Autumn Rain: Part 2 Poem by Paula Glynn

Halloween is a time for celebration,
Superstition; between autumn and winter,
The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain,
Where people would light,
Bonfires and wear costumes,
To ward off roaming ghosts,

Pope Gregory III making November 1,
A time to honour all saints and martyrs,
The holiday being All Saints Day,
To hold some traditions of Samhain,
The evening before known as All Hallow's Eve,
Now known as Halloween,

Over the centuries, Halloween to become,
A secular, community event,
With the child's play of trick or treating,
To gather neighbourhoods,
With spooky costumes and sweet treats,
Many a trick played if without candy,

The Celts who lived 2,000 years ago,
Celebrated their new year on November 1,
Where the area is now Ireland,
The United Kingdom and northern France,
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest,
The dark, cold winter associated with death,

Celts had the belief the night before New Year,
The worlds of the living and dead blurred,
This day being October 31st, which was Samhain,
Druids and Celtic priests would tell the future,
In the belief otherworldly spirits made this easier,
Prophecies a source of comfort and direction,
During the dark, cold winter.

Druids built huge bonfires,
Where animals and crops were used as sacrifices,
To the Celtic deities, the Celts wearing costumes,
And telling their fortunes,
And re-lighting hearth fires to help protect them,

By 43 A.D the Roman Empire controlled,
The Celtic territory, and stayed so for 400 years,
Where Samhain and Feralia were combined,
To commemorate the passing of the dead,
Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees,
To be honoured, with the bobbing of apples,

By the 9th century Christianity had spread,
Into Celtic lands and Celtic rites,
The church making November 1 All Souls' Day,
Where big bonfires, parades, and costumes,
Many of angels and devils, ghouls and ghosts,
The night after the now known Halloween,

Halloween would come to America,
Maryland and southern colonies on the loop,
Celebrations to include play parties,
Events to celebrate the harvest,
Neighbours to tell fortunes, dance and sing,
Share ghost stories and get up to mischief,

The late 1800's came with more celebrations,
Halloween parties all the rage,
Foods of the season and festive costumes,
To be frightening and grotesque,
Mid 20th century, however, to add trick or treating,
No one wanting a ghoul throwing eggs at their door,
Where candy instead would save the clean up,

Going-a-souling was a distribution of soul cakes,
A way to replace food and wine,
For spooky, roaming spirits in the dark,
And masks would be worn,
To make ghosts think them fellow spirits,
And people would leave bowls of food,
Outside their homes, preventing ghosts,
From entering,

Then came the superstitions of avoiding,
Crossing paths with a black cat,
The belief they would bring bad luck,
For in the Middle Ages it was thought,
Witches could turn themselves into cats,
To avoid being detected,
And to avoid walking under ladders,
Avoid breaking mirrors,
Stepping on cracks in the road,
Or spilling salt, all known superstitions today,

A matchmaking cook would bury her ring,
In mashed potato, hoping to find a true love,
Or a young woman naming hazelnuts,
And throwing them into a fire,
The nut that burned rather than popped,
To represent the girl's future husband,
And there were beliefs that eating,
Could mean her dreaming of her future husband,
And young women tossed apple peels,
Over their shoulders, hoping the peels,
Would have their future husband's initials,

Even in the here and now,
Those old Celtic superstitions,
Have their place in all Halloween traditions,
And many do believe in the supernatural,
That ghosts walk among us,
Perhaps blowing into the ears,
And telling of good fortune,
For Halloween is part of society,
And we all remember trick or treating,
That dark October night,
Of the ghost realm.