E-briefing on Halloween
Date: Oct. 9, 2000
Contact: Chris Curran
Assistant Director, UC Public Relations
Phone: (513) 556-1806
Halloween is headed our way along with the big time change on
October 29th. We provide a little seasonal fun in this week's
University of Cincinnati e-briefing with a look at the growing
popularity of Halloween and all of its trick-or-treat trimmings.
Table of Contents: Halloween
I. Then and Now A. Halloween History: Celtic
Connections B. No Nightmares for Sales
II. Scary
Creatures A. Slaying the Vampire B. The First
Witch Hunt C. Colonial Witchcraft
III. Bless the Beasts A. Bad Rap for Bats B. Pet
Protection
IV. Party Favors A. Who's Invited?
B. The Baby Boomers C. Advice for Parents
V. Halloween Treats A. Candy and Kids B.
Jack-O-Lantern Leftovers
I. HALLOWEEN, THEN AND NOW
A.
HALLOWEEN HISTORY: CELTIC CONNECTIONSThe origins of
Halloween, according to Edgar Slotkin, University
of Cincinnati professor of English and Celtic expert, are
connected to an ancient Druidic holiday known as Samhain, which
was celebrated from sundown to sundown beginning on Oct. 31.
Around 900 A.D., Christians changed All Saints Day from May 1 to
Nov.1 to co-opt this Celtic pagan holiday. Samhain, which means
November in Irish, was a celebration of the Celtic New Year,
which began on Nov. 1 after all harvesting was expected to be
finished. It was marked by staying at home after a thorough
housecleaning. Although it was not marked by going house to
house, the New Year's celebration involved story-telling and
game-playing.
Contact: Edgar Slotkin (513) 556-0155
B. NO NIGHTMARES FOR SALESProjections from the National Retail
Federation show
Halloween-related sales will generate $6.8 billion this year,
with candy sales alone expected to generate $2 billion. Costume
sales are expected to bring $1.5 billion to the overall sales
figures and Halloween decorations have become the second largest
segment of the nation's seasonal decorations category. Americans
could spend as much as $2.7 billion this year on pumpkins,
greeting cards and other Halloween party favors in addition to
merchandise featured by retail chains such as Horchow Collection,
Crate and Barrel, and Pottery Barn.
Contact: E-mail Pamela at ruckerp@nrf.com and Sarah at scheurs@nrf.com
Web site: http://www.nrf.com/
II. SCARY CREATURES
A.
SLAYING THE VAMPIREThe vampire has long been a favorite
Halloween costume, and the
history of the vampire comes from ancient folklore. Rebecca
Borah, UC assistant professor of language arts and pop culture
expert, says vampires were believed to have come back from the
dead because of unfinished business--closure with a loved one or
addressing a wrongdoing. "Blood was equated with life and there
are a lot of taboos about blood and cannibalism. Anyone who takes
someone's life in the form of blood is cheating nature. The
undead are unwholesome." Borah adds the romanticism surrounding
vampires didn't come about until the 1700s, when German romantics
began writing poetry about people coming back from the grave to
be with someone they loved.The wooden stake used to kill a
vampire has religious overtones according to Borah. "Christ died on the cross. The stake is used
to literally pin down the vampire so it dies when daylight
catches it. In some Nordic countries, it used to be common to
place a needle or pin in the feet of the deceased so they would
stay in the grave. There's also the tradition of putting
rosebushes over graves and that comes from vampire folklore. If
the spirit tried to come out of the grave, it would be caught on
the thorns and would be forced to dive back into the grave when
daylight arrived, rather than be free to haunt
people."
Contact: Rebecca Borah by e-mail at
borahrs@ucmail.uc.edu
B. THE FIRST WITCH HUNTWitches
were not associated with Halloween until the last century
or so. And back when witchcraft was a capital crime, the accused
were not dressing up in pointed hats or black capes. Thousands of
accused witches were executed or put in prison during the
European witch hunts from 1550 to 1650. UC historian Howard Todd
says most of the victims were women. "Most of them were older,
considered ugly or deformed, and almost all of them were poor and
had no one to protect them. They were defenseless, and when there
was a problem in society and you needed someone to blame, you
made the vulnerable people the scapegoat." Todd says the
executions were public events, where families would pack picnic
baskets and watch as "witches" were burned at the
stake.
Contact: Howard Todd, (513) 556-0702 or
e-mail howard.todd@uc.edu
C. COLONIAL WITCHCRAFTDespite popular belief, no witches were burned at
the stake in
the American colonies, but UC historian Terri Premo says instead,
they were hanged and drowned. Most of the trials took place in
17th century New England, particularly in Salem, Massachusetts,
where 19 people, mostly women, were executed. "Believing in
witchcraft was not perceived as unusual. The smartest people
in the colonies would blame events on witchcraft. It was
connected to the culture they brought with them from Europe,"
says Premo. Even children were jailed for witchcraft and in 1692,
Massachusetts governor William Phips ordered a halt to the trials
when his own wife, Lady Mary Phips, was suspected of
witchcraft.
Contact: Terri Premo by e-mail at
terri.premo@uc.edu
III. BLESS THE BEASTS
A. BAD RAP FOR BATSThere aren't
any vampire bats in this country, and even those
that do fly around the wilds of Mexico and South America aren't
particularly greedy, vicious, or even very big. They're only
about three inches long and weigh barely one ounce, according to
experts at the Birmingham Zoo. That means vampire bats can
survive on just two tablespoons of blood each day. Their victims
(usually cows, pigs or horses) feel little pain, because bats
have an anesthetic in their saliva to dull the pain of the bite.
Vampire bats are also social animals, living in colonies with as
many as 2,000 individuals. They help each other by grooming and
sharing food. Those that don't share don't get as much help.
For more information:
http://www.birminghamzoo.com/ao/mammal/vampireb.htm
B. PET PROTECTIONTrick-or-treat means traditional
Halloween fun for humans, but the Hamilton County SPCA reminds pet owners it can be a time of
stress and unpredictability for their animals. One issue is the
safety of trick-or-treaters. "With strangers coming to your home
dressed in various kinds of garb, it's best to put your dogs and
other animals in another area, so they don't have access to
people at the door," advises Harold Dates, director of the
Hamilton County SPCA. "Dogs are territorial. Even the most docile
pet can be disturbed by people in costume, which could cause them
a problem and then, in turn, you have a problem." A second point
has to do with safety for the animal itself. Dates says opening
the door for trick-or-treaters also opens the chances for an
animal to get out. That could be an unpredictable and terrifying
situation for the animal, given all the commotion inherent with
trick-or-treating. "In particular, new pet owners just need to
exercise caution," Dates says.
Contact: Hamilton County
(Ohio) SPCA, (513) 541-6100
IV. PARTY FAVORS
A. WHO'S
INVITED?A recent poll of 1,000 Americans, conducted for the
National Retail Federation, reveals the 18 to 34-year-old age group is
filled with active Halloween participants. The poll by the
Virginia-based Market Facts Inc. suggests nearly 39 percent of
respondents aged 18-34 plan to attend some type of Halloween
event for adults, ranging from Halloween parties to charity
events.
Contact: E-mail Pamela at ruckerp@nrf.com and Sarah at scheurs@nrf.com
B. THE BABY BOOMERSThey may not go door-to-door with
a goody bag, but adults are having as much fun as the kids on Halloween. "It's a Baby Boomer
thing," explains Rebecca Borah, UC assistant professor of
language arts and pop culture expert. "It's become very
commercialized, from greeting cards to party supplies to scary
movies, it's another occasion to get together and have a good
time." Borah says popular costumes this year will include movie
characters, pokeman and of course, Harry Potter.
Contact:
Rebecca Borah, (513) 556-1792
C. ADVICE FOR PARENTSThe
older kids may love a good scare on Halloween, but the terror
can be very real for small children under age five. "They're
still at an age when they have trouble separating fantasy from
reality," explains UC child development specialist Sally Moomaw.
"The costume looks very real to them and even if it's the child's
mother and she takes off the mask, when she puts the mask back
on, the child believes her mother has turned into a monster."
Moomaw says parents should definitely accompany very young
children if they go trick-or-treating. Don't leave an older
sibling in charge. Moomaw also recommends parents read a couple
of books with their small children before Halloween night:
"Humbug Witch" by Lorna Ballian is about a little witch whose
spells never quite work out. "At the end of the book, she takes
off her pointy hat and it turns out to be a little girl just
pretending to be a witch." Moomaw also recommends "The Real-Skin
Rubber Monster Mask" by Miriam Cohen, about a boy who gets a
scare from his own mask. "His friends support him and so he
doesn't 'lose face' for being afraid."
Contact: Sally Moomaw by
e-mail at sally.moomaw@uc.edu
V. HALLOWEEN TREATS
A. CANDY AND
KIDSRandall Cottrell, professor of health promotion and
education at
the University of Cincinnati, warns about indulging in too much
of a food thing over Halloween. He recommends that parents should
limit Halloween snacks over time, so children are not getting a
sugar rush from eating a large amount at one time. "From a safety
perspective, parents should take children to familiar
neighborhoods and candy needs to be closely examined before it's
eaten. Unfortunately, home-baked goods tend to be suspect and
should be thrown out. Look for other signs of tampering (loose
candy wrappers) and throw out anything suspicious." Cottrell adds
that children should wear bright costumes, carry a fluorescent
bag or bucket, and they should be encouraged to walk with a
flashlight and use it when they walk in between houses. Younger
children should always be accompanied by an adult.
Contact:
Randall Cottrell, (513) 556-3861 or e-mail
randall.cottrell@uc.edu
B. JACK-O-LANTERN
LEFTOVERSAttention, pumpkin carvers: You could unkowingly be
throwing out a Halloween delicacy. Tom Smith, area coordinator of UC's
horticulture program, says roasted pumpkin seeds can be a tasty
treat that holds you through the winter months. Scoop the seeds
out of the pumpkin, clean them off and put them in a baking pan
with a little olive oil. Roast them in a 325-degree oven until
they're golden brown. Smith says for a little extra zip, add some
salt and Worcestershire sauce.
Contact: Tom Smith, (513)
853-6821
Up next: With school conferences and report cards on their
way, we'll offer some advice for parents about what to do when
their child runs into problems at school.
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