Yeah, the Christians were pretty dumb back in the day to try and 'Christianise' a pagan holiday. They're having 'Light Parties' over here as a way to combat Halloween, I guess, but at the end of the day the fact is that they still celebrate on the same day. With the difference that Halloween always was and should have remained a pagan holiday, as it is a celebration of the harvest. I find it a bit morbid whatnot with the celebrating the 'dead'. I grieve for and miss and think about those who have passed away quite often throughout the year. I cherish their lives in my heart, so for me, I don't see the point in celebrating or commemorating their deaths on only one day a year.
I had in on the Halloween fun for the past couple of years, despite my mum telling me that it's not part of our religion and that I shouldn't be partaking in it. Anyway, my mum could never explain to me (other than 'it's wrong, it's paganism') exactly why we don't celebrate it, and I started to see it as harmless fun. Dress up fun, candy, making gross tricks, watching horror movies, all that stuff. I was born again at the start of this year (in spirit and faith, for anyone who thinks it's funny) and decided to dig around and learn more about the roots of trick or treat and carving pumpkins, etc. Halloween (or Samhain) was celebrated by the Celtics who went over to Ireland (from Asia, no less!!!Never knew Celts were originally from the Asian region). Old Hallow's eve they believed the veil between the worlds (*fangirlmoment*) of the living and the dead were thinnest and they were able to call upon their familiars/ancestors for guidance or predictions, or whathaveyou. They also believed that there were bad spirits and so, in a way to protect themselves, they would wear masks on the night to disguise themselves (today known as dressing up). They also used to light candles to either keep the evil spirits away from their homes, or to guide the way for their deceased loved ones, I can't remember which it was. They used pumpkins as food offerings to appease the bad spirits, so no harm would come to them. They still do this tradition in Asia somewhere, lighting candles and setting out bowls of food for the dead (at least, that's what I've heard).
The Americans are very innovative and creative in denying what Halloween really is. Jack O'Lantern actually doesn't come from the silly legend someone made up. Trick or treat doesn't come from a woman who decided to put out treats for the pranksters in her neighborhood so they would leave her house in peace. WTF. Who gives TREATS to brats that toilet paper your house? And, as some Wiccans I know claim, dressing up on Halloween is, in fact, NOT about what you aspire to be or what you'd rather be. You may tell yourself that for peace of mind, but that's not what it's really about (sorry I'm just ticked because it was such a sorry-arse answer she gave me as to why they do the dress up thing).
Coming to a new country where there are actually kids knocking on my door asking for candy and Batman and Superman walk the streets of the city on Halloween, it's really easy to just go with it. But, you know, if I were back home, I would have seen at least a dozen dead cats in the fields and abandoned lots and empty houses up for sale by now. It's disgusting and it is very real. Maybe they're the minority over here or just a lot more discreet about it, but we have as a rule of thumb back home to 'keep safe and guarded' during October through to mid-November. Meaning, keep your pets locked up in a safe place, and keep your little kids even safer.
Albeit I will now admit I understand a bit more about the 'dark' side, if you will, and that they tend to keep a very low profile so they can continue on their evil doings (breeding human sacrifices, for example), but it was common knowledge back home that a lot of people were into paganism and voodoo. Last year, a couple of weeks before Halloween, a working mother discovered that the maid/nanny she had hired had tied string around three of her baby girl's toes to cut off the circulation. This was someone that had been working for her for a while, whom she trusted. When she questioned the maid, it came about that she had been planning on
cutting off the toes at some point as an ingredient to an offering she was going to make. This is not a scary story someone made up for fun, I saw the evidence and those little toes were purple and bloated
