Adult Swim: Historical Corner: The History of Halloween

Halloween in America, like so many of our traditions, is an amalgamation of traditions from around the world, a melted pot of cultural caramels, if you will. Let's celebrate our rich cultural heritage with a look at the spooky origins of this secular family holiday.

Ireland

Jack-O-Lantern, depicted here with the feet of Satan's duck.

Jack-o-lanterns got their start in Ireland, where the elders still tell the tale of "Jack and His Deal with Satan."

As the tale goes, a neighborhood drunk named Jack O'Landon who was fond of spying in bathroom windows "a' th' lass a' do' a' pissn's n' sich," was on the run from an angry husband who had caught him peeping at his wife "whilst she did 'n da lawndrys." At that time, laundry was a marriage sacrament, so the husband was full of ire and likely to kill Jack.

Satan, in the form of an ox, happy with Jack's decision.

Jack, retreating to the marshes, ran into the devil roasting a pine cone. Jack made a deal with Satan, saying that the demon could take Jack's head off of his body, scoop out the contents with a large spoon or curved spatula, make triangular holes where his eyes were, lay the contents of his head out evenly on an un-greased cookie sheet, salt, bake for thirty minutes, and then stick a lit candle where his brain used to be to scare off the husband.

Amazed at his good fortune to meet such a soul as Jack, Satan swiftly enacted the unspeakably brutal act and did indeed scare off the husband, who, as the legend goes, never spoke again and suffered from uncontrollable shakes.

The soul of Jack O'Landon, haunting a bathroom. Boo!

The tradition of placing Jack-o-Lanterns on window sills also came from this tale but originally were only placed in bathrooms and faced inwards, as if Jack himself was peeping in on bathroom-goers.

Mexico

Kittens were fattened for meatier, more festive heads.

Mexico is often seen as responsible for the Halloween game of "Bobbing for Apples." The original incarnation of this game was "Bobbing for Severed Kitten Heads," practiced at some non-government-endorsed prisons where inmates were forced to sustain themselves on "coyote leftovers."

In some areas in the Southwest, goodie bags given out to children at Halloween parties are still called "coyote leftovers," though few are familiar with the term's origin.

Austria

Another spooky head-related tradition comes to us from Austria where children used to play "Kinderfreizeit-Leichnam-Verzierung" which translates roughly to "Kiddie Funtime Corpse Bauble."

Long ago, when a member of the community with no known ties died, there was a grace period before burial in which children and feeble-minded adults could use the body for whatever purpose they chose.

A family dog in Austria wearing a 'Robert mask.' — A family dog in Austria wearing a "Robert mask."

The most common practice was simply to remove the head and use it as a ball to play European-style football. Another common practice was to flay the face and wear it over one's own, which is why children today wear ghoulish masks or make-up that gives the appearance of being deceased as they go to neighbor's houses collecting candy and being mischievous.

Russia

The traditional uniform of the Crag army is thought to be the inspiration for the modern clown.

Speaking of being mischievous, did you know the term "trick or treat" came to us from Russia? Following the ancient wars of Cragmon, back when Russia was still called Crag, defeated soldiers were forced to make their way home through the Ural mountains with very little supplies. These bands of soldiers would stop in villages along the way, knock on the door of a house and say some variation of "Feed me or I will kill you and your family." This eventually became the "trick or treat" entreaty that children use today to acquire candy.