Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published Oct. 27, 2004

Halloween sure has created some interesting traditions

It was in the 5th century B.C. in beautiful Ireland that the roots of what would eventually be Halloween were planted. The ancient people called Celts lived there and observed Oct. 31 as "All Hallows Eve." They believed that on that night all those who had died during the year gathered to choose the body of a person or animal they would inhabit for the next year.

The Celts did many things to make their surroundings anything but welcoming to such a group. They engaged in some very wild actions but one of the milder methods was to carve a demon face on a hollowed out turnip. Inside they placed a lighted candle to frighten the intruders away.

In later years Irish folklore called these turnips jack-o'-lanterns. Legend said that a sinful man named Jack tricked Satan to climb a tree and then carved a cross into the trunk of the tree. He kept the devil trapped until he promised he would never tempt Jack to sin again. When Jack died he was turned away from heaven because of his early sins and Satan refused him entry into hell. Finally the devil gave him one small coal to carry in a turnip to light the darkness until Judgment Day.

America became the new home for thousands of Irish fleeing the potato famine and they brought their customs too. Because pumpkins were abundant they had no problem switching from the turnip to the colorful orange pumpkin.

At this time of year pumpkins are everywhere and many towns hold pumpkin festivals. In Keene, NH during their 2003 festival the world record they had previously set for the number of pumpkins carved was broken again when the number rose to 28,952 pumpkins carved during the festival.

Another group of people get their kicks from growing huge record-breaking pumpkins. The thousand-pound goal was reached long ago and now someone will surely pamper a pumpkin until it weighs in at 2000 pounds.

The newest abuse of pumpkins is to launch them from catapults. In the town of Estancia, the Punkin' Chunkin' Capital of New Mexico, the sixth annual contest was held last week. Homemade catapults such as Bungee-cord slings, PVC cranes or other contraptions launch a pumpkin of 8 to 10 pounds. Onlookers enjoyed a smashing good time!

It wouldn't be Halloween unless there was at least one story that gave goosebumps. Here is mine. In long ago days a Vermont village was hit with case after case of tuberculosis. Every six out of seven died of the disease they called consumption. A story circulated that these deaths were due to a hungry vine. The theory was that the underground vine went from one coffin to another sustaining itself on the newest body. When it ran out of food another person had to die. The villagers settled on a solution. They dug up the remains of the last to die, burned the body and the deaths stopped. That tale is still told in the town today.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.