175 Halloween mysteries

Mysteries of Halloween

This time of year is one of mystery and wonder—what will the weather be, what costumes will be popular, and how much and which candy will be given out. Of course, this is Halloween season which is either loved or detested by the masses.

There are decisions on both sides--what to buy to give out and what to wear to add a measure of surprise and intrigue. Or even if households will take part in the evening march house to house to fill bags with loot. Some may even decide to not turn on the porch light and ignore the knocks at the door.

I have always enjoyed this holiday but not in the way some people go absolutely bonkers with decorations and costumes. I put out a pumpkin and put an orange ribbon on my wreath--no stress for me. I usually buy several bags of goodies that we may want if we don’t get the hundreds who often stop by.

During my childhood years, we would throw on anything we could find around the house (dressing up as hobos and gypsies) and add tons of makeup--that was the real thrill since we were never allowed to touch it any other time of year. We would never think about spending money on a costume and I am not sure they were readily available.

Halloween gave us freedom not only with how much makeup we could slather on our faces but also going out trick or treating on our own--just us kids with no adults.

Of course, we knew the limits and stayed in the neighborhood avoiding suspect houses we knew would not be welcoming while carrying our trusty bars of soap.

One of our main stops was our grandfather’s grocery store, Victory Market, which was around the corner. Uncle Jimmy (most of us who were on the candy run were related – either cousins or sister and brothers) would greet us at the door and said no candy for you. We then proceeded to soap the large store windows on both sides of the building.

Then he would come back out with candy and beg us to stop. This was a ritual we all participated in each year giving us all a great deal of pleasure especially with unspoken permission to soap the windows. We left no tiny spot uncovered with our robust machinations. We did feel a tiny bit guilty the next day when one of the employees of the store had to spend hours cleaning up the mess, but that didn’t last for long.

Halloween for my kids in the mid-1970s and early 1980s took on a new meaning. Plastic costumes of popular cartoon and movie characters enticed the youngsters away from homemade varieties. We gave in after a few years and let them buy the trendy products.

In addition, they were always escorted door to door and definitely no soap was involved. Boy, did they miss out, but times changed and safety was paramount.

For our grandkids, Halloween has been similar as it was for their parents with purchased costumes and guided trick or treat. Costumes are a little more creative like a cup of Starbucks coffee. The internet has assisted in this endeavor as just about anything can be ordered with endless possibilities.

Our daughter adores Halloween so she made it very special when her girls were young concocting costumes that were envied by many. She misses it now that the girls are too old for the rituals. But many adults continue this passion into amazing costume parties and contests to judge the best. 

Our son’s family gets into as a group since their daughter was born Oct. 29. Many of her parties require costumes for everyone.

As far as treats, some have come and gone (pop rocks) but the basics remain--Hershey bars, Reese cups plus some healthier options including pretzels and trail mix. No more handmade items even if you know the person who made them are given out to young revelers. Dangerous events have happened to curtail this and often not even in your area or state, but we must be cautious.

The most bizarre of rituals surrounding the holiday was when at a young age I would accompany my mother and other family members to light candles at the cemetery on All Souls Day Nov 2. Not sure if this was Catholic or Italian or both but we never missed. Votive candles were placed around the tombs or graves and lit while prayers were said for the souls of the deceased who might not have been in heaven yet so we tried to give them a boost out of purgatory.

We always went around dusk, not sure if this was intentional or not, but it added a layer of intrigue. It was actually a pretty picture. Most of the graves close by were friends and family members so we didn’t neglect any of them.

Considering it was forest fire season in the mountains, it was amazing we weren’t arrested, but great attention was given to make sure the candles were extinguished with love and care. I miss those days and wish I could ask my mother more questions about the practice but she has been gone for 20 years. I must rely on my memories to keep the pictures vivid in my mind. Wish I had some photos but we never took any--no cell phones to record everything as we do now!

Whatever the degree of Halloween celebrated, enjoy it in the best way that suits what you like!!

Frances