Advance ticket sales have ended but plenty of additional tickets remain available at the door.
Profs and Pints DC presents: “A Summoning of Halloweens Past,” on the origins and history of a frighteningly fun holiday, with Brittany Warman, former instructor at Ohio State University and co-founder of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic.
Gear up for Halloween the right way, with a fascinating look at the folklore that makes the ancient holiday certain to rise up and walk amongst us every year.
Join Brittany Warman, a favorite of Profs and Pints audiences, as she uncovers the roots of our current festival of fright.
You’ll perhaps find yourself feeling a little bit tricked as you learn that there really isn’t, as so many like to claim, a direct line between Halloween and the Celtic festival of Samhain. And you’ll start looking at the produce section of your supermarket in new ways as you learn that it’s turnips, not pumpkins, that people used to carve into jack-o-lanterns—with far more horrifying results.
Dr. Warman also will examine why we trick or treat, how fairies have far more to do with Halloween than you might expect, and why we’re obsessed with celebrating all things creepy this time of year.
To round out the evening, we'll do a deep dive into one of society's favorite things to do when the nights get darker—legend tripping, the practice of going to a specific site associated with a legend and trying to bring that legend’s central figure back to life! We'll take a close look at the psychology of the practice, why this activity is so popular around Halloween, and why we love to make ourselves part of the story. Dr. Warman will share a few especially spooky trips that you won't forget anytime soon.
You’ll love this fun and informative journey through the history of this beloved holiday so much that you might find yourself planning a legend trip or running to your local grocery store’s turnip display. (Advance tickets: $13.50, plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: A turnip jack-o’-lantern on display in the Museum of Country Life in Ireland’s County Mayo. (Photo by IrishFireside / Creative Commons.)