Halloween Through Twenty Centuries
Ralph and Adelin Linton
1950, 108 pages
Nonfiction
Published in 1950 as a part of the Great Religious Festivals Series, this slim volume offers a brief overview of the origins and history of Halloween. True to its title, it covers druidic festivals, Puritanical severity, Catholic adoption of pagan festival dates and the introduction of Halloween (as we know it) to the United States by Gaelic immigrants.
It was an interesting read, if a bit dated. I was particularly struck by the description of medieval witches, which seemed to pull directly from more modern stereotypes of – angry pagans dedicating themselves to Satan (who pagans wouldn’t even believe in). Another gem was the passage about the Salem Witch Trials. After recording the basics of this dark history in America’s colonial past, the book suggests we, as Americans, should be proud that we only killed like, 20 people in our witch hunts before coming to our senses, and Europe killed so many more (over the course of hundreds of years). We should be super proud. Considering this was written in 1950, perhaps this passage about how Americans will stop witch hunts before they get “out of control” refers to the oncoming storm of the Red Scare.
Or maybe I’m giving this little old Halloween book too much credit! In any case, it’s a fascinating peek back at the historical origins of Halloween, full of interesting traditions and oddities. Even practices current at the time of publication seem antiquated now, and that’s part of the charm of the book. Roasting nuts by the fireplace on Halloween to determine the future of your love life? Children asking, “Anything for goblins?” with the same frequency as “Trick or Treat?” Handing out pennies, nuts and apples instead of candy? Okay, maybe some people still do that. (But they shouldn’t.)
Janel Flanagan
Concord Public Library
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