Morbid - Episode 176: *AD FREE* The Origins of Halloween/Samhain Traditions

Episode Date: October 8, 2020

A little bonus episode for you weirdos! Alaina tells us all about the traditions of Samhain, or as we know it today: Halloween. The druids were out here wildin’ with their traditions, and we both want in on some of them. Get your potatoes, yams and turnIps ready, it’s Samhain time baby! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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That's ANGI, or download the app today. Hey, Weirdos, I'm Ash. And I'm Elena. And this is Morbid. It's morbid, and it's a bonus one with... Bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-b with no ad. Add free mother fucker. ["Fucka"] ["Fucka"] ["Fucka"]

["Fucka"] ["Fucka"] ["Fucka"] ["Fucka"] ["Fucka"] ["Fucka"] That's right. There will be no interruptions in this story because we just love you.

Well, don't say that because I interrupt a lot. It's actually like my profession. Well, no add interruptions, but you know what, we just love you guys and we decided that this is a fun little subject that I decided to research. So we were feeling generous. I feel more generous in spooky season than I do during the holidays. I know, it's just that kind of season. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

But it's because it's spooky. It's true. So I'm feeling very giving. So you're talking to us about what today? Well, speaking of spooky season, we're gonna talk about the origins of our Halloween. What? And how it began with Sallowin, which... Which...

Samhain. Which looks like Samhain. And honestly, Samhain sounds spookyer for some way to reason. Doesn't Samhain sound like a spooky celebration? Samhain, to me, personally, sounds super spooky, but I think Sallowin sounds like a spookyer. Sallowin gives. But I don't know. Samhain, I've heard personally, sounds super spooky, but I think Salon sounds like a spooky. Salon gear. Sounds spooky, but I don't know. Sam Hain, I've heard it so much,

because people all say that instead. I'll say that instead. I'll say that instead. I think I've attributed it with spooky season so much that like, it threw me off when I realized it wasn't pronounced that way. I get that. But it's pronounced Salon.

So that's something for everybody to know. And let's just chat about it. We're just going to chat about some of like, you know, where it came from, some of to chat about some of like, you know, where it came from, some of the traditions, how it became what we know at today in America, especially. So this all kind of began. It's obviously a pagan holiday, and it would begin with like the Druids and the Druids. The Druids are kind of rad. I mean, a lot of people are like, but didn't they sacrifice humans, but like a lot of religions did. Yeah, I mean, and you know, there's a lot of like,

I feel like there's a lot of misconception. Was of the times. It certainly was of the times. I mean, they wouldn't do it today. Yeah, no, but I don't think so. But what Druids were, where they were like a mishmash of things like they weren't just religious leaders They were scientists scholars. I mean they were like community. They were a mix of everything like Anything you can they wore many hats here stylists exactly hair stylists. I'm sure you know, but yeah They wore many hats many hairs, you know, wigs.

Now, we're going to go back 2000 years ago. We're back. So we're going to take a little hot back. That's all. So this is when Celtic people in Europe, and this was what we know to be Ireland, Scotland, the other UK, like some of the pieces of Northern Europe, that's what we're really talking about. They celebrated the end of the harvest season in the start of a new year with a festival called Soin.

And this translates literally to Summers End. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. So, their year was divided into four big holidays back then. In Sowing marked November 1st, which was the beginning of winter. And this is when Shik got really rough and they had to bring livestock closer to home.

Some of their animals weren't gonna survive during the winter. I mean, they had to harvest those crops. They had to get everything ready for it because it was kind of like the end of the world's basically. I was gonna say like some of them were going to survive. Well, you just, yeah, they didn't know. Right. It was going to survive.

So this really was like a dark time. And it's the end of the year in the beginning of a new one. So it was a duality of death in rebirth because the deaths of the year and the death of the year into a rebirth of a new year, but also the death of harvest season in the beginning of a harsh cold winter. Right, so it was all mixed duality of death and rebirth. The Celtic year was divided into two parts. Okay.

There's the dark part of the year, and the light part of the year. The spooky part of the year. The deck. So the year, the Celtic year, was also kind of like punctuated by four fire festivals. They also had solstices and equinoxes, which were about, you know, the long days and short days. So obviously like we said, Samhain, Samhain, Sowing, sorry I read it phonetically. Sowing.

Sowing was when the dark half of the year began? So it's spooky in and of itself. It's like, so when usheres in the dark part of the year. Okay, the dark part of the year is my favorite. And I don't, this is a potentially dumb question because like time zones didn't exist back then, I don't think, or like the way that we like turn the clock's back, but it does get a little darker, right?

Or mirror and stuff. Yeah, it's like how that goes. Yeah, because I was that part of the reason why it was the darker part of the year. Yeah, and I think it was just like the darker part because winter is coming and winter tends to just be darker. Yeah, but so like cloudy and gray and all that. It's like out of summer, which is the bright part of the year

and the spring, which is the bright part of the year. The dark part is the best part. It truly is. So in 43 AD was when the Romans conquered much of the Celtic lands and their traditions and autumn festivals started fusing with the Druid festivals. Okay. So all these, they were going to keep some of them, but they were going to fuse them with the Roman stuff.

Mm-hmm. So now the Roman goddess Pomona was the goddess of fruit and trees, the Roman goddess, and one the goddess of fruit and trees, the Roman goddess, and one such Roman festival that honored her was fused with some of the Sauen, Druid festivals. It was the fusing and observances that eventually led to Halloween that we know. So this whole fusing of, you know, festivals was how we got our Halloween. Yeah. It wasn't just the original sour, and it's like the mix. It's a little, a little medley.

A little bit at a store thing. We took a little bit from here, we took a little bit from there, and then we totally bastardized it, but you know, it's okay. We get what we get, and we don't get upset. No. So it's worth noting that sometime in the late 19th century,

is when they decided that sour, and that's when they decided that Sauen was marking the beginning of the Celtic year. They got this idea apparently because Julius Caesar said in book six of the Gallic Wars something about the Gauls quote, keeping, they keep birthdays in beginning of months and years in such an order that follows that day follows the night. So this statement was interpreted to mean that Sauen was the Celtic beginning of the year because Sauen begins the dark half of the year.

Of course, this is just speculation because we can't just ask Julius what he meant by that. Why not? But another thing that adds intrigue to this idea of Sauen beginning the Celtic year is the discovery in 1897 of something called the Coligney Calendar, which is from Gal culture. And it's relevant because it has something marked in the month called Trinx Samo. And researchers and archaeologists think that this is a nickname for the Trenuccian Semineos, which is three-night observance of some aneos, which is supposedly a three-day holiday

that's pretty similar to Sawan and It's observed in the middle of the first month. So the whole new year idea is a little questionable because of that Yeah, that's throws that off. Yeah, it's the whole, like, that it's celebrating the new year that does throw it off a little bit, but it's interesting nonetheless. Yeah, it's always interesting to see like where they come up with this stuff and then like that they'll find something little that will kind of throw it off.

Well, shit. And you're like, do any of us know anything? So I think it's just, we're all just relying. Whoa, you okay? I went to like put my hands up to whisper into the microphone and I just punched the table. Wow. I was just gonna say.

That's so sad one of you. Yeah, I was just gonna say that it's all simulation. It is, it's all simulation. But you know what? Archaeologists and like anthropologists and stuff? I'm like, good on you, man. That would be such a fun job. You guys are the one that we rely on.

It is cool. But either way, that was just a little detour I wanted to take. But either way, sad one was huge. And it was also the time of the year when the wall, this was just a little detour I want to take. But either way, Sauen was huge. And it was also the time of the year when the wall, this was like how everybody knows it. The wall between the living and the dead seemed to fall away,

and that veil thinned quite a bit. I'm ready for it. So the veil between the worlds of the living and the spiritual realm is barely there. This is when the souls of those who died during the year are traveling to that other realm who died during the year are traveling to that other realm. So during the year whoever died, this is when they were going to be making their way over to the spiritual realm, which means they're going to be passing through

ours together. So it kind of causes metaphysical chaos everywhere. And humans could just hang out and have coffee with your dead relative, if you really wanted to. And humans could just hang out and have coffee with your dead relative if you really wanted to. And the spirits are known to, you know, they're fine, but they can be a little mischievous. Oh yeah, when I'm a spirit, I'm not a mischief, the fuck out of everything. Yeah, I mean, you can really fuck some shit up

when you're a spirit. So why not do it? Because what are the consequences? What else are you gonna do, you're dead? So these sudden shenanigans were celebrated, but also kind of kept at bay, because they wanted, they were fine for shenanigans, but they didn't want anything getting dangerous.

Of course. Which could happen. So they were kept at bay by offering and sacrificing, you know, animals sometimes. Also offering food like crops and veggies and fruits and anything that they were able to harvest during the year they would offer. But it's like, it's not so bad that they did the animal thing because they thought that

then those animals were just going to go to the afterlife. They definitely did it with the intention that, you know, a good intention. Yeah, I mean, it's not good. I'm not down for it, but like, you know, this was a long time ago, so I can't really get mad at people. But people also played trick, like people, like physical people, also played tricks and got into mischief because they were able to blame

the spirits and other whimsical creatures that were said to be roaming around. So on this night, the kalech, which is also known as the crone, and she's like the goddess of this time, comes to, and she strips the leaves from the trees. Oh, okay. So that's why we lose all the leaves.

She's taken a long time this year. Now she does this because she wants to hasten the, she wants to hasten the decay of the year. Okay, okay. So she's trying to really, really get rid of all the life that has brewed throughout the summer and the spring and she's bringing us into that dark-ass decaying time. I like her. And what that is for at first you're like, wow that's darkest fuck. But her reason for this is that it's supposed to

encourage new life and rebirth. Yeah it's perfect. Because you strip everything down so that it can be rebuilt again. So there is a nice little thing the goddess beautiful She's she's a scary bitch, but she's also like I'm trying to help you out. I love her. I'm here for her She's very metal. It she's very metal like the crown is is metal I beat a good band name. We call it the crown. That's an awesome one But you can also ask her during this whole festival in this time You can ask the crown or the goddess or the calich to take any of the unwanted things

that happened to you during the year, like your personal grievances, she can take them away. And she can transform them into something new. I love that. Is that nice? So you can be like, you know what, I had a real shitty year. And you know, like my finances were problems

or like, you know, the crops were not great. Yeah. And she'll take those worries from you and she'll try to transform them into something good. I love the idea of that. I think that's really cool. It's a nice thought. Well, one cool thing that really, it was, this was a giant part of Sam Hane.

You'll say, hey, fuck. No, no, Salon. Guys, I keep reading it phonetically on the page and it's, it's tripping me up. At least you can read. But I know it's Salon. No, no, Salon. Guys, I keep reading it phonetically on the page, and it's tripping me up. At least you can read, but I know it's Salon. Sometimes I do listener tales, and I'm like, Borkshire Girl, Shimmer, blah, blah. Well, you know, Salon, you've got it, buddy. It's okay.

Sam Hain, Salon, we all get it. It's okay. But one cool thing about Salon was that they did, there was tons of lighting of bonfires. That was like part, a really big part of it. Love bonfires. And this whole thing was done because it was aiding and offering something to the sun god

because you wanted a big his ass to come back next year. Hell yeah you do. Because you were like, I know you were on your way out and then we're gonna lose everything now and everything's gonna die, but like, please come back, sun god. Yeah. And they were like, please don't starve us all.

But mostly it was done to honor the dead and to light their way back to the spiritual realm. So you lit these bonfires to be like, please don't starve us all, but mostly it was done to honor the dead and to light their way back to the Spiritual realm. So you lit these bonfires to be like, here you go. This is just gorge. It's a then it's such nice thoughts. There's a lot of cool little things. So you're like, that's nice. This is honestly like whimsical in a met- it's metal whimsy. It is metal whimsy. It's like it's It is metal whimsy. It's like it's mimsy Mimsy or whetal if you will I like mimsy middle or whimsy So these fires acted kind of as like a runway to guide the spirits to where they needed to go And it was also a way to deter them from taking detours to fuck with your shit because they couldn't see that

Yeah, cuz they were like here. This is the way to go like don't take a detour over to my farm and fuck with my worlds. Like, just go over here. They were just like, come on, both. And during this, people would sometimes dress in costumes. And they did this to try to blend in with the spirits and blend in with the creatures that they said would come about during this time of year. And they thought that this would keep them safe from being harmed by them. So if I dress as a ghost, I'm one of you. They're gonna think I'm a ghost, so they're not gonna

fuck with me. If I dress as a fairy, they're gonna think I'm a fairy, so they're not gonna fuck with me. So it makes sense. That's why I was a dead bride for three years in a row. So a dead bride wouldn't fuck with you. No, exactly. I was a mad scientist one year. So you know, scientists wouldn't fuck with me. Yeah. So some others would dress up like them and go to houses to collect the offerings left at houses for the dead. Because they were like, I'm hungry. And the other one, because people, and we'll get into it in a minute,

but people would leave offerings outside of their house for the spirits passing by. So they were really into like, appeasing these spirits, and these like fairies, and leprechauns, and like all kinds of other creatures that they believed roamed the earth at this time. So they would leave stuff out there

and be like, don't bother us, just take this chicken. Like, it's fun. It's rotisserie. So these real people would dress up in these costumes to fuck with the living and go take the offerings left for the otherworldly creatures. So you're taking the spirits offerings. I feel like that's not going to end real well for you.

It's really not. Now, this was called mumbing, the dressing up and like disguising yourself. It was also called like guising. And it's likely the start of the tradition that we now think of as trick or treating, because we dress up, go house out. They would also light torches

and walk around the parameters of their property to ward off the spirits. So it was a really busy time too. You couldn't just... A lot of fire. You couldn't just hang out. You had to constantly be warding off these other worldly creatures and spirits. Now, like I said, honoring your ancestors and the dead was really paramount to this festival.

That was like really important to it. Many Irish and Scottish Celts would do something called a dumb supper. And I believe a lot do this still today. Oh really? And it's nice. What is it? On the eve of Salwyn, they had a dinner.

And this was a silent dinner, a very somber, very silent dinner in remembrance, in honor, in respect. And the dinner would also have an extra place at the head of the table. And this was for your ancestors who had passed away. And it was a full-place setting with food, be served an entire dinner, everything that everybody else was eating. But you had to serve this place setting without ever looking at the seat.

It was really bad luck. It was really bad luck. It was really bad luck. It was really bad luck. Because you're not supposed to look at the seat. Oh, shit. What happened to you, look at the seat. It was really bad luck. Because you're not supposed to look at the spirits. And after this silent dumb dinner, the plate and not dumb, like I'm saying it's dumb, it's literally called dumb dinner.

Yeah, yeah. It's dumb supper. After this silent dumb dinner. After this dumbass dinner. No, it's called dumb supper. This is a problem for you. I know the spirits are like dumb dinner, motherfucker, really? They're like, I don't care if you don't look,

I mean, you call the shit dumb. You like dumb? Yeah, you call the like, I don't care if you don't look at me. You call this shit dumb. You like dumb. You call this shit dumb. But after this dinner, the plate would be clearly untouched food, was clearly Elena. Well, it would always be full. And it would be this dinner would be taken out

into the woods and left as an offering. So there was many steps to this. You know how like when you're not supposed to do something you just want to do it like so bad? I have such bad luck. Oh, I would have so much. Yeah, I'd constantly be trying not to look at that. I feel like who's over there? Are they eating their pork?

I feel like they were freaking out. If not, can't I have. I feel like all each dinner. Are you gonna finish without a spare gas? I really want it. So of all the things you could eat, you picked pork and a spare. Do you want a buttered roll? I, ooh.

Can I have your crumb and roll? So during this whole thing, people would also leave dog food and pet food outside to honor those beloved pets who had gone before. My heart. And people still do this today. And it also is nice because it's like other animals that are roaming around will eat that too.

So you're just kind of doing a nice thing. And say you're setting yourself up to get a lot of strings. You sure are, but you know what? It's sweet. It's sweet. So interestingly, it's not just ancestors that come through this thinned veil on Sowing. Like we said, it's according to the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, quote, on that day, all

manner of beings were abroad. Ghosts, fairies, and demons. All parts. Demons. Demons. They all part of the dark and dread. So it could be one ancestors coming to be like, hello, thank you for that ham bone that you left me. Or it could be a diamond. That's like, hello, thank you for that ham bone that you left me. Or it could be a

Diamond that's like hello. Hello. I'd like some extra crescent rolls, motherfucker. And he holds up his three fingered hand The Right on there and then you go here you go and then he says thank you And then you go, here you go. And then he says, thank you. Thanks. That was cool. And then he poofs into a plume of black smoke. And you dinner right.

If you've cooked a crescent roll. Oh, yeah. Perfect. Only if it's a buttered one, and only if you've cooked it correctly. Because if he pulls that off his three pronged hand, and it's doughy, he's coming back. Oh, see, I like the doughy ones. Oh no,

Damon's don't want stomach aches, so they don't want that like undercooked shit. Like it's all the way exactly and they don't want to live like that. They're like, no, I'm a doughman. All Damon's have IBS. So they're all like, that mean I'm a dick. So they're like, give me a cooked food, thank you. Let's not aggravate this. Yeah, I haven't got that down yet. So yeah, so especially in Ireland is very much known for the legends of fairies and like the Fey folk, which we've covered in a couple of episodes

like Dark Fairies. So the night of Sauen was also the great sabbat for witches. Us, they would gather and celebrate. They would, you know, dance around and cast spells and they tell fortunes and we're just red. Oh, and they looked great. But they did. They looked awesome. So stories tell also that you could see on that night,

you could see witches flying through the air on their broomsticks. It me. You would see all kinds of, all manner of like magical creatures and familiars, like black cats and ravens and all kinds of cool things. Basically everything you want.

I just think about it. I'm like, I am literally giddy. I'm so giddy. I'm like, oh my God, I can bring locks. I'm like, oh, what a great sabit. So, sabit. So, it was you just need a little hand.

Ooh, sabit. So, it was you just need a little hand. Ooh, Saba. I'm so excited. So, there's also, you know, the Queen of the Witches, for that night. You. It was me. It was either, some people think it was the Irish Morgan, which was also called the Morgan Lafay,

which is like, Morgan Lafay, okay. She's a popular girl in school that will not let you send her table. Oh yeah, Morgan LaFae. Well, fuck you up. Has a burn book about you. Yes. She will create a chat room just in by you

and it's so she can bully you with her friends. I saw Morgan LaFae wearing army pants into the top. So I got army pants and her flops. That is Morgan LaFae. So yeah, it's either Morgan LaFae, which I would like it not to be at this point. Or it's, this one's awesome. Or it could be the blue-faced hag of winter. That's that really cool artsy girl that got made fun of an high school, but now she's

like really rich because she paints great things. See, I'm into the blue-faced hag of winter. The Kailitch, which is also the goddess, the crown. She's known for a lot of things. I think that's where it's at. She's where it's at. Yeah, the crown is where it's at. Now, fairies return for the winter and legends say that if you lost a family member

to a fairy during the year, because that was a thing. Like I think we talked about it in the fairy episode that like, you know, fairy rings were a thing and oftentimes, you know, people would go missing and they'd attribute it to fairies. That's the best. Or somebody would change a lot and they'd think that they were replaced by a F.A. You never know. It's really cool. But yeah, a F.A. So, if you lost your family member to a fairy or a fairy ring during the year, this was the night that you could win them back. Ooh.

Or it's so... What do you got to offer? Well, you got to offer a lot. And you really got to be tricky. And you got to try, you know, this is when people would dress up and try to get, you know, blend in and all that good stuff. I think there's an episode about in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, the new one. There's an episode where they trick a fairy to get something.

Oh really? I think so. I think so. It's all about tricking the fairies. Yeah. You can't logic with a fairy. You can't just trade with a fairy. You got a trick. I've got a smart her. You got to.

That's what it's all about. Right, that's darn. Outsmart that fairy. Right it down. So in Ireland, fairies were huge on Halloween or in Sowing or, you know, what ended up turning into Hallows Eve or their

way of Halloween. Yeah and there was an old folk ballad that was called Alice in Gross and it was a story of a fairy queen who saved a man from a witch's spell on Sowing. Wow it doesn't get more whimsie cold than that. The wh whimsy is just flowing out of their ears. Wimsy is abundant. The whimsy and the spooky. I like the spooky back there. So it goes like this. I'll give you a little taste fit.

In Westphilet. No, no. Very close. Oh, Alison Gross that lives in Yant Tower, the ugliest witch in the North Count country. She's turned me into an ugly worm and guard me total around a tree. But as it fell out last Hallow even, when the Sealy, which was very, court was riding by, the queen lighted down on a Gowani bank, not far from the tree where I want to lie. She's changed me again to my own proper shape and I know more Toddle about the tree. So slam poetry. I love it. So she saved him. She sure did.

That's awesome. So there's a lot going on. You might need a queen fairy to help you get your, you know, what your husband or something or like a man or a woman from a witch's spell, or you might need a witch to help you get your man back from a fairy, it's just, who knows what crazy otherworldly creature is gonna help your ass? It's like Narnia, you just never know who you're gonna do school.

Like, come across. Yeah, you could come across a witch and be like, hey, can you help me get him back from a fairy? And she'd be like, no, I'm gonna turn you into a toad and you're like, well shit, or she could be like, yeah, I'll help you out. But then you probably will hear something. Next year. You definitely will hear something next year.

So, someone is just always you paying debts. That's all. Yes, someone is not sounding like so much fun after all. It's fun, but it's tricky. It's a lot of work. It's tricky, tricky, tricky. Now, most farmers and people in smaller towns and villages won't go outside that night still

Because they're so scared to run into something like evil as fuck. So is this October 31st? Yeah cool now druids Which were again Celtic priests and also a ton of other shit at the time Made it they said that this time of year made it easier to tell the future when the veil was lifted. So it was during the big bonfires at these festivals that people would tell fortunes, and it would just be like this big cool, just awesome, whimsical, otherworldly event. It's like Burning Man. And people kind of actually, and actually there was things where, which this isn't like, you know, this is kind of one of those things people tell

that like druids would burn people as human sacrifices in giant effigies of men, like humans, and they would like pack them all in there, like the wicker man, and just burn that shit. So people held fortune telling parties too, and they still do. That's like a thing. Can we go?

Right? And one of the ways that they would tell fortunes, like this old way of doing it was to poke a hole in an egg and then slowly drop out the contents into a glass of water and they would read the shapes that swirled around in the glass of water and they would tell your fortune. And I have to wait until Halloween to do that is what you're telling me. Yeah, of course you do. You have to wait for Souton. You want to do that with me? Yeah, I do. Yeah. Now apples were also a huge thing.

They were the fruit, which again, apple pie. And again, apple pie. Again, it translates into how we view apples during the harvest season. Yeah. Apple picking, apple picking, apple pie, apple tart. And they, you know, they're a huge thing. Well, they were considered a sacred fruit because if you cut it a certain way, there's a pentacle in the middle of it. Yeah.

You know, and it's the symbol of the goddess Pomona, which is the Roman goddess. Our girl. It's all about fertility and life and rebirth and in Celtic tradition. They would bury the apples in the ground on Sowing so that the souls awaiting rebirth would have something to munch on. That's so awesome. Which I think it's great. We're really nice to the other worldly souls. Sowing is like really thoughtful.

Yeah, we don't want them to go hungry. We don't want them to get lost. No. We're just like, let me help you out. Have a snack, take a chicken wing. Yeah. Have at it. And let's talk about bobbing for apples.

Oh, and like we do now. Think I wing, have at it. And let's talk about bobbing for apples. Oh, and like we do now. Think I remember, but go ahead. So during Sowing, it wasn't exactly, you know, it, so we do, we do this now, but it's actually for an interesting reason. So the goddess, which we're talking about, like the Roman goddess Pomona, yeah.

Or no, I think this was actually Kaelich, the crown. She was gonna be hanging out in like chilling for six weeks until you, and that was in order to maintain, so you wanted to maintain her presence in Goodwill, but she was gonna be kind of dormant until you. She was hibernating. Yeah, kind of, so you, but you wanted her because she brings Goodwill, if you ask her,

and you just need her presence. Okay. Now, in order to do that, you would capture an apple because it was a sacred fruit to the goddess and this kept her around. And again, this is the crown. So you want her around, sacred fruit to her was the apple. So bobbing for apples, might you capture the fruit,

you get to keep her goodwill. Okay. So she is gonna still like chill out for a little while, but you get her goodwill. Right. is going to still like chill out for a little while, but you get her goodwill. That's good. Now for you. And now the reason you might be wondering, why was she chilling out until you?

Well, that's because her bro, the God, the sun king, who just left us, is symbolically placed back into the earth until the winter solstice, because he goes in there with the seeds. Now with him being out of commission for a bit, the goddess transforms from the goddess into the crone and she mourns the fuck out of him until he comes back. Oh, she misses her boy.

Yeah, she just misses her boy. So when she's like mourning him, you kind of get her goodwill with the apples. Yeah. So now there's this fusing of Roman and Celtic traditions and festivals until Christianity came around and was like, no. So in 601 AD, Pope Gregory I issued a well-known edict that basically was like, okay, let's not strip these pagan traditions away until they can't do it anymore. Like no, we're going to, if they worship something, that's cool. We're just going to consecrate it to Christ and keep going.

We're going to Christianize any of these pagan things. We're going to let them keep doing it, but now they're doing it in the name of Christ. Oh, which means they probably didn't want to do it anymore. Yeah, it's basically just Christianizing everything, which you know, whatever. He made November first, and so now November first became all Saints day. Yeah, and it's still a... And another word for Saint or Holy or sanctified is, Hello.

Oh. All Hallows Day. So what is October 31st? All Hallows Eve. There it is. It's like the beginning of Focus Focus. Exactly on All Hallows Eve. There it is. It's like the beginning of Focus Focus. Exactly on all Hallows Eve. So the relabeling of pagan holidays as Christian days

is kind of also how Christmas came about on December 25th. Ah. Because if you wonder like how did they get that day, they just kind of assigned the date of December 25th because it corresponded with the mid-winter celebration of a lot of people. Cool. That makes sense.

Yeah, so that's just interesting. And druids were now, unfortunately, Christianity considered them devil worshipers and that underworld that they worshipped and made offerings to was now relabeled as the Christian hell. This is where the pagans became witches and spirits became demonic forces,

ready to fuck you up on Halloween. Yeah, they made it a little, they got a little too far. It got a little darker, actually, which is crazy. So Irish immigrants brought over the holiday traditions to America and we turned it into a Halloween we know now. It's so weird how it got just like, yeah, it's crazy. It's so different. Now, the like, yeah, it's crazy.

So different. Now the last thing I just want to mention, which is one of the biggest things on Halloween is the Jackal lantern. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So originally, they weren't pumpkins because they weren't,

there weren't rolling pumpkin patches in Ireland. They are not like an indigenous plant Ireland. No. So it's not like they had a ton of pumpkins lying around. They used potatoes or turnips. Cause they had a lot of's not like they had a ton of pumpkins lying around. They used potatoes or turnips. Cause they had a lot of those. Cause they had a lot of those and they would light them as a way to ward off evil.

And the jack-a-lantern name came from the legend of Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack. So Stingy Jack was a dick. Not King of the pumpkin. No. And he was just like, he just loved messing with everyone, just fucking around with everyone.

He was a prankster, but like in a mean way. He was mean spirited and cruel. He would do it to his family, his friends, anyone he loved, he would just fuck with them. He was a jackass. And one day, he was down drinking at the pub, you know, with the devil, as one does. And the devil was like, hey,

how about I buy you a drink? And Jack was like, oh, cool, thanks bro. So he was like, hey, how about I buy you a drink? And Jack was like, oh, cool, thanks bro. So he was like, I'm so angry. And then the devil was like, just give me your soul. And I'll buy you this drink. And Jack was like, okay, he thought I was a good deal. Yeah, he was like, cool. But he was like, I don't want to pay for this.

I don't have any coins. So can you transform yourself into a coin and show me that you're really the devil and He was like okay, so the devil transformed himself into a coin to pay for the drink and Jack took the coin and kept it in his pocket with a cross with like a crucifix so the devil couldn't change back from that form initially and He said I will agree to take you out of there and change you, and let you change back. But only if you wait a beat, and specifically a year on the whole taking of my soul thing. Okay. So he was like, he was like,

wait a year to take my soul. Yeah, he was like, you can have my soul. Like I agreed to, but like, you're not gonna transform back unless you agree to the year thing. And weirdly enough, the devil was like, okay. Devil loves a deal. He does. And he's apparently a man of his word, I don't know. So then one year after this, he runs enough the devil was like, okay, devil loves a deal. He does. And he's apparently a man of his word, I don't know.

So then one year after this, he runs into the devil. Because of course. Because TikTok, it's been a year. Hi, I'm the devil. And they happen to be near an apple tree. Oh, apples. And the devil was like, hey, so I'm here to take your soul.

And Jack was like, wait, how about before you take this soul in mind? Like, you can totally have it But can you just jump up that apple tree real quick and grab me an apple? The devil's not a fool though and he was like Cool, yeah, I'll do that because I really want your soul, but like sure you can have some sustenance I guess he's like weird flex sure he was like an apple a day the devil said weird flex, but okay I'll work it into any episode I can go and the devil climbed up the tree and he's picking an apple. And while he did that,

Jack either threw a bunch of crosses around the tree, which I don't think that's what it was. That's not an all. Or he carved a crucifix into the trunk, which I think that's what happened. That's what it is. And because this is all very real, obviously. And he made him promise, because the devil couldn't come down. So he was like, you have to promise not to take my soul when I die. That's the whole point of the mother fucking deal. Well, the devil was like, damn it! Fold me again.

And so he was like, sure. But all he got was a drink out of this. But don't worry. The devil got his. He has something in his up his sleeve because he was like, okay, okay sure I won't take your soul when you die. Oh, I know something that Jack did not So of course years later when he dies

He goes up to those you know the gates of heaven and he's like, hey, I'm stingy Jack I'm ready to be on the list in St. Peter was like looking at his list and he's like, oh No, you're a giant dick. You don't get to come in here. Sorry, you're not on the list. He was like, no, no. Back a little line. And he was like, you need to get the fuck out of here. So he was like, you mean to be on the first floor,

the basement, that's what you mean. The basement of heaven, the basement of the world. So he was like, you need to go down to hell, motherfucker. That's where you belong. So he sent him down there to the gates of hell and he was like, maybe they'll take you. So when he gets to the gates of hell, the devil's like, oh no, remember, I agreed not to take your soul when you died. And he was like, but what the fuck? Like, I can't get into heaven now, I can't get into hell.

And he was like, not my problem. So the devil just tosses him some hellfire and was like, good luck wandering the in between alone for all eternity. Oh, so he's in, um, so he's in a purgatory. So he's just floating around. So Jack happened to have a turnip because he liked turnips, so he just like had one. Okay. And he quickly hollowed it out and he carried the hellfire in it like it was a lantern. And he just wanders around with his turnip and his hellfire in the in the in between.

That doesn't seem so bad. And the Irish called the ghost of Stingy Jack, Jack of the lantern. Duh. And later abbreviated to Jack O'Lantern. Jack O'Lantern. And Irish, you know, and the Irish carved different veggies and things like turnips and potatoes to keep Jack

and his loner fucking hellfire away because he sucks. And he likes to play trunks. Right. They were like, he sucks. Can you imagine if we still carved potatoes? That's what I got out of this. I'm saying. And they really were forever.

And when they brought this tradition to America, people were like, oh, I don't want to carve a turnip. That's really hard to do. It is hard. Yeah. And they're little. And so we have tons of pumpkins around here. So people realize that it's easier to carve a pumpkin and that they look cool.

They do. They're pretty metal. That's how we got our Jackal interns. Let me tell you a story. Tell me a story. All right, here's my story for you. You know it. This is for the listeners out there. Oh, yeah. Don't be carving your pumpkins too soon. I would have told you this. Had you told me. know it, this is for the listeners out there. Oh yeah. Don't be carving your pumpkins too soon. I would have told you this. Had you told me. Elena would have told me.

I, my little sister was visiting from New York and I was like, oh my God, a really cool sowing thing that we can do. Oh, she's here. She's here. Lauren, do you know about sowing? This is what we can do. We can carve pumpkins, but it was still September.

It was like the end of September. And it had been cool for a week, and I carved my pumpkins, and then fucking death flies were all over my porch and it looked like we had murdered a body so yeah because the pumpkin just rotted. Oh not the pumpkin. It accelerated. Four or five pumpkins and we had to like get them all in bags and then take them through our indoors apartment. Yeah and then go down the stairs and then go all the way to the trash. And rotten pumpkin reeks. Day, night, and by we, I mean Annie.

Truth. But I think that was a really cool, sound thing that we did. Yeah, but don't do that, guys, because your pumpkins will rot in a stank. Don't do it. And your neighbors will assume that you have killed a few people. Yeah, exactly. But what you can do is carve some potatoes. Yeah, you can.

And, you know, so that concludes where we got some of our traditions. That was a trick or treating and, you know, pumpkins and all that good stuff. That was a really fun episode. It was just fun to research. There was a lot to it. I'm sure there's some other stuff that I didn't touch upon upon maybe I'll touch upon it in another episode if I find things But this was just basically what I could find about Sowing and how it fused with the Roman traditions and

Druids are pretty interesting and then I had no idea that Christianity like changed some things and yeah It's all very interesting. I want to go to one of those fortune telling parties. With the egg yolk. I think we should do that this year. We should do it. I don't know if we, I love that you're like, we should do it. Like we should just do that and then like interpret egg yolk

in our own way. Yeah, that's what I'm saying, was that we should poke a hole in an egg and we should interpret it. Yeah, and then there was also traditions like if you peel an apple and like one peel without breaking the peel and you throw it over your shoulder You see what it land like what shape it lands in and that's the initial of the person you're gonna marry I

Don't want to do that because if it's not a I'll be like wow it'll wait to fucking three years I've been having well shit So there's a lot of those things though. So there's cool traditions That's really cool and if we have any if we have any'm like, if we have any that we don't know about. No, I'm like, I was gonna say if we have any like Irish or Scottish listeners. Oh, I was like, are there any of you out there? I'm like, fucking half the fucking listeners. No, you guys are fucking awesome.

But if you guys have anything you want to like add to this, so you want me to like update or you can give me any of your traditions that you guys, you know, the UK listeners and European listeners, I'd love to do an episode that's about different parts of the world and how they celebrate this time of year. It'd be very interesting. So if anybody has any stories that they'd like me to tell their your own personal things that you celebrate,

that'd be cool to hear. I'd love that. I'd feel free to email the Gmail, at more of the podcast.gmail.com. email the gmail and gmail the email. Well, you're at that. You can follow us on Instagram at morbidpodcast. Hit us up on Twitter at a morbidpodcast.

Email the gmail morbidpodcast.gmail.com. And if you don't have a Halloween costume, you might as well just go as a morbidpodcast listener, shop top morbidpodcast.com. There you go. Wow, look at you with the Segway. She is basically Paul Blartmalkop. You truly are just Segway in everywhere.

I hope you're almost Segway. Out here, almost Segway. But we hope you guys enjoyed this little like Lucy Goosey Sowing out the day. Out for episode. Out for. And we hope that you keep listening and we hope you keep it weird.

But not so where that you do don't do Salon. Yeah, because Salon rules. Do all the Salon things. Stay away. Bye, bye. Happy Halloween. Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to Morvid, Early, and Add Free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen ad-free with Wondery Plus and Apple

podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey. What if you were trafficked into a cult over shot nine times, or fell in love with a vampire, or went into a minor surgery and woke up one week later, paralyzed. What would you do? I'm Whit Missildine, the creator of this is actually happening, a podcast from Wondry that brings you extraordinary true stories of life-changing events, told by the people who lived

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