Contributed by Nancy Ayer
Halloween, All Soul’s Day, The Day of the Dead: Remembering wisdom from the ancestors
The Public is invited to an indoor labyrinth walk on Hallowe’en, Saturdya, October 31 at Emmanuel Church Parish Hall.
The walk is planned for adults only from 4 to 5 p.m. Costumed childrena and all ages are welcome from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Soup and cider will be served after 5 p.m.
In Costa Rica, the ancient Ticans, as they call themselves today, carved and wore wooden masks made of cedar in an attempt to scare off invading Spaniards. Similarly, the costumes and masks worn at Halloween today are said to frighten off demons, particularly those of monsters, ghosts, skeletons and witches. Costumes and masks worn at Halloween go back to the Celtic traditions of attempting to copy the evil spirits or placate them. In Scotland for instance, the dead were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces.
The term Halloween originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallow’ Even (All Hallows’ Eve). All Hallow’ Evening is the eve of All Hallows Day, which is now also known as All Saints’ Day in the Christian religion. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European pagan traditions.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Sow-wen). This festival is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in the Gaelic culture and sometimes is regarded as the Celtic New Year. Traditionally, this festival was a time used by these ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. These Celts believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead became dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown.
On All Hallows Eve ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their windowsills to represent the departed. Originally in Europe lanterns were carved from turnips or rutabagas. Believing the head was the most powerful part of the body and contained spirit and knowledge, the Celts used the “head” of the vegetable to frighten off the embodiment of superstitions.
Just as Mother Earth influenced ancient pagan harvests, festivals and rituals, so she does today. Signs of the harvest, such as the full moon, corn husks, pumpkins, squashes, leaves and apples are seen decorating homes and churches all across our country. In many Caribbean, Central and South American countries the phases of the moon are always consulted before harvesting and planting.
The Day of the Dead – El Dia de los Muertos or All Soul’s Day – is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the US and Canada. This holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st (to commemorate deceased children) and 2nd (to remember deceased adults) in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saint’s Day, which occurs on Nov. 1st and All Soul’s Day which occurs on Nov. 2nd.
Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. Grave sites are visited with these gifts. The intent is to encourage visits by the deceased souls so they will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Since opposites always coexist, celebrants also remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.
The rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed for 2500-300 years. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dedicated to Mictecacihuati, the goddess of the dead.
Today ancient pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in an assortment of celebrations from October 31 through November 5; all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery.
Reference: Wikipedia.
