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During the Victorian Age in late 19th century La Crosse, as in the rest of America, Halloween was often a festive occasion where young women took part in various games and activities to test their future fate in landing a husband.
Unlike women of today who can strive for higher education and a job in the professional workplace, a Victorian woman's primary goal in life was marriage. Most girls of that period married young and spent the rest of their lives meeting the needs of a husband and, on the average, three children.
Dating at that time was often conducted under strict rules, with males visiting females in their home parlor under the watchful eye of her parents or other relatives. On Halloween, though, this rigid social code was thrown out the window as young single women were allowed to host parties in which unmarried men attended. These parties were often held in private quarters without elders present. Tame by today's standards - such an event was considered taboo by many then.
During these Halloween parties, quaint rituals and games would be practiced to indicate whether girl would get boy or vice versa. According to an article in the Oct. 29, 1902, La Crosse Republican & Leader, the following were then common Halloween matchmaking activities:
- Bobbing for apples: In a basin or tub of water a number or apples are placed, some having their stems left on to assist in their capture. Participants then attempt to nab an apple using their teeth. If one does not succeed after three attempts, spinsterhood or bachelorhood is assured.
- The apple and candle game: From the ceiling a string is suspended and tied to the center of a stick about 2 feet long. To one end of this stick an apple is fastened, while a lighted candle is placed on the other end. The stick is set in motion, and contestants try to catch the apple with their teeth. Here, too, three failed attempts to catch the apple is a fatal blow to all hopes of a speedy marriage.
- Find the lighted candle: A lighted candle is placed on a table. The maid or man who seeks to test fate is blindfolded, turned around three times and set free to seek the candle and blow it out. Those who are successful in this task are certain to become engaged before the end of the year.
- Nutcrack Night: Nuts marked or named for those at the party are placed on the grate before an open fire. If a nut cracks or jumps off the grate, the person it represents is unfaithful. If the nuts named for a girl and her love burn together, the wedding gown might as well be ordered at once.
- The Ring Cake: A plain gold ring is baked inside a cake which is served to those at the party. The one who ends up with the ring is a happy mortal indeed, with marriage and a plain gold wedding ring in his or her immediate future.
These Halloween rituals are known to have been practiced in La Crosse because local newspapers of the 1890s often made note of them. For example, the following item was found in the Nov. 1, 1892, Republican & Leader:
"A Halloween party was held last evening at the W.L. Osborne residence at 422 West Avenue South. A number of the ladies present entered into the spirit of the occasion by dressing in old-fashioned gowns and caps. The ancient sports of the evening were enjoyed with the greatest zest. Bobbing for apples in a tub of water or hanging by a string, and roasting chestnuts before the grate fire were part of the festivities. The lower rooms of the house were nearly filled with the merry young ... and the occasion was delightful in every particular."
These quaint Halloween matchmaking customs began to fade in the early 20th century as women became less willing to accept the traditional and subservient role of finding a husband at a young age. As a result, Halloween in La Crosse and America has evolved from husband hunting in the Victorian era to that of present day candy hunting.
The Wisconsin State Journal contributed to this story.
Halloween customs have long history
While trying to get a candle to stay put inside a jack-o'-lantern or giving out wads of candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, some of us may have wondered "Why am I doing this?"
Our present customs practiced on Halloween, one of the world's oldest holidays, are linked to age-old traditions. Over time, though, many of these traditions have changed for the better ... at least now we don't have to hollow out turnips or provide food to adults who show up singing at our door on Oct. 31.
Here is a brief history from www.halloweenishere.com of some common Halloween customs practiced in the United States:
- Halloween's name origin and date: The word Halloween has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. Nov. 1. "All Hollows Day" or "All Saints Day" is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century B.C. in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended Oct. 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sowen), the Celtic New year. One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of those who had died in the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife.
The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living. The living, naturally, did not want to be possessed so on the night of Oct. 31 villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around their neighborhood, hoping to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. They also would leave food out as an offering to the dead and, in addition, they would go house to house begging for food while singing, laughing and cavorting. The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine.
- The "Jack" in jack-o'-lantern: The jack-o-lantern custom is thought to come from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, Jack was an Irish villain so wicked that neither God nor the Devil wanted him. Rejected by both the sacred and profane, he wandered the earth endlessly looking for a place to rest - his only warmth a glittering candle or piece of burning coal placed inside a hollowed out turnip or potato.
- Halloween pumpkins: Irish children used to carve out turnips, beets or potatoes and light them for their Halloween gatherings. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips, and so the jack-o'-lantern in America became a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
- Witch's broomstick: The witch is a central symbol of Halloween. The name comes from the Saxon wica, meaning wise one. When setting out for a Sabbath, witches rubbed a sacred ointment on their skin. This gave them a feeling of flying, and if they had been fasting they felt even giddier. Some witches rode on horseback, but poor witches went on foot and carried a broom or pole for use in vaulting over small streams.
In England, when new witches were initiated they were often blindfolded, smeared with flying ointment and placed on a broomstick. The ointment would confuse the mind, speed up the pulse and numb the feet. When they were told, "You are flying over land and sea," the witch took their word for it.
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