European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 29, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bysie Schapiro jew York bureaus ome thursday you re in Lor a Witch s brew of a Lime. It la be halloween that High holy Day Lor witches the beginning of the new year the Celebration of the tide of destruction that is the coming of Winter it s a Holiday whose roots were firmly planted by the celtic people of England Ireland  Scotland As a Estival of the dead Long before the Advent of christianity the name however is of Christian origin  refers to the evening of oct 31 All Hallow s eve or All saints Day. Which refers to nov. 1. Scotland is Best known Lor goil. Good whiskey  Ireat hospitality but there s another g lurking in that ancient nation ghosts. Ghosts Aye. Scotland is Lull of them headless. Disembodied visible invisible soldiers murderers Beautiful ladies a collection of violently ended spirits irom As far Back As the roman times. And nowhere can you find a greater variety of them than in the capital cily of Edinburgh which has a reputation for being haunted not just on halloween but 365 Days a year. In last. You can spend weeks there doing nothing but searching out ghost legends irom the ghost of Mary Queen of scots who is said to haunt her apartments at Holyrood Palace to a Section that was once notorious Lor witches where in 1560. Baron William Johnson. Chiel Witch Hunter of the Cano Gate accused three quarters of the female population that lived there of being witches  had them burned at the stake. And tourists can get in on the murder  mystery tour an evening to hear mysterious  macabre tales of Edinburgh throughout the  Tako an Apple throw the peels Over your shoulder  they will form the initials of your future  halloween tales  other customs have been passed Down Ever since the ancient celtic Day of the dead " when it was believed that the souls of the dead were lurking about along with fairies witches    drink was originally Lett out to placate these supernatural spirits but As centuries pred. People gave up their Lear of these dreadful creatures  took on disguises of witches ghosts  Skeleton figures of the dead  went out Cumming our present Day trick or treating. Since everyone knows that you can t Trust ghosts it did t take Long Lor practitioners to capitalize on superstition giving vent to mischief night when any practical joke could easily be blamed on those Little goblins Over whom no one had any control. Though we tend to think of witches As amusing cartoon characters cluttering the sky on Hying Broomsticks in bygone Days people were genuinely afraid. The idea that witches Are granted their magical Powers by the Devil is specifically a Chris Linn concept. In last. A Bible scripture irom exodus 22 18 reads thou Shalt not Sutler a Witch to  this very verse became the basis  justification of the anti witchcraft Laws of Church  state Between the 8th  12lh centuries . Halloween parties Are old hat the Black conical kind medieval witches wore As they made their All Hallow s eve rounds on Broomsticks with Black cats Riding Shotgun for them. On halloween Black cats have their night to howl otherwise they re up a tree. One new York animal adoption Agency worker said people Don t want to adopt them because they think Black cats Are unlucky. But that s not True she declared. Black cats do bring Good   she ticked off her research in Egypt Black cats Are sacred. English sailors took Black cats to sea because they thought they kept them from   then she cited an old saying cat of your House is Black of lovers you will have no  pumpkins have been synonymous with halloween especially the carved variety called Jack of lanterns. In Britain  Ireland where the custom started turnips originally served As the favored vegetable. There Are two kinds of pumpkins on the Markel familiarly called face pumpkins  a selection of cheese or pie pumpkins an old fashioned variety raised for eating. Face pumpkins Are the Bright Orange ones that Are now bred More Lor carving than for eating they have a Large hollow space inside that is perfect Lor a Candle face pumpkins however have less meat  Are Stringer them cheese pumpkins which have fewer fibres  More flesh per Pound wide  sensual cheese pumpkins look like regular pumpkins that someone has sat on. They Are paler than face pumpkins Loo usually a Golden beige a cheese color the Story of the Jack of lantern comes irom an old Irish tale. As legend has it a Blacksmith named Jack made an agreement with the Devil whereby he would give up his soul in return for seven years of absolute Mastery of his Trade. When payment Day arrived Jack tricked the Devil into climbing an Apple tree to get one of the Juicy pieces of fruit. Then quickly Cut the sign of the Cross into the trunk of the tree. As a bribe satan had to swear he would never claim Jack s soul in Exchange for a fast exit irom his Woody Perch. Being human Jack s first Stop upon his death was the Pearly Gates but his performance record As being tight listed mean  excessively drawn to alcoholic beverages failed to gain St. Peter s nod. While satan in t necessarily viewed As a Man of Honor in Jack s Case he was t about to tangle with such an ingenious fellow again  ordered All nine locks of hell bolted. Bui before he was shut out completely. Jack scooped up a burning Coal from the fires of hell in the turnip he was eating. Ever since then poor Jack has used the spark to Light the Way As he wanders the Earth unlit judgment Day. Big Day for the _ Broomstick brigade tuesday october 29, 1985 the stars  stripes Page 13