The night of Oct. 31st is seen as the night
that the earth herself passes into death,
becoming dormant and still,
as the harsh autumn winds moan and howl,
cold and lifeless, through the naked,
stiffened branches of trees once green and alive
in the warmth of the summer sun,
which is now only a fading memory.

Death enshrouds the once vibrant earth,
embracing her with it's silent cold on All Hallows Eve.

Believing that one's dead loved ones, ancestors,
friends or any wayward soul would return on that night,
the ancients began the tradition of placing plates
of the finest food and bits of treats
that the household had to offer on their doorsteps,
as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers,
hence, one of the traditions that paved the way
for the modern tradition of Trick or Treats.
(it's said to bring good luck in the upcoming year
to give out only the best, that you will reap what you sow)

The problem was...
if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night,
so could anything else, human or not, nice or not-so-nice,
hence the tradition of putting out Jack o' lanterns.

The Jack o' lantern, originally a turnip,
is now usually a pumpkin, carved with intricate,
scowling faces and illuminated with wax candles from within.
Placed on the dwellings doorstep, it was originally used
to scare away any malignant spirits/demons that happened by the home.
It was said that if a demon or such were to encounter something
as fiendish looking as themselves that they'd run away in terror,
thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark entities.
The spirits of the dead loved ones or just regular human spirits
wouldn't be offended by the Jack o' lantern though,
since they would already be aware of its purpose,
having been human before death,
they'd have carved them once themselves.

Incidentally, the tradition of Gargoyles carved into buildings
and such has a similar purpose, to scare away evil entities.

Myths? Superstitions? Maybe, maybe not.
Can we ever really be sure?
Do we even want to be?
Heh, heh, heh...... >;)

What is Magick?	Magickal Paths
Spells	Tarot
Truthful Legends	Chat Room
Recommended Readings	Occult Links