Today is Halloween. I am not particularly into Halloween per se, especially when it comes to the celebration of death and gore and evil; but, I do adore the opportunity to wear a costume. Past alter-egos have included a woodland fairy, medieval maiden, sixties go-go girl, 80s prom queen, and a black widow (embracing the bitterness after a break-up). As a kid, memorable costumes were a jazz dancer and a classic princess. I distinctly remember the weight of an orange parking cone on my head, doubling as my princess hat. Have you ever tried to balance a parking cone on your 10 year old head? Quite a feat, I assure you. Today, if I had unlimited time and funds, I would do something that involved a mask, a six-foot wingspan, and lots of shimmering body paint.
This year we will miss the annual Fall Fun Fest--the commute is too long and our little Skunklet can't stay out too late. I will miss seeing all the kids' costumes, as well as the annual fried chicken tenders, dunking booths, face painting, etc. One is never too old to have their face painted! It takes me back to yesteryear and the Halloween Carnivals at school. I had the privilege of painting my niece's face this morning - she went to school as a kitty cat, a character from a story called Night Cat. I tried to persuade her to be the Chesire Cat from Alice in Wonderland but she was unconvinced. Where is the exposure to classic literature in our elementary schools?!? That's a blog for another day.
I realized today that halloween is a "holiday" that even a society paralyzed by political correctness is allowed to publicly observe. Everyone celebrates Halloween. There are no taboos or diluted greetings like "Happy Fall Day." Entire diverse neighborhoods come out for trick or treat. Whole office buildings celebrate. No one is offended and everyone is included. It's gods we argue about I suppose, not devils. At any rate, it's refreshing to see people enthusiastically participate, even in something relatively meaningless like Halloween.
What is Halloween anyway? According to Google, it began about 2000 years ago as a sort of pseudo-holiday that preceded the Celtic New Year (Nov. 1). The Celts believed that the boundary between the world of the living and the dead became blurred on the last day of the year, the day that ushered in the cold, decaying fall. To mark the event, the Celts wore costumes and made animal sacrifices around bonfires. When Christianity spread to Celtic lands, the pope instituted All Hallow's Day (aka All Saints' Day) on November 1, in an attempt to counterbalance the paganism of Oct. 31. It didn't work. They just changed the name to All Hallow's Eve, which eventually became Halloween.
So there you have it.
Enjoy some candy tonight, and by all means, take the opportunity to be someone or something you're usually not!
3 comments:
i'm glad i got to see that skunklet in her costume! too cute! we will miss the alexanders tonight...i'll post some pics on my blog in a few days of the costumes ;)
i vote for multi monthly posts to your blog. i enjoy it too much. also, intregued by your comment that we seem to argue about gods, not devils. interesting.
Hey! I just found your blog (thanks Carrie!). I was interested to read your thoughts of God working in Africa through prayer, and also that you are hoping to move to Denver since that's our home when we're not in Tanzania or Dallas. I'd like to hear more about Denver, and if you need recommendations on churches, neighborhoods, etc, holler!
kim_hill@sil.org or hillsofafrica.blogspot.com
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