So my children asked: 'Was there Halloween in the Middle Ages'?

So I finally have some time to breathe, relax, and get some blogging in. I apologize for the long bit of silence, but grad school and unexpected life difficulties! 

So it’s that time of year, harvest time, Halloween and all that craziness. My girls have been asking, was there Halloween in the Middle Ages? My answer was I am not totally sure. But let's look it up. Halloween according to some such as The New York Carver (2012) mentions, 'The festival of Samahain marked the Celtic New Year when dead souls were believed to walk the earth.’ That being said roots the tradition of Halloween deeply within Celtic culture and society.

Research indicates that the name 'Halloween' stemming from All Hollow’s even is purely a Christian tradition that began in the early Middle Ages. Reasons behind the survival of this strongly pagan holiday and its inner-connectedness with the Medieval Church, is something that bewilders many scholars and researchers today. But nonetheless, it aided its preservation.

Furthermore, the tradition behind Halloween or even it’s connotation with harvest time, ‘is a descendent of the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sah-een) or 'summer's end' in the original Scots Gaelic’ Carver (2012).

Traditionally, the celebration held on 1 November began the Celtic New Year when dead souls were believed to walk the earth. What we deem as treats once then called ‘Soul cakes’ were left out for good spirits and lanterns, and then they were turnips, was customarily lit. Today our lanterns a solely American tradition, now everywhere, is in the form of a carved pumpkin. The purpose of this lantern, as well as the lights of which we all love to carry, was ‘to ward off stray evil spirits that also happened to pierce the thin veil of the underworld during this time of year’. This necessity rooted in the medieval theory and thought of the unknown, resulted in these deep and also imbedded traditions such as the Samhain tradition, in the psyche of man that resulted in it’s survival for centuries, Carver (2012).

In the eighth century, the Church branded 1 November All Hallows Day (or the day of the holy ones) in honour of the saints. It was not until two centuries later, the Church followed the Samhain festival more closely by naming November 2 All Souls Day in honour of the dead.

Additionally, the medieval custom of beginning observances the night before, All Hallows Evening, or Halloween became a popular name for the 31 October, thus resulting in our modern term of Halloween. Collectively this holiday is still celebrated today.

So in terms of the questions my children asked, yes, there was Halloween in the Middle Ages.

Mincemeat Pies, Based off Medieval Recipe

The history of the mincemeat pie is quiet old. It can be traced back to the 12th century when crusaders brought back spices from the Middle East. The spices then where introduced into the medieval diet and used for various of things including spiced meat and fruit. This popular mix is what began the little pies that we know today. Mincemeat pies.

I got most of this recipe from my King Richard III class through University of Leicester. I had to do some improvising, as I did not have all the ingredients available to me.

What you will need:

1 cupcake tin (I made a dozen with this recipe)
a medium size pot to cook down the mincemeat
bowl for dough
pastry cutter

Shortcut Pastry Dough:
1 1/2 cups of flour (I like King Arthur flour the best)
1 1/2 sticks of butter
good size pinch of salt
4-5 Tbs of cold water

Mincemeat:
2 pork chops
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of dried currants
1/2 cup of dried cherries (could even use dates. But my store didn't have any)
1/2 cup diced dried plums
1/2 cup of red wine
1/3 cup of rum
1 tbs, be generous, of molasses for color
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp cloves
1tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
a few dashes of salt
(when measuring out the spices I was quiet generous. But I cook like "throw it all in a pot")
two large tbs of marmalade
1 slice of orange
1/2 cup of bread crumbs for binding agent
1 table spoon of olive oil

Take the two pork chops, with no bones and place them in the pot. Dust them with cloves and put the olive oil in to tender the meat. Add about a 1/2 cup of water to steam them. Cook them until they are just done. You want the meat tender and easy to chop up into fine pieces.


Chop the meat up once it is cooked through and return to the pot. Next, with all the liquid still from the pork chops, add all the fruit, sugar, orange slice, marmalade, bread crumbs, wine, and spices all into the mix. Put the mixture on low and cover with a lid. Add the rum to flavor. Taste periodically, to see if you need to adjust any of the spices or add more. It takes about a good 3 hours for the mix to cook down at low heat. It should have a consistency of thick jam. When done, let it cool. Mincemeat can be stored for up to a year if canned in a jar with sealed lid. Brandy or rum is excellent to preserve the mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease cupcake the tins with lard.

Mixing the shortcut pastry and final prep for the oven:


In a bowl, add the flour and salt mix well. Chop up the butter and add that as well. I don't have a food processor, so I used a pastry slicer and blended the butter and flour together. I next used my fingers to get the mixture to a consistency like bread crumbs. Then add the water and kneed to form a soft ball of dough. You can refrigerate over night or just roll it out.


Cut the dough large enough to fit in the cupcake tins and fill with the mincemeat mixture. Cut another circle to use as a top. Don't forget to poke with a fork for ventilation. Cutting the pastry in shapes such as stars or Fleur de Lis for the top is a popular decoration for this treat. I just made mini pies.

Cook for 20 minutes or until crust is baked and a tiny golden. Lift out with a fork or knife and cool on a plate.  The pies can be stored in a air tight container or tin for a good two weeks. Refrigerate or freeze. Enjoy!