Winifred Sanderson in the movie Hocus Pocus said it best, “Sisters, All Hallows’ Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok.” Of course, this has not always been the case. Throughout history, there have been those who would dress in “costumes” and wear masks, not for fun, but to ward off evil.
In the Eighteenth Century, All Hallows’ Eve was not celebrated the same as what we do today. In the colonies, All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween as it is now known was not celebrated until the mid-Nineteenth Century. Halloween came into existence around 1785 from a Robert Burns poem. During the Nineteenth Century, however, Halloween started to become more of a tradition here in America and has grown to the holiday it is today.
During that time, there were more tricks than treats as the children would run around pulling pranks. At Tryon Palace we use All Hallows’ Eve as a time of celebration and fun for families. In the past we have had face painting and bounces houses; however, this year due to the pandemic All Hallows’ Eve will be unlike the past few years. All Hallows’ Eve will be held on October 24, 2020. To keep everyone safe and to socially distance, tickets will be offered in time slots for families to enter and enjoy. We will have a marionette show, a ghostly soldier telling tales, a witch brewing up something special, and possibly a sighting of the Headless Horseman in search of Ichabod Crane. For more details, please visit www.tryonpalace.org.
By Krystal Eldred
Tryon Palace • 529 South Front Street • New Bern, NC 28562 • 252-639-3500 • www.tryonpalace.org