Halloween Poem

                                 Halloween 

Hi, this is my favorite Halloween poem, as requested. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Remember, poems need to be read out loud. I read it in a ghostly whisper. Have fun. 

                                              Halloween

Tonight is the night

When dead leaves fly

Like witches on switches

Across the sky,

When elf and sprite

Flit through the night

On a moony sheen.

Tonight is the night

When leaves make a sound

Like a gnome in his home

Under the ground,

When spooks and trolls

Creep out of holes

Mossy and green.

Tonight is the night

When pumpkins stare

Through sheaves and leaves

Everywhere,

When ghoul and ghost

And goblin host

Dance round their queen,

It's Halloween!

                                                           by Harry Behn

When I was teaching, I would have the class learn the first verse, so when we walked in the hallway, instead of pushing, shoving, and talking, their minds would be busy.

Halloween activities stopped when some parents felt it was a form of Satan worship. They likely did not know Halloween is from the words "All Hallows Eve " from the Catholic church. 

Halloween

                  Snap Apple and Nut Crack

 Here we are in October. Of course, October is noted for Halloween, the oldest celebration in history, but with different names such as Day of the Dead, Samhain, and All Hallows Day, which was shortened to Halloween.

In some societies, Halloween was a joyous harvest time.  People wanted to celebrate together before the cold winter, accompanied by possible illness and isolation.

Snap Apple Night was a time of fun with friends and neighbors you might not see again for many months.

Hebrew women bathed in water mixed with apple sap in the hopes they would have children. I don't know if that worked, as apple sap water does not help a woman get pregnant the way I understand having babies.

In some cultures, boys bobbed for apples, and if they came up with one in their mouths, it meant that the girl they loved loved them.

Also, the boys had a chance to try out their skill at biting into an apple hung on the end of a stick. If he succeeded, it meant he would be the first to marry.

The girls, too, had fun. They would peel an apple in one long piece. After swinging it over their heads three times, they threw it over their left shoulder. If the peeling landed unbroken, it would indicate the initials of their future husbands.

A girl could also name two apple seeds for two different boys and stick them on her eyelids. The one that stuck the longest was the boy for her. I am told that some girls would twitch one eye to make the seed fall off. Crafty!

Apple seeds helped determine the lady's future. Twelve seeds were placed on her palm, and she recited the following poem as she struck the palm with her other hand. Did she go with the seeds that fell or the seeds that stayed on her hand? I don't know.

One, I love,
Two I love,
Three I love, I say;
Four I love with all my heart;
Five I cast away.
Six he loves,
Seven she loves,
Eight they both love;
Nine he comes,
Ten he tarries,
Eleven he courts, and
Twelve he marries.

Some cultures called Halloween Nutcrack Night

In Scotland, people put pairs of nuts named after a couple on the hearth before the fire. If a pair burned to ashes together, the couple would have a happy life. If the nuts cracked or moved apart, it was a sign the couple would have quarrels and separation.

In Ireland, three nuts were put on the hearth. One was named for the girl, and the other two were named after her sweethearts. The nut which burned steadily with the girl's meant that sweetheart would be more faithful.

In Wales, a nut that blazed meant good fortune. A nut that smoldered or popped meant misfortune.

What do you think? Do you want to try the long apple peeling or bobbing? Or what about the nuts?

Several years ago, I posted the Halloween poem by Henry Behn, which is my favorite. If you missed the posting or forgot this delightful ditty, let me know, and I will post it again. 

Have a great Snap Apple and Nutcrack Time. 

Ghost Story

                                                  True Ghost Story

First, a little history of this cemetery in Minneapolis to put the story in context. 

Minneapolis's first cemetery was established in 1857. The Maple Hill Cemetery had five thousand graves by the end of thirty years. It was located at Broadway and Fillmore. The graveyard was not cared for, the paperwork was shoddy, and some graves were only two feet deep. After a storm, some caskets could be seen. The people in the area complained of the health hazard, and efforts began to move the graves. But lack of funds halted the removal, so graves and markers were left.

In 1908, Minneapolis Park Board decided to acquire the property and make it into a children's park.

By 1916, the children's park was opened at one end of the land. But the cemetery section was still a mess.

Thirty men from the neighborhood went under cover of darkness and hitched up three teams of horses to clear the land of all the debris. They dumped the headstones and markers in a ravine.

Eight of the thirty men were implicated in the "vandalism." Two of the eight were charged but acquitted at the trial.

The Park Board decided they needed to do something, so they had the land cleaned up, and a skating rink, a warming house, and horseshoe pits were added. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts used the park and also a hockey team. In 1948, the park was renamed Beltrami Park.

Two small gravestones and a monument to forty-six Civil War veterans who were once buried there are still on the northwest side. 

This story is repeated from last year as I enjoy it. I hope you do too.

                                              Now, On To The Ghost of Maple Hill Cemetery.

                                                             (Before it became Beltrami Park.)

Ida Olson slipped her arm through Ole Johnson's arm as they walked on Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis. Despite the blackness of night surrounding them, they could see the smile on each other's faces.

Ole asked, "Will you go to the movies with me next Saturday night?"

Ida opened her lips to speak as she looked at Ole when she caught a movement in the cemetery they were walking past from the corner of her eyes. "What is that?" She pointed to a white shape that rose up from the ground.

"Run!" yelled Ole. "A ghost." His long legs went at full speed up the street.

Ida froze for a moment before she began running and screaming. She saw a man walking further up the street past the cemetery and ran toward him, shrieking, "Help! Help!"

"Calm down. What's the matter?"

Ida gasped and shook and could not speak coherently.

"My name is John Adams. I work at the Columbia Heights mills. Let's go into this drugstore, and you can tell me what has happened." He led her into the nearby lighted warm store with other customers.

"Please, everyone, listen to me," said Ia frantically. "There is a ghost in the cemetery. I saw it. It chased me. A ghost!"

One customer said, "I think she is a bit looney."

"I think she has had too much to drink, " said another. The customer stepped over to her and smelled her breath. "Nope. Don't smell any booze."

"Believe me. I saw a white figure rise from the graves. It had horns and a long white beard." After describing the ghost, Ida became hysterical. 

Ole Johnson came into the drugstore. "Ida, are you all right? I've been looking for you."

"You ran off and left me. I'm never going to the movies with you."

"After I saw the ghost, I ran toward it to see what it was, but it disappeared. I thought you were right behind me. Believe me. I would never leave you alone."

"I don't believe you."

John Adams spoke up, "Mister, what's your name, and did you see this ghost she is raving about?"

"My name is Ole Johnson, and yes, I did see the ghost with my own eyes."

"I'm going to the cemetery to look for this ghost. Anyone want to come with me?" asked John Adams.

Several men from the drugstore, John, Ida, and Ole, walked to the cemetery. In the pitch darkness, they entered the graveyard carefully so they would not trip on gravestones. 

Ida stopped. "This is where the ghost rose up."

The men could see the crushed dead leaves and the dried grass, indicating that a body had indeed lain there. 

They whispered to each other and stayed together in small groups. After an extended search where nothing was found, they headed back to Central Avenue.

A gasp of horror from Ole Johnson as he sank to the ground caught everyone's attention.

A few yards away and hardly visible in the blackness, a white figure with horns and a long white beard loomed up from the ground. It made no sound.

Silence gripped everyone as they stared.

A group member drew his gun from his pants belt and said, "Speak, or I'll shoot."

The figure remained silent and did not move.

"Speak up, or I'll shoot."

The horned white shape moved a trifle and then broke the fearful black silence with "Ba-a-a-h!" It moved toward the men. "Ba-a-a-h," issued forth from a huge white goat with beautiful horns and long gray whiskers as it approached the men and began nosing around for food.

Tension broke like a dam, and laughter split the air until everyone had tears streaming down their faces. 

Ole Johnson was nowhere to be seen after the 'ghost' had been spotted, and Ida was walked home by the brave-hearted men.

It was learned later that the goat's owner had pastured it in the graveyard for the summer and had not yet come to claim it.

This true story is taken from the book Minnesota Mysteries by Ben Welter. The story was published in the Minneapolis Tribune on November 6, 1899

Halloween History.

   

                          Halloween History

Way back in time, people lived in dread of devils, cackling witches, goblins, and demons. 

More than two thousand years ago, the Celtic people in France and the British Isles feared October 31 more than any other day. It was the eve of the Festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead, and evil spirits were everywhere. The Celtic priests known as Druids cast spells and made charms and predictions. October 31 was the Day of the Dead, but also a joyous time because of the harvest festival, and it was the death of the old year and the beginning of the new year. It was a day to pay honor to the sun god Baal.

A century before Christ, the Romans conquered Britain and Gaul ( the original name of France.). They had a festival in late October for the dead, and in November, they honored Pomona, the goddess of orchards. After a while, the festivals merged with the Druid Samhain. Soon, there were Druid converts in Rome. This frightened the emperors of Rome, and they banned the Druid religion in all areas they had control. Many Druids were killed, but some went into hiding. The Celtics continued in the Druid belief. The Celtic Druids built bonfires to welcome the spirits.

In the fourth century after Christ, Emperor Constantine said the Christian religion was lawful. The Christian priests tried to stamp out anything pagan. The Druids would not give up their faith, so the Christian Church gave the celebrations new meanings and names.

The fires built on October 31 for the Lord of the Dead now would protect the people from the Devil.

In the seventh century, the church started All Saints Day as a celebration in May, but by 900, the date was changed to November 1. The festival for the Lord of the Dead became a festival of Christian dead.

The Scotch, Irish, and English Celtics continued to expect ghosts on October 31. The name of All Saints' Day soon became All Hallows Day, and October 31 was All Hallows' Even, which was shortened to Halloween.

November 2 was All Souls' Day to honor all the dead in the tenth century.

But as the days were close, they merged.

All Souls' Day is a religious day for some people in France, southern Europe, and Latin America.

Some Christians in the United States observe All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, or both. They are religious days.

Halloween came to America in the nineteenth century by the Scotch and Irish. So, the witches, cats, devils, demons, goblins, and ghouls arrived.

                     The Halloween Witch

Witch is a Saxon word wica, meaning wise one. Witchcraft began with magic. It was to understand the forces of nature and control it.

To control, a spell would be cast. If the witch painted a picture of something happening, it would happen. So, if the witch or sorcerer painted rain, it would rain.

If the witch wanted to kill an enemy, she or he would steal a hank of hair or a bit of fingernail. When the person found out, he would be sick with fear and could die, therefore scared to death.  When I served in New Guinea, this was a real possibility. Many people believed in evil spirits inhabiting everything around them, such as trees, rocks, etc. Sometimes, the witch would burn or stick pins into a tiny model of the person. One man would not eat because he believed an evil spirit had been cast on him. He died. King Saul of the Bible consulted the Witch of Endor. The witch said he would die in the coming battle, and he did. The power of the mind and one's belief. 

To keep the magic hidden from others, it became occult.

In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII said witches were the Devil's agents.

In the nineteenth century, most people no longer believed in witches. But there were still some believers. The Scottish farmers carried blazing torches from west to east across their fields. Farmers of the Pennsylvania Dutch painted hex signs on their barns to ward off witches.  (I'm noticing very lovely designs on buildings today in small towns and fields.)When cracking a boiled egg, believers would crack it at the bottom, or a witch could use the shell as a boat. ( I guess the witches were tiny.).

Next blog, I will carry on with the Halloween theme. What about the cat, bat, and owls as witch familiars? 

Halloween

                                          Jack-O'-Lantern

Jack-0'-Lantern! Jack-O'-Lantern!  Where - O- Where do you come from?

Well, there are many theories about this, and I will tell you one. Will it be scary or funny? You decide.

Back in the old-time days of Ireland, there was a spritely fellow called Stingy Jack.   He was a reprehensible fellow. He did not take his pay home to his wife like a good Irishman should; he did not attend the fine church in his village, much to the horror of all his neighbors, and he never, never gave a pence to the poor. Oh, no. Not he.

Now they say that such a man as Stingy Jack could meet and talk with the Devil. And one Halloween, the Devil and he met. Jack invited the Devil for a drink.

The Devil said, said he, "I'll take a drink with you if you pay for it."

"Now, why should I pay for your drink? You are a clever fellow. You can change yourself into anything you want. Change into a sixpence. I'll pay for the drink, and you can change back."

"Umm. You have something there. I'll do it."  The Devil mumbled and muttered a spell, and he became a shining new sixpence.

Jack picked up the coin and slid it into his pocket next to a Christian cross. This prevented the Devil from getting out of the pocket.  

 Jack said, "Now listen here to me. If you promise to leave me alone for one year, I'll let you out. If not, you stay right in there."

The Devil angrily and reluctantly promised, and Jack let him out.

The Devil kept his promise, and Jack thought he would go to church, give to the poor and take his pay home to his dear wife during the year.   But as with most good intentions of breaking evil ways, Jack was soon living his former life.

On the next Halloween, he again met the Devil on a lonely, dark road. He said to the Devil, said he, "If you spare me for ten years, I'll buy you a drink and pay for it myself."
"Sure, that sounds fair. You can not trick me again, as you are paying and not I. It is a deal."
The Devil and Jack shook hands.
  However, the Devil is the master of all lies, and Jack died before the year ended.

Jack could not go to heaven, so he went to the gates of hell.

The Devil saw him and said, "Go away. Go back and wander the earth. You tricked me, and I want nothing to do with you. Wander in the dark for eternity."

"But I can't see. It's too dark." whimpered Stingy Jack.

"Here, take this burning coal and carry it to light your way. And as you go about, cause mischief on all the land. Now be Gone." And the Devil shut the gate, so Jack was left in the deepest darkness save for one little light of the burning coal.

The fiery stone burned Jack's hands, so he got a potato, scraped the inside, and put the coal in it.

They say today, he still wanders through the darkness carrying that bit of burning coal.
In England, the children took large beets or turnips, known as mangel-wurzels, and hollowed them out. They carve a window so a lit candle inside can be seen. These are called punkies.

When the Irish people decided to come to America, they found our lovely pumpkins, and they decided they would be just right to hollow out, carve a face, and put in a candle. The Jack-O-Lantern, with its gruesome, sinister, or silly face, is said to help Jack find his way to another place to cause his mischief and not stop at the house with the Jack-O-Lantern.   No tricks and no treats for Stingy Jack.

A 247-pound pumpkin grown by the Stinson family

A huge Jack-O-Lantern. 247 POUNDS! Grown in Minnesota by  Joseph Charles Stinson. It is to help Charlie Brown find the Great Pumpkin Information for this blog from a book by Edna Barth titled Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts.