The History of the Celebration of Halloween Part 1

Halloween is a holiday rooted in ancient times. Historians agree that the most of the customs of the holiday we celebrate today probably originated with the Celts of Great Britain. These, Celts, whose religious order was called the Druids, lived in Britain, Ireland and Gaul (a large country encompassing parts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany- they also sacked Rome) between 500 BC and 500 AD.

The Celts are somewhat mysterious to historians, mainly because they did not believe in writing their traditions or history. This knowledge was jealously guarded by the Druids. The Druids appear to have been very powerful. They were the priests and the scholars, tutors to the chieftains sons and it appears they were also judges.

In early Britain, Druids celebrated the autumn festival of Samhain on the first day of Druidic/Gaulish winter. The end of summer brought shorter days, less light, lengthening shadows and the end to the growing season. Even to this day pagan and Christian beliefs alike mix together bringing celebrations of this period- whether it be of the harvest, of the beginning of a new Earth cycle, or a holy day- from Oct 31st until November 5th. The Celts believed that the souls of the dead were allowed to roam freely on October 31st (today several cultures have this tradition on or about Nov 1). This was cause for much celebration (as well as some fear- for good souls and evil alike were freed).

Celts prepared for weeks in advance of the festival, gathering food, ale as well as wood and kindling for the community bonfire’s. Young boys went from home to home begging for this wood. The bonfires were believed to give strength to the Sun and to frighten the evil spirits into hiding. Prophecy and prayer regarding the future and imploring the light to return were made. Individual firepits were also prepared for homes at this time for the same reason, as well as to light the way home for their temporary visits from deceased loved ones.

In 500 AD the Celts were conquered by the Romans and the Celtic celebration of Samhain was absorbed into the Roman harvest festival honoring Pomona, thus adding Roman beliefs to those Celtic beliefs and traditions we continue today.

When the Christians subsequently overthrew the Romans, the “pagan” practices of both Romans and Celts were absorbed into the envelope of the Christian religion. As well as a harvest ceremony this was also a time to celebrate the fertility of the earth and to prophesy about one’s love. This blending was prompted in part as a tool in the effort to convert the “pagans”, and in part as a conciliatory measure to keep the converts within the realm of the “true faith”. In other words the “pagans” were not giving up their festivities, customs or traditions easily so the Church decided if the mountain wouldn’t come to Mohammed then Mohammed would go to the mountain. When powerful cultures merge homogenization of beliefs and customs occurs.

Similarities between the ancient rites and today’s celebration of Halloween abound. Ghosts, witches and hobgoblins run loose on Halloween night whether they be real, imaginary or costumed people. Darkness continues to exist in Halloween themes. people continue to believe that Halloween holds a special spiritual significance. Many today continue to believe that spirits roam the streets on that special night.

Children dress in costume and go from door to door, not begging for firewood, but requesting treats. Candles and lanterns burn brightly, echoing the bonfires of ancient times. Many communities actually hold bonfires as well. Prayers are offered for the souls of the deceased on All Soul’s Day, November 1st. Many churches hold services on Halloween as well. Prophecy survives. For some it is a game, for others a glimpse into the future.

The spirit of the festival of Samhain lives on today. It has been enriched and changed through the ages. Through that enrichment and change the holiday as we celebrate it today was born.

We will continue to explore the changing fate of Halloween observance in our next issue. Until then, Happy Haunting!

The Vampire Bat!

Ed. note- This is reprinted from the 2003 BooNews.  Enjoy!

Vampire bats. The very name may send chills down your spine. Creepy furry things with wings that hang upside down from dank, dark ceilinged caverns. You may start with fear at the mere thought of dark, silent, flapping wings, sharp, biting fangs and the strong sucking of your scarlet pulsating blood.

Okay. Reality check. Does this look like the face of a villain? This little fellow, Desmondus rotundus is one of the microbat family, one family of the only mammals on Earth that can truly fly! They weigh about one ounce with a body the size of an adults thumb. They are up to 2-3/4” long and have up to an 8” wingspan. They are really kind of cute little critters.

There are only three species of vampire in Central and South America. They live in structured colonies of usually one hundred bats but possibly as many as one thousand; the females separate from the males so that the males can protect their territories. They have close social bonds, often teaming up into pairs in a sort of buddy system, This is of great importance.

If for some reason a bat cannot leave the cave to eat, other bats will return to the cave and regurgitate their meal for the hungry one. A bat can starve to death in two to three days. Vampire bats eat two tablespoons of blood per day. Not exactly enough to drain a human body is it now?

Bats normally live to nine years in the wild but can live to twenty years in captivity. They mate all year, but usually only have one offspring per year. Gestation is six to eight months.

Everyone knows that bats get around using echolocation, (bouncing ultra-high frequency sound from their noses off objects to “see” or rather hear where they are.) But one of the very different things about vampire bats, other than their feeding habits, is that only the common vampire bat is truly able to maneuver on the ground as well as in the air. Vampires can move in all directions, just like a spider. And instead of taking of in flight from the ground they actually launch themselves by extending its hind knees, launching forward and using its powerful pectoral muscles and forelimbs. The jump takes all of 30 milliseconds and launches the bat four feet into the air!

They locate their prey using a combination of smell, sound, echolocation and possibly heat. They do not suck the blood from their prey, rather they make a small incision and lap up the blood. According to John D. Altringham in his 1996 Bats, Biology and Behavior, “They have heat sensors on their noseleaf for locating capillary-rich areas of the skin; modified canines for fur clipping; long sharp incisors for painlessly opening a wound; anticoagulants to prevent clotting; and a grooved tongue to help move blood rapidly to the mouth.” He adds that while a bat may eat up to 60% of its body weight in blood, it needs only red blood cells and will begin excreting plasma before it’s meal is over. It has a specialized stomach and kidneys to do the job quickly.

A recent and possibly life saving discovery has thrilled the scientific community. The saliva of a vampire bat may one day give some stroke sufferers a better chance at survival. In a study published by Stroke: Journal of American Heart Association the saliva contains a potent clot busting substance that could help more than existing medications. This bat compound, an enzyme known as desmoteplase or DSPA was identified by scientist more than 10 years ago. The same anticoagulant the bat uses to feed also makes it a candidate for treating strokes. The current clot buster is rt-PA and when exposed to fibrin (which makes up blood clots) it causes the fibrin to break down. Bad news? It can also damage brain tissue. For this reason it is only used within 3 hours of stroke and only in a small percentage of patients. Animal testing so far indicates that DSPA also attacks fibrin without damaging brain tissue. The US is calling for further research, but human trials have begun in Asia, Europe and Australia.

Western literature has embraced vampire bat blood thirsty, neck-slashing artery-sucking folklore. We have added the allure of the transformation of vampire man into vampire bat. Interestingly, European folklore of vampires did not include the vampire bat. This was probably because they were not indigenous to the area. Some Gypsy folklore involved the vampire bat but in a benign role. The bones were carried in a bag as a good luck talisman.

There are tales of human hosts to vampire bats. In 1939 a Dr. William Farabee claims to have awakened in the morning to find that a vampire during the night had gouged a small piece from the tip of his nose and had feasted while he slept as it was still bleeding slightly.

As you can see vampires are not vicious, nasty little beasties, they are just fragile fellow mammals striving to survive. Next time they give you the creeps– think again