Colcannon Supper, Witches' Revels and Turnip Scooping: Halloween Traditions in Newfoundland and Labrador

Once again has come the night of tricks and treats and eerie apparitions. This is the night when masked and costumed creatures roam the streets, their devilry appeased only with heaps of sugary goodies. Many of us have taken part in Halloween, but the traditions in Newfoundland and Labrador surrounding it have changed considerably over the years. Here's a look at where it all started and how Halloween has been celebrated in this province.

Halloween customs originate from a Celtic harvest festival called Samhain (pronounced Sow-in), meaning summer’s end. For the Celtic people, October 31 marked the end of the harvest and beginning of winter. On this night the veil separating the worlds of the dead and living was said to become so thin that spirits could cross and harass the living. To hide their identity from these ghosts, the Celts disguised themselves in animal skins. To appease the ghosts, they left food outside their homes.

"Cauld Cannon will be Served"
The Evening Telegram, October 24, 1895. 

"The Blue Puttee Celebrate Halloween"
October 1922 

An excerpt about Halloween pranks.
The Twillingate Sun, November 12, 1940. 

There are several Halloween customs in Newfoundland and Labrador and this annual celebration has gone by many names, such as Snap-apple Night, Colcannon Night, or the Eve of All Saints' Day. The days just before Halloween (and sometimes after) are called Mischief Week and in some areas the antics were resigned to one evening called Mischief Night. Children traditionally believed that there were certain kinds of mischief allowed at that time, such as removing and switching gates and soaping windows. Most of this was harmless fun and tolerated by adults, except when your gate went missing and ran the risk of becoming bonfire fuel! (see above)

The Evening Telegram, November 02, 1900.

Halloween was also once known as Snap-apple Night in Newfoundland. This name simply referred to the tradition of bobbing for apples as part of the festivities. Due to the nature of the game, where a number of individuals each place their entire head into a bowl of water, it is thought to be a somewhat unsanitary and has fallen out of favour over the years.

"Fancy Costumes"
The Evening Telegram, November 02, 1922

Another tradition in Newfoundland and Labrador associated with Halloween is the serving of colcannon, which means "white-headed cabbage". At one time, Colcannon Night was synonymous with Halloween in many parts of the province. An old Irish Halloween tradition, colcannon is a dish consisting of mashed potatoes with cabbage and/or kale. The Newfoundland colcannon tastes quite different from the Irish version and is often a mixture or hash of boiled vegetables such as potatoes, turnip and cabbage with butter to taste.

"Hallowe'en Sociable"
The Evening Telegram, October 28, 1922

Four objects were traditionally hidden in the large dish of colcannon served on Halloween: a ring, a coin, a thimble and a button. As the tradition goes, whoever finds the ring will marry soon and whoever finds the coin will become rich. Sadly, the person who finds the button and thimble will remain single forever. In some variations finding the button signifies marriage for a girl, instead of a life of spinsterhood.

"Turnip Scooping Competition"
The Evening Telegram, October 29, 1 908

"Halloween Themed Political Cartoon"
The Evening Telegram, October 31, 1919

Interestingly, it was once tradition in Newfoundland to carve turnips for Halloween rather than pumpkins, a carry over from Celtic tradition. Pumpkins carved as jack-o-lanterns would not have been part of traditional Halloween festivals in Celtic Europe, since pumpkins are New World plants. Large turnips were hollowed out, carved with faces and placed in windows to ward off evil spirits. 

"Fairies, Cowboys, Clowns and Witches"
The Twillingate Sun, November 01, 1952 

"Exorcism in Bristol, England and Halloween Curses"
The Twillingate Sun, March 24, 1950

" A Halloween Centerpiece"
The St. John's Daily Star, December 04, 1920

Happy Halloween from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office!

-Nicole 

2013-2014 Heritage Places Poster Contest

Click here for guidelines and entry forms or email Andrea O'Brien at andrea@heritagefoundation.ca
Good luck!

Tuesday's Folklore Photo - Fancy Water Feet

For the past couple of weeks Dale has been overseas attending workshops, telling stories, teaching, and eating some delicious looking foods, but still has managed to spot folklore treasures for me on the other side of the pond. Dale spotted this repurposed horse watering trough on the harbour in Stromness, Orkney, which now serves as a lamppost/ plant holder with fabulous feet! A close up of the hooves:

Watering troughs made specifically for horses are something you can find in Canada as well as overseas - in fact, there's one in Bowring Park that used to be on Water Street, which was featured as a folklore photo back in July. Having accessible public water was important for people and animals alike, especially considering horses would have been working hard downtown as transportation for both people and goods. Having a (separate, of course) place for workhorses to grab a drink was an important element to the downtown scene. This one, however, is especially great looking; tailor made with hooves to handsomely hydrate horses. I'm in love with this!

Have a water folklore photo to share? Please email me at Sarah@heritagefoundation.ca - I would love to see it!

Sarah

A Ghost Ship Called the Blue Jacket

In preparation for Halloween, I've been listening to some spooky tales that I've recently had the pleasure of recording in and around the Bay Roberts area. Here is a clip of 92 year old Greta Hussey of Port de Grave talking about when her father saw an infamous ghost ship called the Blue Jacket. Greta is a fantastic story-teller and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to spend time with her.
-Lisa

Bonfire Night in Paradise

If you are in St. John's and are looking to celebrate Guy Fawke's Night this year, here's an option close to the city:

Bonfire Night celebrations will be held in Paradise on November 5th, 2013.  
Wed, November 6th will be the alternate date in case of inclement weather.
 
Location: Octagon Pond Parking lot, Paradise
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm

Note: Due to construction at the Community Centre the small roasting fires that are usually set up for families will be moved to the pond, and there won't be a large bonfire. There will still be free wieners, marshmallows and beverages given out.   

If you would like more information please call the Recreation & Leisure Services Department at 782-6290 or email psilver@townofparadise.ca. 

For more information on Bonfire Night in general, please check out this previous post. 

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Hammock Days

As we settle into the fall season, I'd like to share a nostalgic summer photograph from the Bay Roberts area. This image was shown to me by 84 year old Wilbur Sparkes during a recent oral history interview. During our talk, Mr. Sparkes reminisced about how his mother used to string up a hammock between two large trees to help take advantage of the summer weather. His grandmother is shown relaxing in a rocking chair next to her. This was just one of many wonderful memories he shared about growing up in the community he still calls home.
-Lisa

Sea Lion Woman: the biography of a song

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: St. Anthony Hospital Staff with Skeleton

Keeping with my spooky theme for the month of October, here's a photo of the St. Anthony medical staff posed with a skeleton!

[VA 129-5.2] St. Anthony Hospital Staff with Skeleton, 1911:

St. Anthony Hospital Lab end, 1911. Miss Clarke, Miss Ruth Keyes [sic] Miss Eperingon [sic], Dr. Katherine [sic], skeleton, John M. Little. Names should read: Ruth Keese (teacher), Miss Etherington (nurse), Robert Catheron (physician), John Mason Little (physician). Ruth Keese later married John M. Little.

The International Grenfell Association (IGA) was incorporated in Canada on January 10, 1914, under the Companies Act of 1899. Sir Wilfred Grenfell, the founder of IGA, came to Newfoundland to attend to the needs of fishermen in northern Newfoundland and on the coast of Labrador. In its earliest years, the IGA had four functions in serving the needs of these people. They were health care, education, religious services; and rehabilitation and other social activities. 

To learn more about the International Grenfell Association, visit their website.

The Beeb and the Big Flag, this Wednesday in Cupids

A British Broadcasting Corporation television crew out of Bristol, England will be visiting Cupids where they will be filming "Coast" a program somewhat like "Land and Sea" in this province.

The Union Jack being raised on Wednesday, October 16th, measures 46 feet by 23 feet and is only flown on special occasions in Cupids. It is a a replacement flag for the original flag (billed as the largest Union Jack in the world) first flown from this same site in 1910 on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the establishment of Cupids as the first English settlement in Canada in 1610. As one can see the flag raising event is a real hands on experience and a great opportunity to take some truly for unique photos - you even get a chance to join fellow flag raisers in singing the anthem during the hoisting of the flag.

Residents of Cupids and the general public are invited to participate in the filming of a communal raising of the large Union Jack. The flag raising will occur at about 9:00am on Wednesday morning.