BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
Spooky season is here and there’s a few places you’ll most definitely want to consider for family and adult celebrations and the safety of your children. But what’s it all about?
What IS Halloween?
Halloween is upon us and it’s a 24/7 witching hour built for ghoulish makeup and madhouse mayhem. The roots of the tradition can be traced back to the celebration of Samhain (pronounced sow-wen) where the Celts believed that on this night the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, allowing for spirits to return to Earth.
As Christianity spread, the holiday became ‘All Hallow’s Eve.’ This is the night before ‘All Saints Day,’ on November 1, where tradition holds that one prays for the souls of the dead. While the Celtic tradition involved wearing disguises so that the evil spirits wandering the land during this liminal season could do you no harm, it eventually morphed into a more amiable game.
Trick-or-Treating
Knocking on doors for comestibles, in medieval times, was called ‘souling,’ and the poor would go door to door with prayers being offered in exchange for food. The Christians brought the fun as they evolved ‘souling’ into ‘trick-or-treating.’ Now the roaming tricksters exclaim a playful threat, or ‘trick,’ to be played on the home if their trick fails to receive a treat.
Purely for fun, today, we see all manner of ghouls and goblins alongside wild abstractions from culture and modern daily life. The creativity involved in current costuming pokes fun at puns, cultural combinations and humorous concoctions of media mashups with characters from all genres of entertainment and human endeavor. From a failed belt and an exaggerated plumber’s-crack prosthetic to Wolverine to the The Tarman from Return of the Living Dead, costumes are a fabulous tradition that many cities build entire large events around. In Los Angeles, the Halloween and masquerade balls bring out some of the best special effects and wardrobe professionals in resplendent fashion. It’s a thrilling exposition of human artifice and joy. The art of costuming for Halloween is one of the top highlights of the year for most revelers and should be at the core of the celebration.
Jack-O-Lanterns
Jack-o-lanterns themselves come from the story of Stingy Jack, a greedy trickster who was so clever he tricked the Devil twice—once into becoming a silver coin, which instead of paying his and the Devil’s tab, slipped it into his pocket alongside a silver cross, thereby trapping the Devil in the coin. Stingy Jack freed the Devil only after a promise not to take his soul to Hell.
The second trick, when the Devil came to collect sinful Jack’s soul, he asked for one last favor. He had the Devil climb a tree for an apple. While on the tree, Jack carved a cross into the tree, trapping the Devil again. This time he made him promise never to take his soul; the Devil agreed and was set free.
When Stingy Jack died, his sinful life forbade him from Heaven and the Devil, keeping his promise, wouldn’t take him to Hell. Jack was forced to wander the Earth forever with only a carved-out turnip and a burning coal to light his way. Eventually, the turnip became a pumpkin and now we set them outside our homes to brighten the mood of passersby (and perhaps to keep the evil spirits at bay).
Where Da Party At?
Whether you’re out with friends, family or your TikTok account, you’ll have plenty to do in Sun Valley during the spirit’s reign. Due to Halloween falling on a werk day this year, many festivities were held the weekend before the 31st, but for the true Halloween fiends, keep an eye on your kids, drive safely and scrape those demons off at the party before you head home. A little cleansing ritual never hurt anyone!
Hailey Halloween Hoopla – Thursday, October 31, from 3:30–5:30 p.m. Built for kids, you will be trick-or-treating at all local businesses that display yellow and black balloons. The Kiwanis of Wood River Valley is hosting a costume contest at Hailey Town Square. The great Jane’s Artifacts and Hailey Grocery Outlet help sponsor.
Trick-or-Treat on Main Street Ketchum & Beyond – Thursday, October 31 from 4–7 p.m. Local businesses will be treating the trickers starting at Whiskey’s on Main. A list of events will be given for this FREE event. For info email alex@whiskeysonmain.com
Peaks Haunted Garden – October 30 & 31, from 6–9 p.m. Benefitting the Bellevue Public Library, $3 suggested donation per person. Cash or tap-pay accepted. 311 S. 2nd Street, Bellevue. (208) 720-1228 for more info.
Trunk or Treat – Thursday, October 31, from 3–5 p.m. on the bike path at the Bellevue Public Library. Candy, costumes, crafts, food and a bounce house! RSVP to participate: Kristen at (208) 720-4070.
Nature Journaling – Thursdays, October 17–November 21 from 4–-5 p.m. For a splash of peace and quiet, Leslie Rego’s nature journaling workshop series focuses strictly on the serenity of art.
