We never know if Hallowe'en will find us covered in snow, but this year I guess we will certainly have at least some of that white stuff around. Alas, the respite from an early snowfall is likely not going to happen this year, although we hoped for that late fall reprieve of Indian Summer. Well, dig out the boots and the Hallowe'en costumes for the little ones that will accommodate a warm jacket and perhaps some snow pants.
Today, we associate Hallowe’en with pumpkins carved into Jack-o-lanterns. However there are actually a number of other fruits that have been associated with Hallowe’en in the past. In England and Ireland, lanterns were carved out of turnips and even very large beets. The image of demons were carved into the vegetable and then a glowing coal would be placed inside making it into a lantern. It was thought that carrying these lanterns around the village or leaving them on your doorstop would frighten away the evil spirits who came out to visit on All Hallows Eve! In the 1800’s with the wave of Irish immigrants the tradition of carving Jack-o-Lanterns came to our continent. It was very quickly determined that pumpkins were readily available, and easier to carve than a turnip!
For many at Halloween it is customary to decorate with cornstalks, autumn leaves and apples. This tradition had its origins in the Druid autumn festival called Samhain – one of the ancient fire festivals. It was not only a harvest festival but also a time to sooth the powers that control the processes of Nature. I am told that Samhain is the Witch’s word of Celtic origin for All Hallows Eve. Most of our modern day Halloween traditions date back to Samhain and with that the belief that the changing of the seasons and most particularly the change that marks the end of summer was a magical time – a time when those that were part of the living world were most closely connected to the world of the dead.
Apples are commonly used now for great Halloween party games, but in the Victorian era, they played another important role. Maidens would slip an apple under her pillow on the eve of Halloween to be sure she would dream of her sweetheart. Alternatively, at midnight on Halloween she would stand in front of a mirror and brush her hair three times while eating an apple. The vision of her future husband would appear in the mirror over her shoulder.
In Mediterranean countries before the fourteenth century rosemary would be placed over the cradle of babes to protect them. It was also often burned along with juniper and thyme as a means of cleansing a room of bad spirits. Rue was hung from doorways and windows to ward off evil spirits and to prevent them from entering the house
Wolfsbane, which is also commonly known as aconitum or monkshood , was believed to ward off werewolves. Garlic of course is not only important in the kitchen but is also a great way to generally ward off demons and vampires.
The words of Shakespeare in Macbeth are also filled with herbal lore. Picture the famous scene with the witches’ brew. Many would claim that the important ingredients of that brew were herbal rather than animal in nature. Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf could simply be translated to a leaf of dragonwort and a leaf of wolfsbane. Toe of frog is easily translated for those botany buffs to ranunculus or buttercup as the Latin root of rana means frog so could easily have been the root or “toe” of a buttercup flower. I would imagine that these “herbal” ingredients would have been easier to gather and infinitely more flavourful!
So to all of you, regardless of your roots – enjoy the plants that are historically associated with this time of year.
Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture and can be reached at 306-931-GROW(4769); by email at growyourfuture@gmail.com or check out our website at www.saskhort.com
