I HAD NEVER HEARD OF HALLOWEEN UNTIL I MOVED TO THE NORTHERN CLIMES. It was only after I disgraced myself by shrieking hysterically in a supermarket after a larger than life size ghoul enwrapped me in ghostly grey wind-blown trailers festooned with plastic spiders that Halloween burst in on my unsuspecting world.
It took some years before I could move with equanimity through stores with fake gravestones complete with flashing red eyes and booming voice, skeletons, witch hats and devil forks.
Pumpkins - beautifully round and glowing orange - are sold by the bucketful at this time: destined for use with candlelight spilling from within.
The first year I spent in cold October fifty five degrees above the equator and fifteen degrees south of the Arctic circle, I was still acclimatising to the then startling crisp coldness of the night air.
Bonfires startled me, glossy conkers enthralled me and the general bonhomie made me smile.
First Halloween
My first Halloween saw me walking home in the night darkness.
At the end of the street I saw a little golden globe bobbing up and down, faerylike in the evening gloom.
Every now and then a pink haze glowed beside the golden globe: then the globe would cease movement.
As I neared the mysterious light, all became clear. A little girl dressed as a faery stood 'trick or treating' in a doorway.
In her hand she tightly clutched a lighted globe atop a faery's wand.
Her mom stood next to her as her little brothers pranced around dressed as furry bears.
"If you go down in the woods today . . ."
It was an evening tableau of innocence and yes, may I say it, sweetness.
As the little girl turned around she met my eyes, and bobbed a confident curtsey.
The pink petals of her faery costume belled out and caught the light of her faery globe, thus giving the reflected haze illusion I had wondered at.
One little bear pranced around making pawing movements and growling in contentment at the treat bucket.
The family party then moved on around the corner, laughter and happiness moving steadily with them as they brought joy to the quiet street.
Stark contrast
Contrasted with the joy and fun of that fall evening was the scene where parents brought their children to a local center.
Stories for children about ghosts, haunted cemeteries and witches were offered by entertainers at the center's entrance.
One mother had brought her young infant to the entertainment.
The little one sustained such a shock when he saw a howling ghoul dripping with fake blood that he became hysterical with fear.
The poor mite sobbed seemingly endlessly.
Having shortly before entered the center, I wondered why a tiny infant should be exposed to such a sight at a tender age.
His poor mother was distracted trying to comfort her child who was inconsolable.
Holy evening
Which brings me to my point.
Halloween is an old English word which means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening".
The word can be traced back to hālig, Old English for "holy".
During the Middle Ages, All Hallows' Day was the name for what Christians now call All Saints Day, and the evening that preceded All Hallows Day was All Hallow Eve - or, as we now know it, Halloween.
Remembrance with dignity
Surely this celebration is one of prayer and dignified remembrance of our beloved ones who have gone before us into the eternal mystery of the afterlife with Christ.
Yet it would seem that much revelry contains emphasis on ghouls, devils, witches and horror.
Costumes of 'walking dead', ghostly painted faces, devil costume and horns, witch apparel and symbols including the satanic pentagram can be seen at times adorning revellers.
Undue use of liquor and other stimulants with unfortunate effects often mar the peace of the holy night.
Bonfires hark back to the ancient practice of 'bone fires', literally bone fires.
In antiquity these were reportedly used in animal and human sacrifice.
In the satanic bible, Anton LaVey wrote that after one's own birthday, the two major satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht and Halloween [or All Hallows Eve].
Reclaim the holiday
Why don't we all reclaim this holiday for Christ who gave His Life for our redemption, and forebear to bring our children to ghostly events. We could even dress ourselves and our children in costumes of innocence and good taste: one must have celebration in life after all.
There is nothing stopping us from dressing as angels or one of the saints. . .
It would be great to see a troop of little Saint Patricks and Angel Gabriels trick or treating at hospitable doors.
They would be a wonderful tradition following the faery and little bear footsteps . . .
Is Halloween a holy time for Christians? Alleged News
http://www.cogwriter.com/hallo.htm
Halloween, Alleged News
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
Satanic holidays, Alleged News
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_holidays
Teddy Bear Picnic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6uh8NH6KC8
With thanks to cogwriter.com and wikipedia
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