1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: We love Halloween, but did you ever think about how 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: it all started? It actually goes back thousands of years 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:11,120 Speaker 1: to ancient Ireland. Irish folks or celts celebrated their autumn 4 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: festival with costumes, treats, and jack o lanterns, just like you, 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele, but unlike you, at least I hope, 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: they also celebrated with bloody human sacrifice. That's next on 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: the backstory. The backstory is back. I know you're getting 8 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: ready for Halloween. Between autumn leaves, jack o lanterns, giants, skeletons, 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: little kids and adults dressed in all sorts of costumes, 10 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: and of course boatloads of candy, it's a festive time. 11 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: Even Hollywood joins in with Halloween themed movies and shows 12 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: that are just as thrilling as they are spooky. But 13 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: where did this all come from? Well, here's the thing. 14 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: Our festive celebrations were all part of traditions that were 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: born from some not so very festive traditions in ancient Ireland, 16 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: and those traditions have a really dark, frightening origin, involving 17 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: torture and human sacrifice. Irish folks or celts worshiped pagan 18 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: gods as well as nature and the land itself. Ancient 19 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: Ireland was a place of rugged coastlines, misty valleys, and 20 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: deep green forests. So let's go back. Imagine, as the 21 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: golden leaves are falling and the air is crisp, you 22 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: and your clan are taking in the harvest and preparing 23 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: for the frost and ice of the winter to come. 24 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: Your religious beliefs include fairies, mysticism, and animal as well 25 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: as human sacrifice. You and the Celts have a celebration 26 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: called Sowen. It's both a harvest festival and the time 27 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: of year when you believe that the walls between our 28 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: world and the next become translucent and almost fragile. It's 29 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: the end of the harvest season, late up October, and 30 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: legend tells you that other worldly beings will break through 31 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,239 Speaker 1: to the living world and prepare it for winter by 32 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: ravaging the landscape, turning it into the golden brown of 33 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: autumn before winter arrives. And there's only one way to 34 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: stop them from delivering a vicious winter. You have to 35 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: sacrifice your food, your livestock, and sometimes even your life. 36 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: Everyone gathers in one place in particular to celebrate the 37 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: harvest and most importantly, to pay tribute to the gods. 38 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: It's a settlement called Rethcoggan and it's known as the 39 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,639 Speaker 1: birthplace of Halloween. A temple there sits on a huge 40 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: mound in the middle of the settlement, surrounded by a 41 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: graveyard for the Celtic nobility. It's a pretty wealthy place, 42 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: but working class folks also travel there to take part 43 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: in the festivities. It's definitely festive. You eat, play games, 44 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: enjoy adult beverages, although kids during them too, sort of 45 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: like today's Halloween parties. But it's more than that. Swen 46 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: is also the place to announce declarations of war and peace, 47 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: and even arrange marriages. On top of all that, the 48 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: Celts believe this is the time the spirits of dead 49 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: ancestors return, as well as apparitions demons, fairies and monsters, 50 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: some of which they feel are incredibly dangerous. Ah this 51 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: is where you see the beginnings of Halloween, the witches, ghosts, 52 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: goblins and the skeletons pushing their way out of the earth. 53 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: It's believe their arrival is through what's called the Cave 54 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: of the Cats or the hell Caves in northwestern Ireland. 55 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: They still exist today, and nearby archaeological digs date the 56 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: caves and activity around them back almost six thousand years. Anyway, 57 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: to pacify these beings and protect the crops and livestock, 58 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: the celts offer them food, drink, and part of their harvest. 59 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: And to protect themselves, they light ritual bonfires everywhere on 60 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: hilltops and in fields. Now, really close your eyes and 61 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: imagine what this looked like. Huge feasts, barrels of mead 62 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: and wine, dancing around huge bonfires as the flames leap 63 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: into the night sky. And here's something you'll recognize. They 64 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: carry small parts of the fire home with them to 65 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: keep it lit and safe from the demons. How do 66 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: they do that Well, they carve frightening faces into root 67 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: vegetables like turnips and potatoes to intimidate the demons, making 68 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: the veggies look like the severed heads of enemies. And 69 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: they place burning embers inside the hallowed out vegetables to 70 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 1: animate the carved face and protect the embers. That's it, 71 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 1: It's the first jackal lanterns. On top of that, they 72 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 1: also wear disguises masks with different animal skins to make 73 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,799 Speaker 1: themselves look like the demons so they wan be dragged 74 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:05,479 Speaker 1: into the underworld. Aha, the first costumes. But here's where 75 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: it gets really creepy and disturbing. Late in the evening, 76 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: the priests, called druids would begin sacrificing animals and humans 77 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: to placate a god who is said to control in 78 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: underworld known as the House of the dark one, the 79 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: Realm of the Dead. In fact, if the harvest is bad, 80 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: they'll even sacrifice local kings, blaming them for angering the gods. 81 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: The deaths involve torture and dismemberment to further placate those 82 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: furious gods. Plus, they'd even use dismembered body parts as 83 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: a way to predict the future, including the weather. Tell 84 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: that to your local meteorologists. Amazingly, this goes on for 85 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: centuries until the Romans arrive in Ireland. They add their 86 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:55,359 Speaker 1: own harvest festivities, including honoring their Goddess of Fruit and trees, 87 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: whose symbol is the apple. That sort of helps explain 88 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: the old tradition of bobbing for apples and Halloween. Eventually, 89 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,600 Speaker 1: Christianity takes hold for most people in Ireland. But here's 90 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: the thing, and it's understandable. It's all about tradition. The 91 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: party surrounding Sowen is so ingrained in the Celtic culture 92 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: that the harvest festivals, including the gifts of food and 93 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: costumes continue. Centuries ago, the Church tried to replace the 94 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: pagan festival by dedicating November first as All Saints' Day 95 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: or All Hallows and the night before it was called 96 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: All Hallows Eve or Halloween. But the church can't compete 97 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 1: with a wild party. It was never able to get 98 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:43,799 Speaker 1: rid of the celebrations surrounding Sowen since they were deep 99 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: in the culture. So the two holidays finally managed to coexist. 100 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: But it doesn't stop there in Ireland. When the Irish 101 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: arrived in America, the tradition came with them. They continued 102 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: to celebrate and give small gifts of food during their 103 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: harvest vestilavals. Children would dress in costumes and jackal lanterns 104 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: were placed outside homes to represent the souls of the departed. Hey, 105 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: we still carve and light our jack lanterns. But as 106 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: one Irish anthropologist said, the minute the lights came on, 107 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: a lot of the stories lost their potency and people's 108 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: imaginations weren't running quite as wild, that's for sure. So 109 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:28,239 Speaker 1: it changed by the nineteen thirties, children began trigger treating, 110 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: but they were given cookies, fruit, nuts, and toys. It 111 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: actually wasn't until the nineteen fifties that big business saw 112 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: big business in Halloween and promoted the idea of handing 113 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: out candy. Hershey's, Reeses Mars, and Nesle were just a 114 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: few of the companies that began making affordable candy on 115 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: a huge scale in the twentieth century. They packaged them 116 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: to make them inexpensive and easy to hand out. So 117 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: Halloween in its present form is just part of its evolution, 118 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: with its roots in a prehistoric tradition going back thousands 119 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: of years. This Halloween, as you carve your pumpkin or 120 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: maybe old school Bob for an apple, and pass out 121 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: candy for just a moment, close your eyes, can you 122 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: hear the distant chance? Can you feel the crackling bonfire? 123 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: The whispers of the ancients are still here, reminding us 124 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: of a time when the line between this world and 125 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: the next was beautifully but frighteningly blurred. I hope you're 126 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a review 127 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: and follow or subscribe for free to get new episodes. 128 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,839 Speaker 1: Delivered automatically. Also feel free to DM me if you 129 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: have a story you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, 130 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm 131 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:59,119 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, 132 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: the Elvis Deup and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is 133 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,079 Speaker 1: Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes 134 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out to 135 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram at 136 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks 137 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces 138 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 1: of history you didn't know you needed to know.