I’m re-posting a blog piece from last year because it rings true again this year. My sister-in-law’s sister asked her Facebook friends to be sensitive to those who have lost loved ones by considering how they approach their Halloween decorations. For those of you who don’t know, we lost my sister-in-law to suicide in July. I’ll admit that it has changed the tone of Halloween for us this year. My son is particularly sensitive to anything he perceives as ‘dark.’ I can only imagine how the holiday will affect the families of those who just lost their lives in the recent shooting in Oregon.
Observing Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, has its place. It can allow us to explore our fear of death in a healthy way and honor our departed. For my part, celebrating horror is not on the list of ways to process the loss of those we love.
Here is my original post………………………………………………………………………………..
Halloween is an interesting holiday in my household. I prefer its autumnal features, but my tween has been angling for scarier decorations. So I compromise. I include a few ghoulish touches among the whimsy, but draw the line at horror.
It bothers me that my children want to dress up as decrepit murderous zombie clowns instead of woodland creatures. So we debate until we land on something in between. This
year my daughter will be the ghost of Little Red Riding Hood and my son will be the shadow of a business man. I must admit, I’m rather proud of my eight year boy for coming up with that one.
As I pass various displays in the neighborhood, some charming, others gory; I reflect on the holiday’s derivations, deeply rooted in my own Celtic origins. Historians suggest Christians transformed the pagan Celtic festival, Samhain, into All Hallow’s Eve which precedes All Saints Day.
Samhain marks the end of the harvest and some believe it is a time when spirits, ancestral and otherwise, are able to pass the threshold to our world. The idea of costumes rose from an attempt to ward off the evil spirits by mimicking them or disguising yourself from them.
All Hallow’s Eve mocks death in order to face our fear of it, and in turn honors the faithfully departed on All Soul’s Day.
Some psychologists and sociologists believe the tradition is healthy. There is a lot to fear in the world and it is important to develop emotional resiliency. Brushing against our fears as we play pretend in a controlled environment may help us appreciate what is good in the face of what is evil. There can be a release in mocking our ultimate fear.
While I will never be a fan of horror films and prefer the notion of conquering evil with good, I will try to provide a frightful enough dose of spook to appease my little monsters. Maybe it will build my resiliency towards fighting my son’s athlete’s foot and toenail fungus. There is fungus among us and it is a terrible sight!
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Note: I’m not sure we’ll be up for mocking death this year, but I understand the historical significance. Every culture has its own way of processing death. This year my son will probably go as a box troll and my daughter is assembling a hybrid of Alice and The Mad Hatter.