All Hallows' Eve -Halloween
 |
| Learn and Earn As You Turn (source:https//:shuttercock.com) |
These abstract concepts of the dead, the ghosts, the spirits, the netherworld, sorcery and witchcraft, the purgatory, the heaven and hell, reincarnation and superstitions, beliefs and myths, legends and history, traditions, culture, and values make our social life far more cohesive, interactive and interesting. In spite of the existing scientific theories and innovations, gadgets and tools, our beliefs and faiths, however primitive they may be, have always surpassed the space of public discourse across time and space.
Of many cultural events, one of the most widely and extravagantly celebrated festivals of the fall is fast knocking the yet silent doors in the western world is All Hallows' Eve-simply put-Halloween. Festivals and carnivals have always occupied a special place in the Children's hearts.
To have some basic idea about the Halloween festival in a jiffy, let's observe the summary chart of this mysteriously spooky festival before we make assumptions and misguide our children as to where the festival originated from and how it is celebrated especially in the United States.
Halloween Summary Chart
|
Origin
|
- It
is believed to have started from the Celtic tribes in ancient Britain
and Ireland who celebrated Samhain pronounced as
/saʊn,ˈsaʊɪn,ˈsawɪn,Irish
ˈsəʊnʲ/,
the end of Summer, and the beginning of the Fall as a transition from
the light to darkness.
|
|
Meaning
|
- All hallows’
Evening-all souls’ day- the day when prayers are offered to release the
souls that are supposed to be trapped between heaven and hell, the
netherworld meaning the purgatory.
|
|
When
|
- 31st October-November
2nd (Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls’ Day
respectively as per the church decree
|
|
Who
|
- Mostly the
followers of Christianity, but now as a non-religious festival
|
|
How
|
- making
a bonfire offering food and drink to the dead who return to their homes
- going
treat or tricking (similar to Deusi-Bhailo in Nepal),
(begging/ donating soul cakes to the needy expecting to get more prayers
for the suffering dead),
- collecting/offering
candies by/to children,
- disguising
wearing creepy masks,
- pulling
pranks, some vandalism and mischiefs (now rare but the 1933 American
Halloween was a tragedy-black Halloween for many)
|
|
Why
|
- to welcome the
new year by the Celtic tribes
- to appease the
dead and stay harmless from the evil spirit,
- to ease the
suffering of the dead of the year, a great party for young adults,
- to celebrate
the holiday in honour of the deceased
|
|
Who brought it to
the USA
|
- Halloween came
to New England along with the influx of Irish emigrants during the
Potato Famine (1845-1852)
|
|
Things, beings,
places, & times associated
|
- cauldrons,
brooms, black cats, bats and vampires, black crows, witches, graveyards,
darkness, nights, the Holy cross, spooky masks, orange and black color,
boogeyman, ghostly apparels, jack-0- lantern (turnip/pumpkin light),
white shrouds, etcetera.
|
|
Halloween Business
|
- The Dennison Manufacturing Company started to produce Halloween
guides called boogey books and other durable prankster materials in
1937.
- Soon after the proliferation of television in 1966, Halloween
became the major theme of cartoons, TV shows, and movies (like the 1978
blockbuster, Halloween which was widely enjoyed and it even set a new
trend of horror films shifting the spooky characters of ghosts and
goblins to human antagonists in the Hollywood)
- Now the masks and disguise of this festival is a multi-million
business at malls and groceries with lifelike spooky experience at theme
parks/venues and haunted houses like Halloween Horror Nights-Orlando,
Knotts’ spooky Farm, California, Hersheypark in the Dark, Penn, and 4000
such others across the States.
- Over 30
million people are likely to celebrate it with average spending of $200
each this year, 2021 thereby making it worth $ 6,000,000,000
business.
|
|
Halloween capital
of the world
|
|
The ways and means of celebrating festivals may vary across human civilizations but the sole goal of all festivals is to bring everyone together and express their joys and freedom. Accepting this does not albeit mean allowing the wild nature in ours to act violently and be a nuisance in others' joys and freedom. Halloween is thus a festival of great rejoice and holiday for people of all ages. Let the festivals of the world be so appealing and appeasing that the global fraternity be strengthened and peace rules our minds for centuries to come.
Reference
- Advexon Tv
- A&E Television Networks, LLC
- Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica
- Halloween History | National Geographic
- https://en.wikipedia.org/
- The Origins Of Halloween-phoenixXchannel
***
