Witchvox Article

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Posted: October 11th. 2003
Times Viewed: 7,287

For a holiday that focuses on the twin pleasures of dressing wacky and eating good tasting things, Halloween is often mired in controversy. Years ago in my son's elementary school, we encountered the usual issues of Christian parents objecting to their children celebrating a "Satanic" holiday (and Jehovah's Witness' offspring, who are apparently not permitted to celebrate any holidays or birthdays).

What was less expected were the more general debates around costumes and decorations. Many families energetically campaigned for restrictions around any element that depicted violence or war, often broadened to include almost anything with a scary component. Also verboten were any form of superheroes.

Umm, well, yes. But (I'd feebly argue), dead things are the point of Halloween. (Along with scary things, yucky things, and oh, yes, magical things.)

In the larger Pagan community, the Halloween/Samhain controversy often focuses on the "desecration and commercialization of our sacred ceremony." Indeed, some groups righteously insist on scheduling Samhain rituals on the 31st, thus forcing members with children to choose between honoring their beloved dead and serving their small but living progeny. (Heck, on that topic alone, it's surprising how few Pagans realize that Samhain is a seasonal holiday; various groups used different ways to determine the date, often relating to the sun's inclination, full moon, etc.) It seems that many of us have forgotten how - and why - our current holiday practices evolved. Whether you call it Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Hallowmas, Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, or the Thinning of the Veil, there are many celebrations that honor the ancestors and acknowledge the role that death plays in the cycle of life. In old Europe, All Hallows Eve was the final harvest before the long winter. Often considered the demarcation of the New Year, it was a time of dancing, feasting, and revelry to celebrate making it through another 12 months intact - and to help the community connect and bond in the face the upcoming winter. Both those who'd died were during the year and those who'd been born were honored.

In Central America, European and Aztec tradition blended to produce the Day of the Dead, actually series of days honoring ancestors and spirits. This holiday is an unusual combination of both the serious and the whimsical. The living create altars for deceased loved ones, decorating them with the person's favorite possessions and foods. At the family burial plot, celebrants enjoy festive picnics, sometimes with music and toasts to the departed dead. And everyone eats treats shaped like skulls, coffins, and skeletons. Our modern tradition of dressing up in macabre attire may have developed as a way of dealing with the fear of death and the need to make a link to long-dead ancestors. Of course! Embody what you fear and you defuse that fear just a bit. Or, a person may pick a costume that indicates what they want to be in this life: strong, smart, fearless, funny. And stuffing yourself on sweets harkens back to the other purpose of this final harvest: eat up, because there's going to be a lot less on the table in the coming months. (And fatten up, so you too will survive the winter.)

So, in my opinion, feasting and flamboyance are not at odds with the "purity" of Samhain. They are instead one aspect of a larger collection of traditions that includes altars for loved ones, the Spiral Dance, and reunion with our beloved dead in the Isle of Youth.

For families that wish to acknowledge the delightful role that Halloween plays in the lives of their young children while nonetheless broadening their appreciation of the larger implications of this time of year, I'd recommend an animated video (targeted toward the 6-9 year old) that's based on Ray Bradbury's book, The Halloween Tree. (Better yet, maybe you can get them to read the book!) Apparently, Uncle Ray wanted to share a thing or two about how communities throughout history deal with loss, honor the waning sun, and face the darkness. Think of this as the Pagan Christmas Carol.

Watching this video with his buddies allowed my young son to enjoy a slightly scary story with his friends while developing a better understanding of our own holiday traditions. Each Halloween, before we went out trolling for candy, we took time to build a little altar with pictures of Grandma and Grandpa and even Great-Grandma, plates of pastry and a coffee cup of brandy, and of course, a bit of cheese for our darling hamster, or some catnip for familiars now gone.

This Hallowmas, remember that every little trick-or-treater is out there facing the dark with reckless abandon, a goofy outfit, and an empty bag, hoping for sweet tasting gifts from the world at large. And hey, isn't that that a pretty good metaphor for the rest of us?

SnakeMoon

Article Specs

Article ID: 6755

VoxAcct: 66489

Section: holidays

Age Group: Teen

Days Up: 2,236

Times Read: 7,287

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