What are some of the first things that come to mind when you think about Halloween? Go ahead, start shouting them out....jack o' lanterns, haunted houses, Vincent Price, razor blade apples, Michael Myers, hayrides, that one Olsen twins movie, dressing up like a ninja turtle, 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown', eating Reese's cups and pixie sticks until you go into a sugar induced coma....just a few things off the top of my head.
For most, Halloween is synonymous with candy and trick or treating, but for others Halloween goes hand in hand with evil spirits, and practices of the occult.
"This day anything goes, burning bodies hanging from poles. I remember Halloween." -Glenn Danzig
The thing that I don't understand about it, is why does everyone care so much about the so called "evil" aspects of the holiday? Sure certain things about Halloween have dark overtones...okay, a lot of things about Halloween have dark overtones but why does that prevent parents from letting their kids gather copious amounts of candy or attend harmless costume parties? Just to put it into prospective, Christmas, is all about the celebration of the birth of Christ but that doesn't stop non christian families from giving gifts to one another or putting a dead pine tree in their living room on December 25th. Why should Halloween be a different scenario, just because certain people or groups have taken their views on the holiday to an extreme?
The thing that I don't understand about it, is why does everyone care so much about the so called "evil" aspects of the holiday? Sure certain things about Halloween have dark overtones...okay, a lot of things about Halloween have dark overtones but why does that prevent parents from letting their kids gather copious amounts of candy or attend harmless costume parties? Just to put it into prospective, Christmas, is all about the celebration of the birth of Christ but that doesn't stop non christian families from giving gifts to one another or putting a dead pine tree in their living room on December 25th. Why should Halloween be a different scenario, just because certain people or groups have taken their views on the holiday to an extreme?
"The first ten years of my life the only clear thought I ever had was 'get candy'. Family, friends, school, they're just obstacles in the way of candy. So the first time I heard the concept of Halloween my brain couldn't even process the information." -Jerry Seinfeld
The origin of what has become modern day Halloween stems from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain and the Catholic observation of All Saints' Day. The Celts believed that the hours between sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st was a time when the dead could return to earth. The Celtic people would dress up in costumes and light huge bonfires in an attempt to keep away the looming ghosts. While the Roman Catholics took this time of the year to celebrate and honor the lives of the saints, both known and unknown. Some how over the years the two holidays gradually mixed into one conglomeration. On the surface it might not seem like the two observances have very much in common but if you cut it down to the bare essentials, both celebrations are all about paying homage to the deceased and I guess that is how they eventually bled into one entity.
The origin of what has become modern day Halloween stems from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain and the Catholic observation of All Saints' Day. The Celts believed that the hours between sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st was a time when the dead could return to earth. The Celtic people would dress up in costumes and light huge bonfires in an attempt to keep away the looming ghosts. While the Roman Catholics took this time of the year to celebrate and honor the lives of the saints, both known and unknown. Some how over the years the two holidays gradually mixed into one conglomeration. On the surface it might not seem like the two observances have very much in common but if you cut it down to the bare essentials, both celebrations are all about paying homage to the deceased and I guess that is how they eventually bled into one entity.
"Most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches, I do not buy candy during the Halloween season." -Pat Robertson
If you noticed in my brief little history lesson above there was no mention of casting spells or burning witches at the stake or carving swastikas into foreheads. These images and fantasies that we tend to think up in our minds and associate with Halloween have little to no actual relation, they are merely embellishments that have attached themselves over the years. In the same way a father might embellish or dramatize stories he tells his kids and then even further dramatize them for his grand kids. It is the same concept, what started out with bonfires and the warding off of unwanted dead relatives has gradually snow balled into a night of witches and goblins and demons and ax murderers. So in a way, Halloween is like a universal ghost story that keeps getting better with each passing year as the story continues to uncoil.
"Halloween is my kind of holiday. It's not like those other stupid holidays. I don't get pine needles in my paws. There's no dumb bunny, no fireworks, no relatives." -Garfield the Cat
Everyone likes to be scared and mischievous and let their imaginations get the best of them, so what's the big deal? Don't fall into the trap of thinking that Halloween is just a demonic birthday party for devil. It is a celebration of fall and a tradition I will always gladly participate in.
"Halloween is my kind of holiday. It's not like those other stupid holidays. I don't get pine needles in my paws. There's no dumb bunny, no fireworks, no relatives." -Garfield the Cat
Everyone likes to be scared and mischievous and let their imaginations get the best of them, so what's the big deal? Don't fall into the trap of thinking that Halloween is just a demonic birthday party for devil. It is a celebration of fall and a tradition I will always gladly participate in.
Mischief is something I can get on board with. Recently I have been reminded of my like and affection for fall. The weather is crisp and those pumpkin shaped candy corn things are responsible for my childhood obesity. Halloween is completely connected to fall. It adds to the entire experience, also "Ernest Scared Stupid" is an excellent movie.
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