Culture of Vampirism : Vol. 1: The First Vampires Were Females

Halloween Vampire

In the fall of the year with the celebration of Halloween, vampire lore is at its peak time of interest. The holiday is from Scotland where it's spelled Hallowe'en and has been celebrated since the 16th century. Hallowe'en has historical ties to both pagan rituals and Christian holy days. This holiday is celebrated on the Christian calendar on October 31st, the day after All Saints' Day.

Halloween is commonly referred to as All Hallows' Eve in correlation with the Christian holy day of All Saints' Day. However, some religious sects in Christianity frown upon Halloween. Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and some fundamental sects of Christianity including Pentecostal Holiness ban Halloween celebrations because of its past connections with paganism, which differ and seemingly threaten the religious beliefs of modern, major religions.

Halloween originated in Scotland as a Celtic tradition. The use of face-carved, candlelit turnips to turn away the evil imps became the jack-o-lanterns we have today. These were carved by the Scottish to help ward off the dead. The turnips deterred spirits of those who live across the veil and are most active at the harvesting time of the year when the days are shorter and the nights colder and more frightening.

The Halloween vampire connection to Halloween is related to the end of the harvest season and of autumn. As winter rolls in, the cold weather, barren landscape, and isolating snow along with the shortest days of the year create an atmosphere of fear. Civilizations since the Scandinavian Vikings have believed that these conditions encourage dark entities, monsters, and creatures of the night including vampires to come out and prey on their victims.

So on Halloween people carve frightening faces into root vegetables, such as pumpkins and parsnips, add a lit candle for light, and place these in their windows to frighten away evil spirits. People dress in scary costumes and walk around the neighborhood in hopes to scare or bewilder scary creatures so they do not harm the community members.

The holiday also has roots in the Celtic festival called Samhain or Samhuinn (Gaelic) that is on November 1, the same day as the Dia de los Muertos in Mexico. These internationally similar holidays are ancient in origin. In addition, Samhain and Halloween celebrate the end of the summer sun and the start of harvest season.

One of the earliest poems in Scottish lore to recognize Halloween, titled Halloween comes from the national hero, Robert Burns. Burns was born in 1759 in Alloway and died in 1796. Published in 1876 this poem has 28 stanzas. Here are a few that stand out to mention, not because these explicitly discuss vampires but for their sublime context in relation to flying creatures in the night:

From "Halloween"

A wanton widow Leezie was,

As canty as a kittlin;

But, och! that night amang the shaws,

She got a fearfu' settlin'!

She through the whins, and by the cairn,

And owre the hill gaed scrievin,

Whare three lairds' lands met at a burn

To dip her left sark-sleeve in,

Was bent that night.

Whyles owre a linn the burnie plays,

As through the glen it wimpl't;

Whyles round a rocky scaur it strays;

Whyles in a wiel it dimpl't;

Whyles glitter'd to the nightly rays,

Wi' bickering, dancing dazzle;

Whyles cookit underneath the braes,

Below the spreading hazel,