance, people would put on masks or costumes. What an interesting origin!

Well, let’s take a small break from the macabre, and instead read an old Irish folk tale about jack-o-lanterns:

En route home after a night's drinking, Jack encounters the Devil and tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since that time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.

I have to admit— Jack was clever for doing so. But being too clever comes with a price! Let that be a lesson, kids— sometimes you can mess up so badly, that not even Hell would accept you. Yikes!

Heading back to the spirit of the Hallows, most of our modern interpretation of this very popular holiday is elevated by gothic and horrific literature and media, such as Frankenstein and Dracula. Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent. During Halloween, homes are usually decorated with these symbols. Halloween imagery includes themes of mythical monsters, evil and death. Black cats, which have been long associated with witches, are also a common symbol of Halloween. The traditional colours for Halloween include black, orange, and occasionally purple.

Some popular games that children play to celebrate Halloween include apple bobbing and something I like to call donut swinging. In the olden times, people played this game with scones, as it was traditional. But thankfully (for my sweet tooth!) modern times have adapted. The game has either sugary scones or as I played, with donuts — each hanging from a bar. You would attempt to catch the scone or donut with your mouth as the bar spun! It’s incredibly entertaining, and usually you’ll earn a treat by the end, so it’s a win-win. Another activity common in Ireland and Scotland was that items would be hidden in food — usually a cake, barmbrack, cranachan, champ or colcannon — and portions of it served out at random. A person's future would be foretold by the item they happened to find; for example, a ring meant marriage and a coin meant wealth.

Telling ghost stories, listening to Halloween-themed songs and watching horror films are the fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and Halloween-themed specials (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before Halloween, while new horror films are often released before Halloween to take advantage of the holiday.

Attractions on Halloween are also very common. Popular Halloween symbols include haunted houses, corn mazes, hayrides, and more!

Now, the only question left is… who are you dressing up as this year?

Written by Sara Rowan.
Edited by Daphne Clarke.
Proofread by Ellie Potter.