Halloween in the 1920s
Ladies and gentlemen,
the leaves on the trees are slowly turning yellow, orange and red; it’s getting cooler and darker earlier, and we’re seeing more and more rain showers and wafts of mist – autumn is upon us. As some of you may know, this is my favourite time of year and I look forward to it all over again every year. Above all, the last day of October – Halloween – has fascinated me ever since I was a child. Pumpkins, ghosts, flickering candlelight and that special, eerie atmosphere that hangs in the air on this night. But even without believing in ghosts and the like, you can still celebrate Halloween in style – whether it’s spooky or fun, in a large or small group. People in the 1920s already appreciated this, especially, of course, overseas. If you find Halloween as exciting as I do, or if you simply enjoy marvelling at historical curiosities, then come along with me – if you dare...
From a Celtic harvest festival to a popular spooky party
The exact origins of Halloween are not all that easy to pinpoint. It is likely that the festival developed from a blend of Celtic and Christian traditions. The word Halloween is derived from the Middle English phrase All Hallows even, which means the evening before All Hallows (All Saints’ Day). But long before this day was given that name, the Celts in what is now Ireland and Scotland celebrated Samhain on the night of 31 October to 1 November, a festival marking the end of the harvest season and the transition from the light to the dark part of the year. This transitional period was associated with the supernatural, as it was believed that at this very time the boundary between this world and the next was particularly permeable. As Christianity spread throughout Ireland and Scotland and attempted to abolish so-called pagan festivals failed, the days from 31 October to 2 November were incorporated into the Christian liturgy and henceforth dedicated to the dead and the martyrs. Over time, Celtic and Christian customs blended together to form a single tradition: Halloween. With the great waves of emigration in the 19th century, these traditions were then brought to America, where they remain hugely popular to this day.
Halloween in the 1920s: Trick-or-Treating
Whilst Halloween was still predominantly celebrated by adults in private settings at the start of the 20th century, this began to change increasingly in the 1920s. Although the tradition of going from house to house in costume to ask for sweets and play pranks if none were given (known as trick-or-treating) did not really take hold until the 1930s, dressing up and playing pranks had already been popular a decade earlier. In some parts of the USA, however, this was taken so far by some that it could no longer be described as pranks but rather as vandalism. Windows were smashed, unsuspecting passers-by were attacked, and items that were left outside were stolen or ended up on the roof of the house. In some places, such incidents forced the authorities to impose a curfew, whilst other communities responded by organising more public festivals and costume parades, intended to reduce the potential for aggression.
The Halloween Party becomes a trend
In the 1920s, Halloween became increasingly popular as a social event. People could now buy inexpensive, mass-produced paper decorations, for example from The Beistle Company, or simply purchase the Bogie Book from Dennison Manufacturing Company, which was packed with all sorts of tips for the perfect Halloween party.
Anyone wanting to decorate their home in a striking way for their guests could find inspiration in the colourful illustrations in the Bogie Book. Garlands and displays in orange and black featuring pumpkins, cats, witches or bats – complete with instructions for making them yourself – could be found here. Simple crepe paper or papier-mâché was usually used for these.
Dennison’s guide was also a useful resource for anyone looking for a suitable costume. Whilst at the start of the 20th century people tended to opt for simple capes, repurposed everyday clothing and homemade masks, costumes such as witches, bats, butterflies, pirates, clowns and cowboys were now becoming increasingly popular. People also enjoyed dressing up as people from other countries and cultures; India, Spain and the Arab world were particularly popular. Some people also chose to wear something from an earlier era or dressed up as Cupid or as the Night. Of course, just as today, there were also costumes that particularly reflected the Zeitgeist, such as the Spirit of St. Louis costume, which alluded to Charles Lindbergh’s aeroplane, in which he successfully completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris in 1927.
As well as the right decorations and a creative costume, food was also an essential part of the party. The table was laid with autumnal salads featuring apples and nuts, chicken pie, sandwiches, cheese platters, homemade crisps and popcorn. For a sweet finish, gingerbread, toffee, pumpkin pie, biscuits, doughnuts and fruit were offered. What was served to drink at Halloween parties during the Prohibition era certainly depended on the host; Dennison’s Bogie Book suggests coffee and cider as drinks, though it does not specify whether the latter is a non-alcoholic variety.
Games and music
To ensure guests didn’t get bored, people liked to pass the time playing games. It was popular to predict each other’s futures. To do this, lead or egg white was poured into water and an oracle was created based on the resulting shape. For those who fancied something a bit spookier, they would tell their guests ghost stories or even hold a séance (you can find out more about this here). But a Halloween party could also be a lot of fun. A classic game was apple bobbing, in which everyone had to fish an apple out of a tub without using their hands. You could also play Ghostly Silence, where guests had to carry out various tasks in complete silence, or Funny Horoscopes, where the names of all the guests were written down alongside verbs, adjectives, occupations, places etc., and then randomly combined to form a horoscope.
Matchmaking games were also particularly popular. For example, the host could hand out headbands to all the ladies and sashes to all the gentlemen, each featuring different symbols (these were again made from crepe paper). Everyone then had to find the person wearing the same symbol as themselves as quickly as possible. Another variation was to line the ladies up in one row and the gentlemen in a row opposite. Then everyone was blindfolded, the group was shuffled about a bit, and everyone had to find a partner whilst blindfolded.
So, what’s still missing to round off the Halloween party perfectly? That’s right – the music. As you can imagine, even back then there was the ideal soundtrack for a spooky evening. I’ve put together a small selection for you here:
Jack Hylton's – Bogey Wail (1929)
Bessie Smith – Haunted House Blues (1924)
Bessie Smith – Them's Graveyard Words (1927)
Frederick Vettel – Spell of the Blues (1929)
Helen Gross & The Kansas City Five – Undertaker's Blues (1924)
Louis Armstrong – Heebie Jeebies (1926)
Dear readers, as always, I hope I’ve managed to entertain you! Perhaps some of you have even found some inspiration and tips here that you can use for your next party. In any case, I wish you a wonderful autumn and, of course, a Happy Halloween!
Yours,
Marleen Tigersee
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