Halloween’s night

Hello everyone!

Today, is Halloween a celebration of Celtic origin very popular in the United States and now spread to many countries around the world.

The ward Halloween

Halloween comes from the Scottish word All Hallows’ Eve which means “eve of all sacred spirits”, that is the eve of All Saints. I think you know what I am talking about (I have my sweets ready), in the Halloween night the children dress up and go from home to home,  asking  “Trick or treat?”. The word “trick” is a sort of a light joke played to the house owners if a sweet is not given (the treat).

Halloween and the pumpkin

In English-speaking countries it is called “Jack-o’-lantern”, it is one of the symbols of the holiday. It is a pumpkin carved by hand, where the malefic features of a human face are carved (the crooked mouth, the strange eyes, the potato nose!), Inside  is placed a candle that once lit allows to see the carved face.

The legend of  “Jack-o’-Lantern”

There are many legend about Jack-o’-Lantern however the most popular comes from Ireland. Jack, a miser and drunk blacksmith, meets the devil one night at the pub. To avoid falling into his hands, Jack asks the devil to turn into a coin, promising his soul in exchange of the last glass. The devil consents and transforms. Jack quickly puts the coin in his purse, next to a silver cross (the cross does not allow the devil to change back). To free himself, the devil promises Jack that he would not take his soul for the next ten years. Jack agrees and releases him.

Ten years later, the devil comes back. This time Jack asks him to pick an apple from a tree before taking his soul. While the demon climbs on the tree to pick the apple Jack engraves a cross on the trunk and the demon can no longer get down from the tree. Only after a long squabble the two reached a compromise: in exchange for freedom, the devil would save Jack from eternal damnation.

Jack’s life, however, is so full of sins that when he dies he is not accepted in Paradise and sent to hell. When the devil sees Jack, he reminds him of the pact, he hunts him from hell  and lets him wander like a tormented soul. From that moment on, Jack begins to wander relentlessly in search of a place to rest, accompanied only by a carved turnip in which he placed the burning ember the devil through at him that warms him and gives him light as he wanders around,

Since then, on Halloween night, look around, you might see a little flame wandering in the darkness in search of the way home: Jack’s flame.

Trick or Treat

Enolike wants to celebrate Halloween by offering you a nice treat (no tricks, just treats!); Refosco dal peduncolo rosso – 2011 from La Viarte winery … why not try it with chestnuts?

Happy Halloween!

Ilde