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A VICTORIAN OLD-FASHIONED HALLOWEEN POSTER
The Celts celebrated Halloween as Samhain, 'All Hallowtide' - the 'Feast
of the Dead', when the dead revisited the mortal world. The celebration
marked the end of Summer and the start of Winter. In the 17th century,
the Irish Catholic immigrants brought a variety of
traditions, beliefs, customs, and superstitions to America.
It was on Halloween night when the living and the dead were at
their closest and the Celtic Druids
would dress up in elaborate costumes to disguise themselves as spirits
and devils, just in case they encountered other devils and spirits during the
night. By disguising they hoped that they would be able to avoid being
carried away at the end of the night. This explains why witches, goblins
and ghosts remain the most popular choices for the costumes.
In County Cork, Ireland, All Hallows was marked with a mummers' procession
of young men claiming to be followers of "Muck Olla". Led by
Lair Bhain who wore a horse's head and white robes,
the group would go from house to house noisily beseeching householders
to impart food, drink, or money in return
for a promise of prosperity in the coming year.
The Irish also carved-out turnips in order to make
cheap lanterns with which to light their way during the dark winter.
The term "jack-o-lantern" first appeared in print in 1750, the name belonging
to an Irish blacksmith named Jack who colluded with the Devil and was
denied entry to Heaven. His soul damned, he was condemned to wander the earth
and asked the Devil for a bit of coal in which he could light his way.
The devil tossed Jack a burning ember which he
tucked inside a carved out turnip and it was then that
the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern was born.
Tradition was that a lighted lantern in a window would keep the wandering
blacksmith away. When the Irish emigrated in millions to America
there was not a great supply of turnips
so pumpkins were used instead.
By the 1880s upper and middle class Victorian Americans
thought of Halloween as a quaint
holiday brought to America by genteel English and downplayed Irish Catholic
connections. Parlor games and Halloween parties were intended for Victorian
adults, not children.
This poster is 17 inches wide by 22 inches deep, generous black, orange & green
ink lushly printed on glossy white stock.
The image for this poster was entirely all hand-drawn with pen and ink on paper -
NO CLIP ART WAS USED!!! This poster was offset printed. No computers were used in
the making of this poster.
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