Filed under: News
A few weeks ago, I heard a woman say that she "doesn't do" Halloween, explaining that it is associated with Satanism, evil spirits, witchcraft and the like. She went on to talk about ghosts who haunt people and demons who possess people and how people should avoid it all to maintain some level of piety.
I yawned.
Not that I'm criticizing or decrying anyone's faith or religious belief, but I think the woman went off the deep end, and it's not the first time I've heard of this Halloween-phobia. Each time I've heard people speak like this, it was based on superstition and basic lack of historical knowledge. Worst of all, it expresses an actual tendency in our culture to believe in myths rather than embrace reason.
And it takes the spirit out of one of the most fun times of the year, Charlie Brown.
So why are people so scared of Halloween, particularly in light of childhood memories of trick-or-treating and bobbing for apples at parties? Two reasons, actually:
1) Because people misinterpret the pagan origins of the holiday, in the same way they do Christmas and Easter
2) Because folks are paranoid over real-life events
Let's start with the history of Halloween and why people take it to mean something that it doesn't.
The day has its roots in ancient Irish culture, dating all the way back to the 5th century B.C. The Celtics (meaning people in Dublin and Cork, not Boston and Brookline), observed the end of their harvest season around this time of year with a festival called "Samhain" (pronounced "sah-win"). Farming in this part of the world, though, was really a crapshoot and sometimes harvests wouldn't come out as the Celts planned, so they blamed it on the spirits of the dead coming back to damage their crops on the day the world of the living and dead overlapped: October 31st.
There was nothing particularly special about the day, but they viewed it as the day the lighter season ended and the darker season began; in other words, the autumnal Equinox was more evident around that time of year. So the Gaelic-speaking people would don costumes to scare the pesky ghosts away. Before long, this became a reason to party and it basically morphed into the Celtic New Year.
The Romans conquered Britain around 43 A.D., making Ireland part of its new turf and adding its own touches to the Samhain festival, including bobbing for apples and guzzling cider (sound familiar?). The tradition continued for hundreds of years, even after Rome fell in 476 A.D.
A few centuries later, the Western Roman Empire had basically turned into a feudal Europe and was dominated by the Catholic church. In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the church's All-Saints Day to Nov. 1st, and the night before was known as "All-Hallows Eve," or in Old English, "Halloween." All of this was intended to be a celebration of the departed, whether or not they were canonized as saints.
Of course, as you history buffs know, the traditions of the Catholics carried on well in to the history of Western Civilization and remained constant through the Renaissance period in to the exploration of the New World and eventually in to modern times. The same story can be told of Christmas, which began as a Roman holiday called "Saturnalia" and was also celebrated as an end-of-harvest celebration, and Easter, which was originally a celebration of the Vernal Equinox or first of Spring and also has its roots among the Romans.
So there have never been any Satanic rituals that developed the holiday, nor do witches observe it so they can cast evil spells on people. In fact, actual witches practice a religion called "Wicca," and they observe nature as a spirit. Cursing people is not allowed.
Now other fears of Halloween come from urban legends about children being poisoned or finding razors in their candy, but this turns out not to be true. And the rumors come from isolated incidents that are not necessarily related to Halloween and actually exploded from the real-life Tylenol poisonings of 1982.
This spawned hundreds of news reports of needles and razors placed in Halloween candy and apples. In a few cases, this did happen as thoughtless, cruel pranksters found ways to scare the populace, but that had actually been going on since at least the '60s and not just on Halloween. The fear of a few became the fear of millions and parents began to simply keep their kids home on what had been a fun occasion tailor made for kids.
Also, in certain cities, there is also the sad reality that criminals use Halloween and the night prior, Devil's Night, to reign violent mischief on any victim they can find. That, unfortunately, is a real reason to stay indoors on Halloween, but it is also part of the crime-ridden urban landscape we are all challenged by. So if you do go out on Halloween, please remember to use your street smarts. Go out in groups. Stay in well-lit areas. Enforce curfews. Be sure an adult is with trick-or-treaters and end that activity by early evening. Most importantly, know where your children are and what they are doing at all times.
Now, I realize there are some who feel their religion prohibits them from celebrating Halloween, just as there are those whose faith prohibits them from celebrating any holiday. That's fine, do you. But there are those who simply believe what people tell them without any discernment or skepticism. They spread falsehoods, superstition and myth every time they open their mouths and history has proven they are far more dangerous than any ghost or goblin.
Blogger's Note:
This weekend, as on any party weekend, please be safe. If you are intoxicated, inebriated or even just really tired, let someone else drive or take a cab, even if you have to spend a little more money (better broke than hurt). Don't stay out later than you should. Know your limits. Remember the power of the word "NO." And above all, keep an eye out for yourself, and that other person.