The Strange History of Halloween

Ever wondered why we carve pumpkins, dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating? Learn the pagan origins of Samhain, when spirits roam the Earth and we can see into the future.

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Halloween is the best time to cast divination spells

Halloween: You love it or you hate it.

Our office manager dreads Halloween. She’s religious and sees it as an evil night, when devils and witches and demons and ghouls literally roam the streets.

That, of course, is why many of us love it. It’s a chance to become someone else for a night. To embrace our dark (or sexy) sides.

To the pre-Christian Celts of Western Europe, it was referred to as Samhain (actually pronounced “sow-en”) — a term still used by Wiccans. It’s the one day of the year when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest.

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Halloween has its dark side — but it can also be a time of good luck

That means it’s the ideal opportunity to try to glimpse into the future. Divination spells work best on All Hallow’s E’en.

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Young women would try to glimpse their future lover’s face in the mirror on Halloween night

Witchy Ways

If you want to get into the Samhain spirit, try these spells: 

Contact a Deceased Loved One
See a Vision of Your True Love

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Witches, black cats and jack-o’-lanterns have become associated with Halloween

But it also means that ghosts and other unpleasant wraiths have the opportunity to invade the world of the living once darkness falls. People felt they had to protect themselves.

How did these origins lead to our traditions of carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, dressing up in costumes and asking for candy with thinly veiled threats of mischief? What’s the history of Halloween, our strangest holiday?

Here’s an infographic I wrote (and the talented Kevin LeVick designed) for a website that’s sadly now defunct. –Wally

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21 Vintage Halloween Photos That Are So Creepy They'll Give You Nightmares

Halloween costumes of the past were scary as hell.

 

They’re like stills from the opening credits of an American Horror Story. 

Maybe it’s the grainy quality of these black and white photos. Or maybe it’s the handmade roughness of the freaky masks and costumes the kids are wearing. But there’s no denying that these vintage shots of Halloweens past are the stuff of nightmares. 

Scroll through them — if you dare. –Wally

Bastille Day Q&A: Pretty Much Everything You Want to Know About the French Independence Day

La prise de la Bastille by Jean-Pierre Houël, 1789

Why did the French people storm a prison? What caused the French Revolution? What celebrations take place on le 14 juillet? We answer these and other burning questions about Bastille Day.

Down with the king! Long live the republic!

That’s the general sentiment behind Bastille Day in France.

“His head was put on a stake and paraded around Paris as a sign of victory.”

Bastille Day, or the French National Day, is celebrated on July 14th every year in France. It’s a day to celebrate and remember the beginning of the French Revolution. It became a national holiday in France in 1880, less than 100 years after the Storming of the Bastille.

Is it true the French don’t even call it Bastille Day?

Oui. I’m sure most French people would know what you’re talking about nowadays, but for them the holiday is named simply for its date, le 14 juillet (pronounced “le cat-tour jwee-yay”).

 

What caused the French Revolution?

The population of France had grown dramatically, from about 20 million people in 1700 to 30 million by 1789.

Most were peasant farmers who had to rent their lands from wealthy lords and pay them high taxes to grow crops. The nobility in turn had to give some of this to the king, though they kept most for themselves.

It got so bad that most farmers lived below the poverty level. When the cost of flour rose, people began to starve. And we all know you don’t deprive the French of their beloved baguettes.
King Louis XVI wasn’t able — or simply didn’t care — to solve the problem. He was busy living lavishly and spending an obscene amount of money at his palace in Versailles. Louis XVI had also driven France into bankruptcy by taking the side of the revolutionaries in America, supplying them with a naval fleet.

There were, of course, myriad other factors, including the growing popularity of Enlightenment philosophy. But the long and the short of it is that the downtrodden peasants and politically powerless bourgeoisie eventually had had enough.

The Storming of the Bastille on the 14 July 1789

Why storm the Bastille?

On the morning of July 14, 1789, a group of craftsmen and merchants rose up and invaded Les Invalides, a military hospital, to steal weapons. They successfully ended up with 28,000 rifles — but didn’t have gunpowder to fire them off.

The mob knew that there was a stockpile of gunpowder in the Bastille, the fortress prison that held those who opposed the king. The Bastille was also symbolic to the revolters, representing the monarchy’s absolute and arbitrary power.

Siege of the Bastille by Claude Cholat, 1789

What happened when the mob got to the Bastille?

There weren’t that many soldiers guarding the prison. Still, they weren’t too impressed by the mob — perhaps because the revolutionaries had no way to actually use all those firearms they carried.

The governor of the invalides, Marquis Bernard-René de Launay, met with some representatives of the revolutionaries inside the Bastille. Negotiations ended abruptly when part of the mob found its way into the fortress. The guards were ordered to fire into the crowd, killing hundreds.

De Launay was hoping to gain time until backup appeared. Trouble is, when the so-called rescue team showed up, it decided to fight not for the marquis and the king — but instead on the side of the revolutionaries. Armed with canons, the professional soldiers took over the castle in a few hours’ time.

What happened to the Marquis de Launay and the Bastille guards?

At 4 p.m., the marquis surrendered, and the revolutionaries swarmed in. The guards were killed and de Launay himself was beheaded. His head was put on a stake and paraded around Paris as a sign of victory.

Later that night, 800 or so people ended up burning down the Bastille.

Who were the prisoners at the time?

While Voltaire was one of the more illustrious, previous captives held at the Bastille, at the time of the storming, there were only seven prisoners: one so-called deviant aristocrat, two “lunatics” and four forgers.

What was the king doing about all this?

Historians later found Louis XVI’s diary. On that day, he had only noted the result of his day’s hunt: “Nothing.”

That’s quite an understatement, as the storming of the Bastille became a turning point in the French Revolution, in which Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, would be guillotined.

When the king did hear what happened at the Bastille, he famously asked his advisor, “Is this a revolt?” The man answered, “No, Majesty. This is a revolution.”

How do the French celebrate the holiday?

In Paris, there’s a military parade along the Champs-Elysées, which has been decorated with flags. Then the president gives a speech.

In smaller French towns, the mayor gives a speech, followed by the laying of a war memorial wreath.

I know that doesn’t sound overly exciting, but rest assured there are also fireworks, dances, music, food and street celebrations around the country.

Other cities celebrate Bastille Day in style, including Milwaukee, where the festivities go on for four days and involve a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Bonus Fun Fact!

The British band Bastille takes its name from the fact that July 14 is the birthday of lead singer and songwriter Dan Smith. –Wally

How to Enjoy Feria

The fairgrounds in Sevilla, Spain during Feria are filled with women in flamenco dresses

The annual spring festival is one of the most fun things to do in Seville, Spain. Follow these seven tips.

Our first clue was the flamenco dresses. They were everywhere.

Duke and I happened to be in Sevilla, Spain for its spring festival, Feria. The six-day celebration takes place two weeks after Semana Santa, Easter Holy Week. Instead of creepy parades of men in colored robes with pointy hats, Feria is a nonstop party.

“You can drink all night, maintaining a steady but slight buzz, without getting so drunk you pass out.”

Here’s how best to take part in the festivities of Feria:

Couples all dolled up for Feria walk the streets of Sevilla

Treat yourself to a flamenco dress.

As I mentioned, anywhere you go in Sevilla during this time, you’ll see women and girls of all ages wearing flamenco dresses. The traditional flamenco is black, white and/or red with polka dots (traje de lunares), finished with dramatic ruffles that start above the knees and cascade down to the hem. While there are modern versions in all sorts of colors, the basic silhouette doesn’t change.

The dress originated in the Gypsy, or Roma, community in Andalusia in the south of Spain.

To complete the outfit, some women put their hair into a bun, drape a fringed shawl over their shoulders, and place a flower behind their ear or atop their head. And don’t forget the fans that can be opened with a dramatic snap!

I thought it was great to see all sorts of people respecting their local heritage and donning a flamenco dress. You can imagine kids in the United States being too cool for school and not wanting to play along. But it seemed as if in Sevilla, everyone joined in the fun.

Women in flamenco dresses are common sights in Sevilla during Feria

Befriend some locals.

Easier said than done, I know. But it’s your only ticket into the most exclusive parties during Feria, the casetas.

We lucked out. Our friend Dan was living in Sevilla and hooked us up with a caseta party.

This is what happens inside those Feria casetas. All night long

Lined up along the extensive fairgrounds, beneath strands of colored lights are more than 1,000 tent-like structures known as casetas, literally, “little houses.”

Prominent families, groups of friends, businesses and other groups own these coveted temporary structures.

People pay a great deal for a caseta, so they want to make sure they get their money’s worth, Dan told us.

The Feria fairgrounds, with a line of casetas, where the real parties take place

Be ready to stay up late.

Dan and his friends partied every night during Feria, dancing until the wee hours — and then going to work with very little to no sleep.

Try the official drink.

At the back of the tents are a small bar and kitchenette.

We drank a refreshing concoction call rebujito — a mixture of a lemon-lime soft drink and the sherry the region is famous for. (“This isn’t your grandmother’s cooking sherry,” our friend Jo assured us.)

Where does rebujito get its name? When I asked at the party, someone twirled his finger in the air and said it meant “round and round.”

It actually comes from the diminutive of the verb rebujar. So technically I suppose it means something like “little messes”?

No matter its origin, the 50/50 ratio means you can drink all night, maintaining a steady but slight buzz, without getting so drunk you pass out. After all, participants need to dance till dawn — and then put in a day’s work.

Be sure to eat the tapas — even if it's pig cheeks.

The only food that was passed around was a tapa in a brown sauce covering a mystery meat. When we asked what it was, someone said, “pig” and grabbed their cheek.

We might not necessarily be inclined to try pig cheek, but hunger can work wonders to lower one’s culinary inhibitions. Duke and I grabbed a toothpick each and plopped the app into our mouths.

We gave each other the raised-eyebrow, not-bad nod and grabbed some more.

It wasn't until we had returned to the States and I stopped into Publican Quality Meats one lunch break that I discovered what exactly pig cheek looks like when it’s not drowning in sauce.

The butcher pointed at a thick strip of fat.

“That’s pig cheek?” I asked.

He nodded, adding that the restaurant often uses it instead of bacon.

I honestly couldn't see even a thin vein of meat within all that fat.

“Well, no wonder we liked it so much,” I sighed.

Cristina and Duke dance the Sevillana

Learn the local dance.

Even though we hardly spoke any Spanish, and hardly any of them spoke English, we found most people in our caseta friendly. Cristina, a gorgeous woman who was there with her girlfriend, taught Duke how to dance the Sevillana, the city’s local dance.

She somehow led Duke while also giving him directional hints with a simple nod of her head. Watching them twirl around the dance floor, you’d never know it was Duke’s first go at a Sevillana. He and Cristina seemed to have a psychic link.

Wander the carnival.

After too many pig cheeks and not enough rebujitos, Duke and I decided to take our leave. We left the caseta to wander the fairgrounds. One whole section houses amusement park rides and a midway with games. This area, for some reason, is called Calle de Infierno, or Hell Street.

If you find yourself in Sevilla in early spring, try to time your visit to coincide with Feria. It’s a spectacle worth being a part of — if only for the flamenco dresses. –Wally