Embracing the Enchantment

“Do you believe that witches ride on broomsticks?”

Halloween has been a part of our cultures for a very long time now. Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, which means, Halloween was celebrated just recently. But the Spirit of Halloween endures for all 365 days of the year. Halloween has been designated as a day of the supernatural. But do we believe in the supernatural only on October 31st? Our fascination with the supernatural has endured for centuries. That is why they say, Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, but its spirit endures for all 365 days of the year. It has created the perfect opportunity for creative geniuses to use this designated day to make their mark.

Surprisingly, Halloween is thought to have influences from Christian beliefs and practices. The English word “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows Eve”, being the evening before the Christian holy days of All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2.

The tradition of Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. It is all interesting to note that Christian minister Prince Sorie Conteh linked the wearing of costumes to the belief in vengeful ghosts. It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints’ Day, and All Hallows’ Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the next world.

Film Franchise

Traditions, practices and beliefs associated with the supernatural are indeed fertile ground, allowing creative geniuses to deviate from them and create their own original works. Authors, film directors and producers derive inspiration from them, writing their books and creating their movies. The Halloween film franchise seems to have seized the opportunity, targeting the darker side of Halloween. First released in 1978, Halloween is a horror film franchise that has made such an impact on people, that it has spawned not one, but many movies, each one gruesome and unsettling, and each one having a powerful grip on our thought processes. Micheal Myers is the protagonist, who is committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister: “I met this six year old child, with this blank pale and emotionless face, and the blackest eyes… the devil’s eyes!”

However, Halloween is not all dark and scary. Popular Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror or Halloween-themed films. Some people practice the Christian observances of All Hallows’ Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead.

Important Symbols

A jack-o’-lantern is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin. It is one of the most important symbols of Halloween. There is a popular Irish Christian folktale associated with the jack-o’-lantern, which in folklore is said to represent a soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell. This part of Halloween though seems to be rather humorous but nevertheless it is also rather supernatural.

The story goes – “On route home after a night’s drinking, Jack encounters the Devil and tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.”

Trick-or-treating is a particularly mischievous practice involving mainly children. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats with the question, “Trick or treat?” The word “trick” implies a “threat” to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. Should this “threat” be carried out, we can be sure that it is was probably not funny at all for the homeowner. Wearing Halloween costumes at Halloween costume parties is surely the most fun aspect of Halloween, with the participants wearing the most impressive, attractive, authentic and innovative costumes.

The Spirit of Halloween will continue to endure, just as October 31st is a day that will always be designated to celebrate the supernatural. Every horror movie that comes out, reminds us of thatSpirit of Halloween. The Spirit of Halloween affects different people in different ways. It all depends on how you look at life or how you perceive life, after all the world certainly can be a dark place. But there is some good in the world.

CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE ON HALLOWEEN

Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide. Allhallowtide is the Western Christian season encompassing the triduum (a religious observance that lasts three days) of All Saints’ Eve (Halloween), All Saints’ Dayand All Souls’ Day,as well as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (observed on the first Sunday of November) and Remembrance Sunday (observed on the second Sunday in November) in some traditions.The period begins on 31 October annually. Allhallowtide is a time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all faithful departed Christians.

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