| Pumpkin Soup
1/2
cup onion
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
one small pumpkin
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water.
Chop
the onions and gently brown in the oil in a pan. Chop pumpkin
into small cubes and add to onions with the salt, nutmeg (optional)
and pepper. Brown the Pumkin. Slowly add stock and cook thoroughly,
until soft. Add extra water if required. Puree in liquidiser.
To serve, pour into a tureen and add single cream. Makes 4
to 6 small servings.
Ancient Origins
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival
of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now
Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated
their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer
and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter,
a time of year that was often associated with human death.
Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the
boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became
blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain,
when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned
to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops,
Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits
made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make
predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent
on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important
source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires,
where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices
to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically
consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell
each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they
re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier
that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them
during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory.
In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the
Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined
with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans
traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second
was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and
trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation
of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition
of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today
on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into
Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated
November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs.
It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to
replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but
church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called
All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse
meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night
of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually,
Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make
November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was
celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades,
and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils.
Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints',
All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
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