Hallowe'en

Vas asked me what Hallowe’en was all about.  While they do celebrate in Australia, it is a new thing and they don’t really have a grip on what it is exactly. 

So.. what is Hallowe’en all about?

It is a mixture of a lot of things I guess.  Way back when in parts of Europe it was a day to light fires, little suns, to hold back the darkness.. and dress up to ward off evil spirits.  With the shorter days and colder weather just arriving they had to do something.  

Then the Catholics decided to have a day to honor their saints (hallows).. and All Saints Day was declared for November 1^st.. the night before the All Hollowed Eve. 

I was in Peru one year on such a day.. I watched as bigger than life sized carvings poured out of the central cathedral and were paraded about town on the shoulders of the people. 

November 2 is celebrated in different places as the Day of the Dead.. a day to celebrate ancestors that have gone before us. 

But they don’t just celebrate.. they make light of death.. using humor to ridicule death.  In Mexico the Day of the Dead is a big celebration.. carved skeletons are found about town and in every window.. children and grandparents alike chew on candy skulls. 

In some places, October 31 is a day on which you don’t eat meat.  So, why not gorge on apples and, well, you can see the evolution to candy?

But, in Canada, hallowe’en has evolved into a time to dress up and eat candy.  When I was a child it was a time to go around and meet the neighbors.  From the time we were little until we were in about grade six, we would dress up, usually as a monster, witch or ghost, and go to every house in about a two block radius, carrying a pillow case and yelling “Trick or Treat”.  Some places would make us sing, or do something amusing to earn a candied apple, popcorn ball or candy. 

When my kids were young things had evolved a bit to where the costumes were often super heroes, or Television show characters.  We went only to houses where the lights were on. 

This year, I was lucky enough to hang out with the grand kids.

Adam went trick or treating with his girl friend.. he is grade 11!  The kids explained that it was fun.. they were holding on to childhood.  It was no longer safe for little ones to wander around by themselves so why shouldn’t the older kids go collecting enough candy to last them until Christmas? 

Back in Nelson it seemed everyone spent the day in a costume.  Friday shopping meant service from ghosts, goblins, Star Wars Characters.. the works. 

My little grand girls dressed up as little fairies and headed to the shopping mall with mom and dad (and grandma and Pa Vas) before it got dark. It was raining and cold outside, but inside, there were all sorts of little ones dressed as puppies, Spiderman.. whatever, begging for treats from the shops in the artificial light and warmth. 

Then it was a trip in the car to best decorated homes..  while Vas and I headed to a downtown pub, which was dark and scary, to be served a cold local beer by costumed servers. 

Hallowe’en is still evolving.  It isn’t a holiday in Canada, but it feels like one.  People like getting dressed up as a great way to enter into the shorter, colder days of winter. 

November second the clocks went back, and the days are very noticeably shorter.  Remembrance Day is just a week away: a time to take a serious look at what is happening in the world.  And then, it will be Christmas and we will celebrate with light, food and gifts. 

Celebrations are important around here.  Winters are long, and these holidays are the way we focus on the important things in life: food, fun, family.: the past, the future.. our humanity. 

Hallowe’en isn’t one thing.. it isn’t pagan, or religious.. it isn’t about scary stuff, or clowns.. it isn’t just about the candy and the dressing up.. it's about meeting your neighbors.. and sharing food before the onset of winter.  It is about being alive, celebrating each day.. each season, as it comes and not being afraid of the dark or the future.

By mocking death, Hallowe’en celebrates life.. and acts as a reminder that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves.