Halloween Experts

I’m sure you will recall a cartoon from your childhood, wherein an anthropomorphized farm animal, most likely a stuttering pig, was planting seeds in his garden. Quite unknown to him, a large, wisecracking crow was walking behind him, eating the seeds as he dropped them. Hilarity ensued as the farmer tried to devise more and more elaborate plans to shoo the thieving bird, who was obviously smarter than the pig. As you would expect, one of the first solutions he devised was a scarecrow. Scarecrows have been around for thousands of years. Since they are usually homemade, every scarecrow is as unique as it’s creator. They are common to so many cultures around the world, that scarecrows have come to be a universal symbol of the fall harvest time. Because they can be frightening to more than just crows, they have also become a familiar Halloween symbol.

The earliest scarecrows, that we know of, were placed in fields along the Nile River to discourage flocks of quail from dining on ancient Egyptian crops. These were not the traditional mannequins that we recognize today, but wooden frames with nets stretched across them. Farmers hid in the field and then scared the birds into the nets, providing a main course for their dinner.

The ancient Greek farmers carved wooden statues of the god, Priapus, the god of fertility, to place in their fields. Although he was the son of Aphrodite and Dionysus, Priapus was supposed to be very ugly. The farmers noticed that fields, with Priapus statues in them, were less bothered by birds and produced a greater harvest, so more and more farmers carved the statues. Some painted him purple and equipped him with weapons to make him look even more frightening. Roman farmers adopted this practice from the Greeks, and then carried it with them into northern Europe and Great Britain.

At about the same time, the Japanese were also building scarecrows to protect their rice fields. They erected bamboo poles, to which they attached old rags, fish bones, rotten food, and noisemakers. They called them “kakashi”, which means “smelly thing”. Eventually, they made scarecrows that looked like people in woven reed raincoats and round pointed hats. These too, were called kakashi, even though they didn’t smell bad.

During the middle ages, when men attributed supernatural powers to so many things, they built scarecrows that they believed had special powers. Italian farmers put skulls on top of poles to scare birds and protect the crops from disease. In Germany, they built wooden witches to draw the evil spirit of winter from the earth, and ensure the coming of spring.

In Medieval Britain and Europe, children were used as bird scarers, throwing stones or clacking blocks of wood together to frighten away the pests, until the time of the great plague. Since there was a shortage of children for the job, farmers stuffed old clothes and carved a gourd for a head and mounted their straw man on a wooden cross erected in the field.

German immigrants to the United States brought the tradition of stuffing clothes with straw, using a mop head or broom for the top, tying a red bandana or handkerchief around their necks. They called him a “bootzamon” or bogeyman. Frequently he occupied one end of the field, while his wife, called the “bootzafrau”, dressed in ladies garments and a bonnet, guarded the other end.

Why are scarecrows associated with Halloween? It was just before the fall harvest when crows would come to devastate the crops. During this magical time of year, it was believed that the veil between the land of the living and the spirit world was at its thinnest. Spirits from beyond were desperate to possess a physical body. If there was no hapless human nearby, then surely a scarecrow was near enough. Considering that scarecrows were intended to frighten unwanted guests and pests, it isn’t surprising that myths and legends have grown up around them. Tales of whispering scarecrows, stories of those that come down from their posts and terrorize the living, haunted and possessed scarecrows are some of the stories that make them seem dark and sinister, and very appropriate as a Halloween symbol.

Scarecrows are still a common sight all over the world. Making your own, for your Halloween décor, is as simple as stuffing old clothes and an old pillowcase, for the head, with straw. Tie the ends of arms and legs with twine. Tie on the head. Accessorize your scarecrow with patches, hats, boots, etc. Prop him on a bale of hay, or a attach him to a stake to be posted in your yard and he will scare birds, greet your guests, and otherwise herald the harvest season.

Of all the symbols of Halloween, the one whose history is most steeped in superstition is the black cat. For thousands of years, the cat has inspired both awe and fear in peoples around the globe. They have been attributed with both divine and nefarious powers. They have been worshipped and adored by some societies, and shunned and persecuted by others. What is it that makes cats, and in particular, black cats, such controversial creatures?

All cats are primarily nocturnal. Housecat or lion, they nap frequently during the day and are active at night. Their have excellent night vision. Ancient man had a great fear of the night, and cats’ affinity to it made them suspect. Darkness came to be equated with evil, and therefore, in some cultures, so did cats. Naturally, a black cat was doubly evil. Who has not seen a cat who appears to be staring intently at something unseen, or batting at thin air? Thus the myth was born that cats can see spirits and ghosts, which certainly must be a wicked activity. Similarly, a cat’s unpredictable behavior, and stalking poses inspired suspicion and fear.

In ancient Egypt, cats were held to be regal and divine. The Egyptian Goddess Bast, or Bastet, took the form of a cat. To kill a cat was punishable by death. The death of a housecat put the entire household in public morning. It was tradition to shave one’s eyebrows off to signify mourning for a cat. Just as the Pharaohs, cats were frequently mummified, to ensure their happy afterlife.

The faith of ancient European cultures was closely associated with nature, and cats were revered, as were all animals, and sometimes considered messengers to and from the spirit world. With the advent of Christianity and the regulations imposed by the church, the old faith, too, came to be feared by some, and associated with darkness. Witches, who, practiced the old ways, were condemned by their Christian neighbors. Cats were often kept by witches for the same reasons that anyone else had a cat: for companionship. Some Christians, however, believed that the cat was either possessed by the witch for mysterious and wicked purposes, or that the witch had the ability to transform into a cat. During the witch trials of the middle ages, cats were often tortured and killed along with witches.

* Superstition is a belief or practice, usually considered irrational, resulting from ignorance or fear of the unknown. Here is a list of some cat superstitions from around the world:

– Cats can predict the weather, especially rain, by variously washing their ears, paws, sneezing, looking out the window, or clawing at the curtains. In Norse mythology, Odin’s dog was associated with the wind and cats with the rain, which is probably the origin of describing a severe rainstorm as “raining cats and dogs”.

– Finding a single white hair on a black cat brings good luck.

– A Scottish proverb advises that finding a strange black cat on your porch will bring prosperity.

– The French believed that black cats could find buried treasure.

– Irish superstition says that to kill a cat brings 17 years of bad luck.

– An old American tradition holds that it is unlucky to see a white cat at night.

– In North America, it’s bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In Britain and Ireland, it’s the opposite.

– In some parts of England, it is good luck to own a black cat, but bad luck to meet one by accident.

– In France, it is bad luck to cross a stream carrying a cat.

(Honestly, we have to believe that last one. We tried to give a cat a bath once.)

Here is a tale, as told to me by my sainted Irish mother, when I was but a wee lass. This story happened so long ago, that it could begin, “Once upon a time,” but, since there is no “happily ever after”, we will just begin with…

Long ago, in Ireland, there lived a man named Jack. He was a gambler and a drunkard, and made his way through life by lying, cheating, and stealing what he needed. He was never kind, nor helpful to anyone, but took whatever he needed from whoever had it. It happened, one dark night, that Jack was sitting on a stool in the local public house, when he noticed that the Devil was seated on the stool next to him. Jack did not seem particularly surprised to see the Devil, and said to him, “Is it my soul you’ve come for, then?” The Devil smiled and agreed that was his very purpose for being there. Jack did not argue, and in fact, said, “Before we go, won’t you join me in one last drink.” The Devil agreed, but, as was usually the case, Jack didn’t have the coin to pay for his pint. He convinced the Devil, mighty being that he was, to turn himself into a coin with which to pay the bar tab. As soon as the Devil transformed, Jack grabbed him up and put him in his coin purse, which was embroidered with a Cross. The Devil could not change back. He snarled and shouted and threatened Jack with all manner of horrible things, but Jack just laughed at him. “Give me another ten years, and I’ll let you out,” says he. The Devil, knowing he was beaten, offered five years, and they settled on seven. Jack released the Devil, who, true to his word, left Jack alone for the next seven years.

As the time approached for his next encounter with the Devil, Jack plotted and planned for a way to get around his bargain. He decided that, if he took to the road, perhaps the Devil would not find him. On the first day of the eighth year, Jack was feeling pretty lucky, and walked down the road, whistling. He came to an apple orchard, behind a low stone fence. Jack realized that he was very hungry and tried to climb the nearest tree to reach the fruit. He slid back down the smooth bark before he was near enough to grab an apple. Jack sat on the stone fence to ponder the situation, when he noticed that the Devil was seated beside him. “Well, Devil, you’ve found me, and I’m ready to keep me bargain,” said Jack. “Could you do me one last kindness, and climb that tree and pick me an apple, for the journey to Hell.” The Devil agreed, and climbed up to get the fruit. Jack quickly pulled out his knife and carved a cross on the trunk of the tree, trapping the Devil in it’s branches. The Devil howled in frustration and threatened Jack with all manner of horrors. Jack laughed, and offered him yet another bargain. If the Devil would promise never to take Jack’s soul, he would let him out of the tree. After much raging and cursing, the Devil agreed, and Jack covered the cross to set the Devil free.

A few years of wickedness later, Jack died while stealing turnips from his cousin‘s garden patch. He stood at the Pearly Gates, feeling very smug that he had tricked and cheated his way into Heaven. St. Peter looked at Jack with disdain and slammed the gates shut in his face, saying “You are not welcome here, Stingy Jack!” With that, Jack felt himself falling through space. He landed hard, in the darkness, before the gates of Hell. The Devil met him there, and, laughing, slammed the gates closed before him. “You can’t come in here, Jack.” “Where shall I go, then?” asked a terrified Jack, who had not foreseen such an outcome. “Back where you came from, Jack.” snorted the Devil. “But it’s so dark,” whined Jack, “At least give me light to see the path.” The Devil grabbed up a glowing coal from the fires of Hell and tossed it over the gate. Jack couldn’t carry it in his bare hands. He still held the turnips he had been stealing when he died, and so, taking his knife, he hollowed out a turnip to carry the glowing coal, like a lantern. Even now, Jack wanders the hills and roads of Ireland, looking for a place to rest. His last name has been lost in time, now, but we call him Jack O’Lantern.

We love a haunted house at Halloween. We get that rush of adrenaline when the costumed monsters leap out at us unexpectedly, and thrill to the carefully crafted scenes of horror. We admire the skill of the make up artists and appreciate the time and effort that goes in to making an enjoyable haunted attraction. Yes, we’re scared and startled, and mightily entertained. But what if you just couldn’t be quite sure that you were seeing actors and props? What if it was possible that, some of it was real?

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA, was opened in 1829 under the “Pennsylvania System”. It was the most expensive building to have ever been built in the United States at the time it opened, and it became the prototype for over 300 other prisons across the country. Designed by the Quakers to force inmates to look inside themselves and then to seek God, the Pennsylvania System placed prisoners in complete solitude for the duration of their incarceration, and drove many a sane man quite mad. Cells contained a bunk, toilet, table and a bible. The only light was from a slit in the roof, where sunlight, called the “Eye of God”, would filter in. If a prisoner had to leave his cell for any reason, he was hooded, so that he could not see the other inmates. Communication of any kind between prisoners was forbidden. Sometimes, in desperate need of interaction, prisoners would tap on pipes, or whisper through vents to each other. If caught, they were brutally punished.

It is said that the Quakers had nothing to do with the punishments that were meted out at the prison. It was the hired staff that designed and enforced the torture that the inmates endured. Punishments like:
The Water Bath. Especially popular during the winter months, the offender was dunked in a bath of ice cold water, and then hung on a wall for the night. Often a thin coat of ice would cover the prisoner’s body by morning.

Then there was the Mad Chair. Inmates were strapped into the chair with leather bindings, so tightly that no possible movement could be achieved. They might be left in this chair for days, with no food, until their circulation almost stopped from lack of motion and the tight straps. It was not uncommon for a man to go insane before this punishment was over.

Most gruesome of all was the Iron Gag. This was considered by the prison staff to be apt punishment for an inmate who broke the “no communication” rule. An iron collar was clamped around the prisoner’s tongue, with chains that attached to the wrists, which were then tied behind the back. This ensured that any movement would tear the tongue and cause severe bleeding. It was not uncommon for a prisoner to die from blood loss before this punishment ended.

In the 1840’s, author Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities) visited the prison, and was horrified at the conditions, causing him to write of the psychological torment of the prisoners. He wrote that incarceration at Eastern State Penitentiary was tantamount to being buried alive. The prison was intended to house 250 prisoners, but before it’s reform in 1913, over 1700 inmates were housed there. The state finally took over the prison in 1913 and the Pennsylvania system was abolished. The property continued to be operated as a state prison until it was finally closed in 1971. The history of the prison doesn’t end there, though.

During it’s restoration, a locksmith working in the cellblock was attempting to remove a 140 year old lock. As he removed the key, a powerful force struck him and held him paralyzed, while he witnessed tormented faces appear on the walls of the cell, and hundreds of figures swirled out of the cell and around the cellblock, as if he had released them from whatever had held them trapped for so long. The locksmith’s experience was so vivid that he trembled in fear whenever he told the story, even many years later. Since that time, employees and visitors alike have had countless paranormal experiences, including hearing giggling, whispers and weeping coming from within the walls. According to the Assistant Director, there are about two dozen paranormal investigations done per year at Eastern State. They almost always find evidence of activity. Eastern State Penitentiary has been named on many lists as one of the most haunted places in America. MTV’s “FEAR”, FOX’s “Scariest Places on Earth” and Sci Fi’s Ghost Hunters, all filmed here.

What better place to host a Halloween Haunted House? And they do! “Terror Behind the Walls” is a haunted attraction within the walls of the prison. There are actually five separate haunted places to be visited. Their FAQ’s explain that they will do their best to terrify you. For us, we think that the possibility of mingling with actual tormented spirits is terrifying enough! All proceeds from ticket sales to Terror Behind the Walls goes to the preservation of this 175 year old historic prison.