Culinary Discovery
Trick or Treat, Give Me Something Good To Eat, Page Two
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Once Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian, Christianity spread throughout the Empire during the First through the Fourth Centuries. The Church were to convert the populace from a pantheistic to a monotheistic ideology. The early Popes were pivotal in ensuring this by gradually incorporating elements of the pagan rituals into Christianity so that the pagans would not feel alienated but embraced by the Church. In 610, Pope Boniface IV, created All Saints' Day to commemorate all early Christian martyrs.
In 740, Pope Gregory III moved All Saints' Day to November 1st, to coincide with Samhain in order that the people could still celebrate the dead but with a Christian slant. In 834, Pope Gregory IV extended the holiday to include all saints so every church under Roman rule would participate. In 1000, All Souls' Day was approved for a November 2 date by Pope Sylvester II, honoring the departed.
By the 14th Century, it was customary to trick or treat on October 31, All Hallows Eve, marking the three-day feast, Hallowmas. Soul cakes replaced the practice of placing food outside of one's house and sacrifices to appease the souls. People now wore costumes as tribute to the saints, not to scare the spirits. Bonfires were lit to ward off the devil rather than honor the sun.
The Protestants, led by Martin Luther, ceased celebrating the Catholic Saint days. The practice of an autumn feast was resurrected in the guise of Guy Fawkes Day, held on November 5. On that day in 1605, the Catholics plotted to blow up the House of Lords, who were pro-Protestant. But the plotters were discovered before it ensued and Guy Fawkes was caught as he was trying to dispose of his gunpowder stash and later executed. In 1606, the Parliament declared that day a celebration of the victory over the Catholics. Due to the proximity of Hallowmas, many of the traditions were borrowed and Guy Fawkes eve became known as Mischief Night. People carried carved turnips lit with candles and created bonfires in order to burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. By the time many English and Irish moved to America, the traditions of Halloween and Mischief Night were so well ingrained in their culture that they brought it with them.
The Jack O'Lantern finds its roots in Irish folklore. A drunk named Jack was approached by the Devil who wanted his soul. But Jack ran up a tree and when the Devil followed him, Jack carved a cross in the bark and so the Devil was trapped in the tree. Jack made a deal with the Devil that if he let him down the tree the Devil was to leave him alone forever. When Jack died, he was denied access to heaven due to his sinful ways. Upon arriving at Hell, Jack wasn't admitted either because of the pact. So, the Devil gave Jack an ember placed inside a hollowed out turnip to light his way through perpetual darkness.
The Irish began carving their own turnips and placing a candle in them and carrying them to ward off evil spirits. When Irish immigrants came to America, they discovered that pumpkins were a better size than a turnip for holding a candle. In the 21st century, we serve pumpkin pies for dessert and other squash dishes to celebrate the mischievous Jack.
