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| Halloween Festivities, Food & Folklore |
With fancy dress parties, special Halloween menus, buffets, entertainment, and even Halloween cocktail evenings in the offing, promotions for this increasingly popular annual event look highly promising. Planet Hollywood, for instance, a trailblazer when it comes to celebrating Halloween in style, is just one of the places where you can grab a slice of the ghoulish action, on All Hallows Eve. But, wherever you happen to be in the city, on October 31 st, you’re sure to find a venue where you can really let your hair down and party well into the night!
The celebration of Halloween dates back to the Dark Ages when the Celts ruled large swathes of Great Britain and Northern Europe. The Celts used to mark the end of the harvest season and the start of the Celtic New Year, on November 1st by honouring Samhain (Lord of the Dead) with festivities that would begin on October 31 st and continue for three days into November.
The lively Celts believed that on the Eve of Samhain, October 31st, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became merged, just for one night. During that night, the spirits of the dead would return to their former homes and disturb the inhabitants, creating havoc with their possessions, crops and food stocks. In an attempt to ward off the mischievous spirits, the local population would light bonfires and sacrifice their surplus crops and animals to appease the Celtic gods and minimise the mischief caused by these ghostly apparitions.
Several hundred years later, the Romans introducing two new Roman festivals, Feralia, at the end of October, to mark the passing of the dead, and Pomona, a festival dedicated to the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. With the advent of Christianity, the Catholic Church tried to stamp out the pagan rituals of Samhain. But, despite these swinging changes of faith and attempts to obliterate paganism, the celebration of Samhain has somehow managed to endure the test of time.
What is really remarkable, however, about the whole shenanigan of Halloween is that, over the centuries, much of the ritual involving strange goings on and the consumption of harvest produce has actually persisted into the sceptical twenty-first century. And Halloween remains to this day a festival where the magical powers of certain foods and folklore are inextricably linked.
Fascinating Halloween food and folklore facts …
Apples are synonymous with Halloween:
Different theories exist, the most plausible that apples were in plentiful supply at the end of the harvest season, and therefore played an important part in the food served during Samhain. Another theory links the later, more sombre festival of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees whose symbol is an apple, with the festivities of Halloween. Although many original Celtic apple dishes have fallen by the wayside, over the years, apple recipes as well as games involving apples are still central to most modern-day Halloween celebrations. Take for example, “bobbing” for apples to see who is most likely to marry first, A variation on apple bobbing is the challenge of peeling an apple and throwing the strip of peel over your left shoulder; the initial that forms is that of a new love about to enter your life.
Nuts (especially walnuts) are part of the Halloween tradition:
Harvested nuts were traditionally served to guests during Halloween celebrations. So popular was this custom in certain parts of England that All Hallows Eve was often referred to as Nut Crack Eve. Shells and sometimes the whole nuts were thrown into the fire and used for telling fortunes, particularly about one’s love life. If the nuts remained glowing in the fire, then things looked good for hopeful lovers; but if the nuts spat and jumped out of the fire, then lovers knew better than to hold their breath. Today, nuts form an essential ingredient in many Halloween recipes including the hugely popular, American influenced, pecan pie.
Pancakes or Halloween cakes:
According to ancient English tradition, soulcakes, a variation on the modern pancake, were given to beggars, at Halloween. One legend suggests that beggars were so hungry that they used to wolf down the cakes before praying for their food. Consequently, they had to be reminded of their omission by the circular shape of the cakes, which were symbolic of eternal life and the cycle of the seasons. A more frivolous interpretation of the origins of Halloween cakes is that tokens were concealed in cakes and the lucky person whose slice of cake contained the lucky charm would enjoy good fortune, thereafter.
Vegetables - potatoes, turnips, cabbage:
Regional preferences exist regarding the choice of vegetables used to celebrate Halloween. In Ireland, for example, potatoes, turnips and cabbage, along with a hint of onion may be incorporated into Colcannon, a dish that is popular in Ireland to this day. Surprisingly, the ubiquitous potato is a relatively recent introduction to the feast of Halloween, whereas in ancient times, the turnip reigned supreme. Today, carved turnip or more commonly pumpkin lanterns hark back to the symbolism and folklore of the past. Turnips, pumpkins, parsnips and potatoes are also key ingredients in many modern Halloween recipes including parsnip and turnip soup, pumpkin pie and other traditional goodies.
Have fun!
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