Halloween is among my favorite holidays. Thanksgiving is probably my favorite, followed by Super Bowl Sunday (yes, it’s a holiday).
Whereas Christmas is generally considered a Christian holiday, and Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday and July 4th are American holidays, no one is really sure how to categorize Halloween, and that just adds to the fun.
The date of Halloween, October 31, corresponds to the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts divided the year into two halves, a light half of spring and summer, and a dark half of fall and winter.The Samhain celebration marked the end of summer and the start of winter. The holiday also acted as a harvest festival, and a festival for the remembrance of the dead.
The ancient Gaels believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family’s ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks.
As with many Christian holidays (including Christmas), the early church selected a date that corresponded with existing pagan festivals.
This feast that we know as All Saint’s Day originated as a feast of All Marrtyrs, sometime in the 4th century. At first it was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It came to be observed on May 13 [under Pope Boniface IV (608-615)]. About a hundred years later, Pope Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a new chapel in the basilica of St. Peter to all saints (not just the martyrs) on November 1, and he fixed the anniversary of this dedication as the date of the feast. A century after that, Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration of All Saints to November 1 for the entire church.
The vigil of this important feast, All Saint’s Eve, Hallowe’en, was apparently observed as early as the feast itself. Ever since then- for more than a millenium-the entire Church has celebrated the feast of All Saints on November 1st, and, of course, Hallowe’en on October 31.
Modern day Wiccans and Pagans look to the ancient origin of Halloween in the Celtic festival of Samhain, and claim the holiday as their own. Likewise, some Christians point to the November 1st celebration of All Hallows Day and All Hallows Eve the night before, and paint the holiday as a Christian one. Other Christians believe the opposite, that Halloween is the devil’s holiday. Amongst all of this, there is a strong dose of secular fun, from trick or treating, to horror movies and macabre costumes.
Halloween is a unique holiday because Halloween is when we let the dark side of human nature come out to play. There are no touching family moments, no warmth and cheer and all that crap. Instead Halloween brings all of our deepest fears to light, and turns them into a game. Even modern humans know, on an emotional level, that the winter darkness (symbolic death before the rebirth of spring) is coming. Yet death, darkness and evil are transformed into costumes and stories, and their potential power over us is weakened.
I once thought that Halloween was a holiday just for children. After all, children are the ones afraid of the dark, and trick or treating is the best way to amass a stash of candy. Adults can buy candy whenever they want!
At some point, I realized that there is an adult side to Halloween as well. Aside from the connections to ancient traditions or the need to exorcise primal fears, Halloween has another side: costumes can be a lot of fun.
If you took a poll (and I haven’t) many people would probably list Valentine’s Day as the sexiest holiday. These people are wrong. Halloween is the sexiest holiday, and nothing else comes close.
Halloween is a time to let the dark side come out and play, and for many people, especially women, this means the opportunity to express desires and play out fantasies that might normally be frowned upon. How many times (not enough) have you gone to a Halloween party and seen the quiet girl who wears sweaters all year round marching through the party in a French maid outfit?
For one night of the year, business attire is out, and scantily clad nurses, devils, maids, cops, and cheerleaders are in. As if scary movies and mountains of candy weren’t already enough.
Christmas can also be celebrated as Winter Solstice. They are only a few days apart. The traditions are all the same. It’s not my favorite holiday, but I do try to celebrate it in a non-religious way
Halloween leaves me cold as it is now just fancy dress party without any really meaning. If the true pagan meaning was more understood by people, Halloween might be more interesting and less about little kiddies looking for candy. Feh.
5th of November… Bonfire Night… now *that* is a gripping cultural event, designs to celebrate the horrific torture and death of a failed terrorist.
Interesting that for many now, 5th of Nov is now a celebration *of* Guy Fawkes rather than his death and the failure of the Gunpower Plot, not because folks today want a Spanish Catholic takeover of England but because the idea of blowing up Parliament is so damn appealing.