HALLOWEEN IS NO CHRISTIAN TRADITION ANYMORE

It has been many centuries since Halloween was a Christian celebration. 

It’s been so long that some Christians call it a satanic event.  It is what you determine it to be.  Today, it is a quintessential American tradition that has gone in many directions.  Some quite discouraging.

Halloween was once one of my favorite American traditions.   I enjoyed spending time with my children and grandchildren. They are in costume, filled with anticipation and story, imaginations running wild with excitement.  

I got to walk the streets with the children and visit neighbors whom I rarely see except on the way to work or some weekend chat. We actually talk, share stories and do so without any pretense or agenda! ‘Hey!’ ‘You live down the street!’ ‘I didn’t know that.’ ‘And these are your kids?’ ‘Wow! They are growing up so quickly!’

It is also a time to reconnect with children of all ages and to be reminded that they, like myself are filled with excitement about life and its surprises. ‘Trick or treat’ the littlest ones try to say. They are amazed that the words magically trigger smiles, laughter, and best of all candy treats!

Little kids can barely ‘trick or treat’ now. They are confronted by too much horror filled costumes and displays that generate fear and anger.  Some of the displays focus on perverse cruelty and shock.  One year I dressed myself in a sesame street costume and discovered that children gathered around me for protection of a fun clean, friendly character in contrast with the costumery of violent characters from war trilogies, destructive evil characters and unsettling faces and designs   Most of this is unsettling to an adult too.  I can’t imagine how the children remember it.  Shutting down ‘trick or treating’ due to the pandemic may provide a breather space for people to rethink the purpose of costumery and displays.  Halloween in its roots was not designed for a ghoulish ‘shock’ factor.

Halloween maybe an American celebration. But it draws from the supermarket of world celebrations to create a fun evening of costumery, celebration and reminder that life is filled with all kinds of mysterious and unanticipated aspects that have no power over us. 

Halloween has its roots in ancient beliefs and practices. It is most easily traced back to pre-Christian England and Ireland and celebrations to remind the living of their link with their deceased ancestors. The ancient celebrations were ‘Christianized’ by the Christian conquerors as they contained elements of essential truths about life. The elemental truths are found in most cultures and religions throughout the world. 

Religion is not shy to consider the profound issues of life and death, meaningful existence, relationship with our ancestors and our descendants, life values and purpose. Religion discusses them using such terms as ‘reincarnation’, ‘incarnation’, ‘resurrection’, ‘eternal’ even ‘caste’ or ‘social place’. 

Interest in ‘ancestors’ and the ‘forces that give way to life’ also gives rise to questions about the existence of spirits and other kinds of ethereal beings that work for good or evil. The Christian view is that evil does not exist as a god force.  Evil is overcome by turning on the light of truth in the midst of darkness.  Darkness disappears in the light. Costuming is one ancient method to show that feared entities have no power (and in most cases) no existence beyond the imagination. Dress up as the ‘evil one’ and see that you can play the part as well as anyone! Because it is a part that can be dissipated and eliminated by good and kind and righteous people!

Be ‘Spiderman’, ‘Superman’ and discover in your imagination that you are as powerful as the creature that you portend to be! It is a simple method to allay fears of creatures that do not exist and even if they did, they have no power or control over you – only the power and control you give to them.   Turn on the ‘light’ in the midst of the darkness so the Christian would say!

Okay.  This doesn’t sound like Halloween anymore!  But the roots of the Halloween celebration  head in a direction that we all long for.  We all need a path to confidence and courage when we are confronted by life situations and experiences that make us fearful and afraid.  There is no need to cower in fear at the forces we don’t understand.  Indeed. We should be mindful of our predecessor generations that survived to give us life and a life story to tell.  But they don’t have power over us. 

Halloween would be better if we could discover and rediscover how fun, light hearted events can help make life safe, secure, anchored in the inheritance from previous generations.  Fun for self and the people that surround us. 

I’ll probably take a breather this year.  But I do love seeing the children in costume.  Maybe we will all rediscover the power of children asking, receiving, laughing, having fun dressed up as someone that they respect or admire.  We were children once.  Remember a costume only has the power you give to it.

Have a fun Halloween.  If that’s possible!