Photo Credit: lobo235 (Flickr)[/caption]‘Tis the season of falling leaves, cooler weather, pumpkins, and apples, but would the season truly be complete without scary costumes and buckets of Halloween candy? No, of course not. But how exactly did candy and caramel apples and pumpkin carving become tradition on Halloween?
Halloween began in Europe with a group of people known as the Celts. Culturally, this people group believed that the souls of their dead visited Earth on the last day of October and they made the day a holiday known in their culture as Samhain, which translates as “sow” in Irish and now celebrates the end of a harvest season.
When the Romans took over the Celtish people, they altered many of their holidays and traditions, but allowed Samhain to remain. The Romans created a holiday on November 1 called “All Saints Day” and the Catholic Church called the service they held to celebrate All Saints Day “Allhallowmas,” which meant “Mass of all the hallowed” and was commonly referred to as “All Hallows’ Saints Day.” Not much later, the night before Allhallowmas became known as Allhallowe’en and then became known as it is today as Halloween.
The tradition of dressing up in scary costumes such as ghosts or vampires came from the Roman idea that the souls of the dead would be frightened and scared away by the costumes. People also used to leave food and baked goods on the outskirts of town hoping it would distract the souls and keep them from raiding the village. Perhaps this is where the tradition of handing out sweets on Halloween night originated.
Wandering from house to house in search of food is not a recent development. Children would travel from doorstep to doorstep in hopes of getting soul cakes to celebrate the morbid holiday. This is also where Jack-O-Lanterns and pumpkin carving originated, though the children didn’t carve pumpkins, they carved turnips. They would carve turnips with menacing faces, light a candle inside, and carry them around as they asked for soul cakes to ward off souls and ghosts as they traveled around their communities at night.
The majority of other things associated with Halloween--candied apples, parties and candy corn--are just a product of marketing, though they stem from the old traditions. So whether you’re warding off ghosts with Jack-O-Lanterns or eating candy in the comfort of your own home, maybe you’ll take the time to think about why you’re celebrating dead people.
These haunting stories were read on Halloween, which was the perfect day for such spooky tales. Smith’s classroom was transformed into a dark, cobwebbed dungeon. As students sat in the dark room, in anticipation of what they were going to hear next, they ate snacks and refreshments provided by the Creative Writing students.
Freshman and Creative Writing student Hunter Hall says she, “enjoyed the Scary Story Showcase a lot. I think the showcase had a variety of different stories, so you weren't exactly sure what kind of story you were going to hear next.”
Anna Snyder, also a freshman and Creative Writing student also enjoyed the event. She said, “The stories weren't too demented or too disturbing, but they did bring frights.”
Scary Story Showcase
“Death’s Messenger” by Anna Snyder
“Kind Candy” by Trevor Rasberry (Read by Mackenzie Higgins)
“Flesh” by Rebecca Woodard
“Oh, Death” by Sarah Oechsle
“Revenge” by Juana Delgadillo Rivera
“He Has Come Again” by Hunter Hall
“Best Friends Forever” by Sarah Pritts
Students dressed up on Halloween night and sent in their pictures using the hashtag #OHS50 via Twitter and Instagram.Thank you to everyone who sent in pictures!
The Hacker House is ranked as the 6th scariest attraction in the US, and many of the reviewers on the Hacker House website seem to agree.
”Your Haunted Hacker House was AMAZING. Me, my boyfriend and some friends all drove from Tennessee about 3 hours away just to come and let me say it was well worth the drive! Awesome job. I have never been so scared in my life. Keep up the spooktackular work," says an anonymous writer.
Another anonymous writer claims, “The Hacker House is so freaking awesome! You guys are insane! Best
scare I ever had is at the Hacker. I love the Hacker House.”
A group of students from Orange High School had the scares of their life. This group included Daniel Gallardo, Emmanuel Mendoza, Ashley Bocanegra, Den Echoes staff member Jennifer Cardona, Stephani Cruz, and Griselda Cruz.
When asked what the scariest part of the house was, Mendoza answered, “The roar of the chainsaw had me filled with anxiety and the women crawling on the floor sure didn’t help me."
Gallardo’s response was a little different. “I didn’t get very scared having Jennifer as my partner and it being her birthday, they messed with her more than they did with me."
Cardona said, “I couldn’t stand to wait in line, I was already freaking out over anything that moved. I had never been so afraid of walking into a door in my entire life."
Bocanegra replied, “I thought having Emmanuel as my partner would be perfect since he’s a guy until he started screaming."
Stephani and Griselda Cruz were both cracking jokes and fully relaxed before the group entered the house but afterwards they were the most shaken up. Overall it seems as though everyone had a good scare and will never forget this experience.
October 30 and 31, Shea Mustian, the media center librarian, hosted the first ever "Lunch and a movie” event to get students into the Halloween spirit. The Addams Family, a twisted comedy about an odd family who celebrates death, was shown.
Jennifer Dawson, a sophmore at OHS, said, “It is really interesting to come to the library to celebrate and watch movies that I don't normally get to see often.”
A group of students from second lunch loves the idea of having a movie at lunch but they wish that it was shorter so that they could watch the entire thing.
Mrs. Mustian said, “I really thought it was a great turn out, next time we will extend the days and make it to where the students who show up get to see the entire movie.”
She also is thinking about planning more Lunch and a Movie days.
Written by Ashley Hinkle
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/52476627[/vimeo]
- Shakira Williamson shares her story entitled "Just This One Time."
Nine out of the thirteen selected students flocked to the podium to tell their twisted tales of terror. The session began with the distribution of treats that the creative writing students and Smith provided. The first story, titled “A Place to Die,” was written and told by Freshman Samantha Nance (see video). The story was about suicide and contained a lot of gore. It was filled with vivid details and wonderful imagination. Junior Savannah Kimbrough shared her story "The Taxidermist" (see video), a new take on "stranger danger."
“The Curve,” written and told by Freshman Andie McKinnon, told of a horrible creature with fangs and goat's feet. The creature resembled a fawn, a dark creature associated with the devil. When asked what his favorite story was, Caleb Hall, a senior in Terry's class, said that, “I really enjoyed Samantha Nance's story 'A Place to Die.' It was nice and well put together.” Erin Freeman, the writer of “Goodbye Little Sister,” said, “It was fun to write and tell these stories.”
Smith plans to make the Scary Story Showcase an annual event.
Want some spooky fun? Looking for new places to be terrified? Look no further than this list, a one-stop shop for everything haunted.
Haunted Hacker House ( Pilot Mountain , NC )
Address: 188 Hacker House Trail Pilot Mountain, NC 27041
Phone Number: 336-351-DARK (3275)
Distance: 84.5 mi, 1 hour 29 mins from OHS
Recommended Routes: I-40 W and US-52 N
Admission*: $15 per person (Group Rates**: $12 per person; 20 people or more)
(Note: Online and on-site tickets are good for all nights through Nov. 3, 2012.)
Days Running: October 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27, 31; November 2, 3
Times: 8PM - 11PM
**Group tickets are only available online!
Hawfields Haunted Forest ( Mebane . NC )
Address: 2115 S Nc Highway 119 Mebane, NC 27302
( NO PHONE NUMBER ! )
Distance: 4.9 mi, 10 mins from OHS
Recommended Routes: I-40 E/I-85 N and US-70 E
Admission: $10 per person
Days Running: October 19, 20, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31
Times: 7:30 PM to 11 PM on Friday and Saturday Nights; 7:30 PM to 10 PM Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday Oct. 29th - 31st
Spooky Woods ( High Point , NC )
Address: 1615 Kersey Valley Road High Point, NC 27263
Phone Number: (336) 431-1700
Distance: 53.3 mi, 59 min from OHS
Recommended Routes: I-85 S
Admission: $28 per person; Group Rates*: $25 per person
Parking: $5 per car
Days Running: October 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31
Times: 8 pm - 11:45 pm
*Groups are for 20 people for more
Woods of Terror ( Greensboro )
Address: 5601 N Church St Greensboro, NC 27455-9283
Phone Number: (336) 643 - 3558
Distance: 49.8 mi, 1 hour 2 mins from OHS
Recommended Routes: I-85 S
Admission: $15 Sunday-Thursday; $25 Friday, Saturday & Halloween; Group Rates*: $13 per person Sunday & Thursday ONLY, $19; Fridays & Saturdays ONLY
Days Running: October 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31; November 2, 3
Times**: Sunday-Thursday; 6:00-9:30 PM, Friday & Saturday: 6:30-11:30 PM
*15+ people and only available online
**November 2 & 3: 6:30-9:30 PM