![]() The custom of begging for food from house to house on Halloween came from the old Catholic soul-cake custom. While Bannatyne cannot fully explain why we allow our children to become panhandlers during Halloween, she does offer this interesting description: The fat orange harvest vegetable was quickly substituted for the turnip, and the carved-out, snaggle-toothed Halloween jack-o’-lantern was born.” (78) Bannatyne claims, “When the Irish immigrants arrived in America, they delighted in the size and carving potential of the native pumpkin. How did the pumpkin become a popular Halloween symbol?īannatyne argues that once upon a time “Irish villagers” made lanterns from turnip or beet roots. Here are a few of my questions and the answers I was able to find: Her book spends little time discussing Halloween’s medieval roots, opting to focus more on how Americans have celebrated the holiday. Instead, she’s showing how the holiday evolved in America. ![]() Now, before our Wiccan patrons get bent out of shape, Bannatyne is not arguing Americans invented Halloween. ![]() I was lucky enough to find Lesley Pratt Bannatyne’s Halloween: An American Holiday, and American History. Halloween seems more popular than ever, and even though I’m not a big fan, I am curious to find out how all of these traditions started. This weekend thousands of children will dress up and walk door-to-door begging homeowners for candy. ![]()
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