‘The dead know things’: The spooky history of Halloween

The trouble started before dark. A mob of more than 200 youths rampaged through the streets, hooting and whistling – armed with bags of flour. Men, women, tram conductors, train passengers, a couple on their way to the theatre, were all coated in white. The gang smashed a streetcar window and threw flour inside. Then someone threw a stone that split a man’s head open. “Rowdyism has stamped out innocent fun,” wroteFor a long time in North America, Halloween spelt trouble.

This is the first year his front porch features figurines including a vampire and skeleton. “When I noticed it was being celebrated, I was like, let’s do this, the kids will love it,” he says. Fairies, goblins and other spirits were considered part of everyday life. A flickering light over Irish and Scottish bogs – probably a chemical reaction, say scientists now – gave rise to a ghost named Will-o’-the-wisp, who misled travellers. That tale is one foundation for the flickering lanterns carved from vegetables on Halloween, historians say.

“Halloween was a day for what was called souling; people would come and pray for the people they knew who had died,” says historian Nick Rogers, author of. “If other people prayed hard enough for your ancestors, they would get into heaven.” Returning spirits and the souls of the dead were appeased with offerings of food and drink, which transformed into a ritual of knocking on doors and asking for soul cakes in exchange for performances.

“We’re a very competitive bunch,” says resident Kirsten Novytarger. She was a newcomer to the street several years ago and wanted to get to know the neighbours. “It’s a community thing; we all talk to each other. You walk around with another parent, you’re meeting the neighbours for the first time.”Several of the houses are spending hundreds of dollars on sweets alone for the trick-or-treaters while the local tennis club hosts a sausage sizzle to raise funds. Of the 5.

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