Hallowhat? What the spooky festival is all about
Before we had children, Halloween played almost no role in my life. I knew the spooky spectacle from American family films, where it fit in. When this Halloween became a topic in our house in the 1990s, I must have raised my eyebrows and dismissed it as commercial hype.
Ghost in the Kindergarten
The change began when my son was at kindergarten. When I picked him up in the autumn, the group was usually making crafts like crazy. They were making chestnut figures and tracing leaves. But it seemed to me that they were mainly producing pumpkins, ghost castles, bats and vampire faces. Sometimes the children had black rings under their eyes and painted white, pointed teeth, from which blood dripped and mixed with the fruit sauce from the afternoon snack. They wore black capes and chased each other screaming through the gym, whose windows were darkened. And the parents' letter invited them to a Halloween party - in costumes, please. The anticipation was so palpable in the air that I couldn't bring myself to spoil it for my child. So I let him infect me, because it is usually a benefit to let your children infect you with their joy.
Since then, we have been celebrating Halloween. That is, the children celebrate it, and we mainly assist them with Make-up and Dress them up before we let them go off with other scary little creatures and, ideally, follow them from a distance. I'm always amazed at how keen my children are to look as horrible as possible, to elicit horrified screams from others and to scream in horror themselves. So what's this horror fest all about?
Forget about American hype: It was the spirits of the Celts
I soon found out that Halloween is not actually an American invention and has absolutely nothing to do with commerce. Halloween originated 2,500 years ago as part of druidic rituals in Ireland. The transition from October to November heralded the end of summer. During the day, the cattle were driven back to the stables and at night the spirits of the dead were expected. The Celtic population lit fires on the hills to keep monsters from the underworld away from afar. The bones of the cattle were burned in the fires, which is why they were called “bonfires” (from “bone”: bone). The meaning of the word has changed over time to “bonfires”. The druids had no reason to be happy back then when they lit the fires. They bravely faced the dead and prevented them from haunting the living in the villages. In order to counteract the spirits, the Druids dressed up as gruesomely as possible, with blood-soaked furs and horns, with chalk-white faces from which animal blood ran, with soot-blackened, wide-open eyes, they stared into the darkness and made horrific noises. Apparently with success.
As is the case with customs, Halloween changed over the course of history, but the tradition could not be abolished despite vehement attempts by Christians. Halloween has been documented in writing since the 8th century, namely in Christian letters of protest. Over time, the festival had developed into an orgy of disturbances, nasty pranks and harassment, and this did not suit the clergy any more than the pagan bonfires or the fortune-telling rituals that were common on “All Hallow's Eve”.
Honed by the tough resistance of the church and decent citizens, bad pranks have become simple pranks over the years, and people today are content with a more modest lack of self-indulgence than they were a few centuries ago. In addition, marketing also took up the subject of Halloween in the 20th century. In Europe, Halloween customs are more harmless in nature than in the USA. We took on the tour through the neighborhood under the motto “Trick or Treat,” in appropriate Cladding as well as the Decorate our environment with all kinds of gruesome things. You can really get used to these customs.
Now you!
What rituals do you celebrate with your family on Halloween? What was your best Halloween? What do you like to be scared of? What costume will you be wearing this year? Have you ever hosted a Halloween party yourself? Tell our readers and me about your experiences, I can hardly wait!
Happy Halloween and warm regards,
Your Bylle from kidz.ch