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8 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | OCTOBER 2021 By Dick Roppé, Resident Knock, knock! Who's there? Boo! Boo who? Stop it! There's no crying on Halloween! The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates around 1745. It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve. Factoids: Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas; in 2020 a Minnesota man was crowned winner of the Half Moon Bay, California Annual Pumpkin Weigh- Off for growing a 2,350-pound gourd that earned him $16,450 or $7 per pound in grand prize money; some animal shelters won't allow the adoption of black cats around Halloween fearing they might be harmed because of Halloween superstitions. As will be shown, many elements of today's Halloween are grounded in historical rituals and practices. Carving Pumpkins: Carving pumpkins is not the name of a rock group. Jack-o'-lantern is the real name for a carved pumpkin. Its glowing face was supposed to scare away evil spirits. You carried it around the edge of your village or let it burn outside your house on Halloween night. In Ireland, Celtic people were carving turnips and lighting them with embers to ward off evil spirits. When the Irish emigrated to America they still wanted to make lanterns, but they couldn't find enough turnips. So… they used pumpkins instead. According to Irish legend, jack-o'-lanterns are named after a stingy old man named Jack who tricked the devil and was condemned to wander the earth, waving his lantern to lead people away from bad deeds. Today, there's no question that carving pumpkins has become an art form. Trick or Treat: Today's Halloween traditions are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from Celtic-speaking countries (including Britain, Ireland and Scotland). They believed that on Halloween some ghosts tried to return to their old homes. So, to put them in a good mood, they would offer them some "nice" food. They thought if the ghosts were angry they would mess with their farms and frighten the animals. As to costumes, they date as far back as the 1500s. The custom originated with an ancient Celtic festival when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off those pesky ghosts. Another explanation for trick or treating comes from a tradition where people - usually the poor - would go door-to-door asking for food or "soul cakes" (generally, a pastry with a filling). If you received no treat or it wasn't a great one, children would sometimes play a joke on the people living in the house. It may well be urban legend, but a no treat might result in your outhouse being tipped! I probably shouldn't reveal this, but when my kids were still of trick or treat age they would cruise the neighborhood in costume, clutching pillow cases (regular size) collecting their sugar-loaded bounty. All I required was that I be given "first dibs" on all the SNICKERS. Halloween Hodgepodge