October 26, 2024

WEEKLY MENU 10.27.24

Halloween screams onto the scene during the Weekly Menu 10.27.24, so it’s time to prepare.

The Weekly Menu 10.27.24 is blessed with Halloween on Thursday, so we need to get prepped for it. I adore Halloween. I’ve been dressing up (off and on) for most of my life. I like to stay in character, so I dress the same each time.

Black and white pic of witch — ^{Believe it or not, this isn’t my real nose.}

I’ve always been fascinated by witches. I am a big reader of paranormal fiction and I get a huge charge out of the fact that many witches come into their own in midlife or later in these books. I prefer reading about women of (or past) a certain age. The youngsters just aren’t as interesting. I love decorating in “witch” as well. The black pointy hat is iconic. Where did it come from?

The most instantly recognizable part of a witch costume is a black, conical, pointy-tipped hat. Like every other piece of standard witch attire, the hat likely has roots in multiple cultures and eras.

Some trace the witch hat to a style associated with Quaker women. Throughout most of the 17th century, women of all social classes wore tall, black, wool felt hats, which Abby Cox, a dress historian, says was considered normal fashion at the time. These wide-brimmed, black, conical hats peaked in popularity in the mid-1600s, which also happened to be when a new Christian denomination known as the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, was founded in England.

The Quakers’ beliefs were considered radical at the time: especially the idea that women and men were spiritual equals, and that women were permitted to be preachers. Because they were seen as outsiders, and their views and practices were considered a threat to the British monarchy and the Church of England, Quakers faced persecution and imprisonment, while Quaker women in particular were accused of witchcraft.

History.com

The black garments, wrinkled face, pointy nose and even the green skin that witches have been portrayed in largely represent evil and the devil, which is a major fear that surrounds witches.

Why are witches part of Halloween lore?

It began with the Ancient Celts…

As with many festivals and traditions, Halloween can trace its roots back to the Druids – the Celtic peoples who lived in Ireland more than a millennia ago.

The Celts believed that Halloween, known then as Samhain, was the night that the veil between the spirit realm and the living was at its thinnest, allowing spirits and other supernatural forces to descend and cause mischief or harm. To the ancient Celts, people were transformed into cats as a punishment for their bad deeds. Those unfortunate enough to be cursed by black magic were also turned into cats, particularly black cats.

America’s witch scare, which culminated in the infamous Salem Witch Trials were largely the end of the mass hysteria and killing of accused witches. While there were autumn festivals that included the telling of ghost stories and other such creepy traditions, it wasn’t until the influx of Irish immigrants that came to America in the 19th century that Halloween as we know it today began to take root. The mixing of Irish and English customs – jack-o-lanterns, costumes, going door-to-door asking for money – led to the current incarnation of Halloween.

Many young women especially believed that Halloween was the best day for divination and would often seek out fortune tellers to find out the names of their future husbands. This mashup of traditions and beliefs across millennia led to witches becoming a symbol of a holiday celebrating the macabre.

Immortalperfumes.com

Halloween Witch Decor

I made my own costume (I even used a sewing machine, which (witch?) means high school home economics actually came in handy.) But there is plenty to choose from these days.