Lux Ferre

Changelings— One Irish belief was that FAIRIES occasionally kidnapped human children and replaced them with a fairy child; this was often performed on Halloween. A changeling could be forced to reveal itself

Champ (also pandy)— Popular Irish Halloween FOOD similar to COLCANNON, made of mashed potatoes with milk, butter and LEEKS, sometimes prepared with FORTUNE-TELLING tokens (a thimble, a ring, and a coin). In

Chalking —One old Halloween PRANKING practice was to chalk the backs of passersby, shout “Halloween!” and then run off. Chalking was popular in parts of England, especially at Diss, Norfolk. The custom

Celts—A number of barbarian tribes organized under the name Celtae (or the Greek form Keltoi), and spread across Europe and the British Isles; the Irish Celts gave history SAMHAIN, the forerunner of

Celebrations— Despite its reputation in many parts of the world as a somber or placid day, ALL SAINTS’ DAY and Halloween also have a history of large-scale celebrations as old as the

Cavalcade—From the Latin caballicare (“to ride on horseback”), “cavalcade” originally referred only to processions on horseback. In certain areas of Scotland, ALL SAINTS’ DAY was celebrated with a cavalcade: The inhabitants of

Cauldron—The word “cauldron” is derived from the Latin caldarium, meaning “hotbath.” Cauldrons are Halloween symbols usually displayed with WITCHES, who stand over them preparing their odious brews. The special significance of cauldrons

Cats— The association of cats (especially black cats) with Halloween is something of a mystery. Cats are usually shown with WITCHES (to whom legend assigned them the role of “familiar”), but the

Castle Halloween Museum— Castle Halloween, located in Benwood, West Virginia, is the first museum dedicated to Halloween history and COLLECTIBLES. Housed in a former elementary school building and holding over 35,000 pieces,