As a child, Trick or Treating  was my introduction to Halloween.  Walking door to door to all the neighbors' houses, knocking on the door, saying "Trick or Treat!", and getting a handful of candy as a result!  How great was that!  But Halloween on a chilly October night was a kid's worst nightmare.  Mom would absolutely obliterate any semblance of a great costume with a hooded coat, scarf, or a thick pair of corduroy pants.  What was the point of going out at all?  And what great costumes!  In my neighborhood, the standards were the usual "bed sheet" ghosts, witches with construction paper hats, and the like.  Store bought costumes were invariably the old plastic coverall & plastic face mask, available in a variety of child celebrities of the day. Superman, Batman, etc.  But even in those simpler times, there was a hint of a darker side.  Razor blades or needles in an apple, or the "witch" that lived in the "haunted house" on the next block, were among the urban legends associated with the day.

There were a lot of kids on my block back then, and a Halloween party at someone's house was always exciting.  A darkened room, lit only by a few candles, spooky music, a tub full of water & apples, other parlor games, and something sweet to eat was all we needed for a spooky night of Halloween fun.  One game involved a cardboard box with a hole cut in the side, just large enough to put your hand through - and you had to do just that, and guess what was inside.  Blindfolded, you would stick your hand inside, feel what you imagined was a bowl full of bloody guts, or worse! [usually a bowl of wet, lukewarm spaghetti]. 

As a mischievous, young teenager, that darker side held more appeal.  Eggs, toilet paper, firecrackers, and a sock filled with chalk were enough to satisfy the hunger for mischief.  Never any real harm done, but the heart-pounding one experienced at the prospect of being chased down the block by an angry neighbor, made creeping up to a darkened door to ring the bell and run almost unachievable - almost!

As an adult, Halloween faded into memories of childhood for some years.  Then when my paternal grandmother died some years back, my father inherited many of her photographs, personal papers, and such.  She had written on the backs of most of the photographs, the peoples' names, birth dates, how they were related, etc.  Looking through these, I became intrigued with our family's history, and began to organize the information she had recorded for nearly a century.  For some years I researched further, and confirmed many family legends of being Mayflower descendants, descended of Scottish Jacobites, and more recent Irish refugees of the 1846-47 potato famine.  Since then, I have learned to play the bagpipes, visited Ireland, [Scotland's next!] and become a student of Celtic history in general.  This last pursuit permitted me to rediscover Halloween as being decidedly Celtic in origin.  Discovering that what we believe to be contemporary rituals, bobbing for apples, trick or treating, and dressing in costumes, are actually rooted in two thousand years of history is fascinating.

So, being now a father of four, Halloween is back in the forefront.  Gone are the innocent days of my own Halloween experiences, although I try to recreate them for my kids.  And with my newfound knowledge of its history, I enjoy it almost as much as they do - almost!

Enjoy the ring, hopefully it will become a great collection of sites for folks who look forward to Halloween, as we do.

Toccata