2008 Woodie Awards
Halloween fun a product of history
Evan Diamond
Issue date: 10/31/07 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
Halloween is the celebration that embraces pumpkins, trick-or-treating and wrecking havoc. Whether you're guzzling beer or performing a pagan ritual, what you're celebrating has important social and historical roots. The Americanized Halloween we are used to is very different from Ireland's or the UK's, where Halloween originated.
Halloween is another word for All Hallows Eve, the night before All Hallows Day on Nov. 1. It's revered as the "Celtic New Year," a celebration ending the harvest season in Gaelic and Celtic cultures.
Traditionally, Halloween attains its scary characteristics from the ancient Gaels, who would prepare for the winter season by slaughtering livestock to be preserved and rationed during the winter's bitter cold. They believed the spirits of dead animals, and sometimes humans, would surface, making the gap between the living and the dead non-existent.
In the pagan world, this was considered the time when the veil between the living and the dead parted. Eventually the Gaels would imitate spirits and monsters in their dress, which is why people today still dress up.
Halloween is also celebrated in Scotland, England, Canada and additionally in Mexico, where it is known as Día de los Muertos or the Day of Dead. In China, there is something very similar known as the ghost festival, where spirits are believed to walk the earth.
Everything we partake in during this day has its roots in history. Pumpkins are carved with ghoulish faces to ward off evil spirits, and people dress in daunting outfits to imitate evil spirits believed to be walking amongst mortals.
The days of late October bring more than fun and games - but violence and social hostility are also a major part of the holiday, particularly on the day before Halloween on what is called "mischief night". This night often triggers wild behavior and some criminal activity to it is important that one remains safe and aware.
Emerson McAfee, a freshman business major said, "I worry about the kids and how safe it could be for them, but overall I love the Halloween vibe you get in New York City. It's just more adult-oriented than in the suburbs."
He also noted for the past two years he attended the Village Halloween parade where anyone can dress up and join in, traveling up and around Greenwich Village and SoHo.
Halloween is another word for All Hallows Eve, the night before All Hallows Day on Nov. 1. It's revered as the "Celtic New Year," a celebration ending the harvest season in Gaelic and Celtic cultures.
Traditionally, Halloween attains its scary characteristics from the ancient Gaels, who would prepare for the winter season by slaughtering livestock to be preserved and rationed during the winter's bitter cold. They believed the spirits of dead animals, and sometimes humans, would surface, making the gap between the living and the dead non-existent.
In the pagan world, this was considered the time when the veil between the living and the dead parted. Eventually the Gaels would imitate spirits and monsters in their dress, which is why people today still dress up.
Halloween is also celebrated in Scotland, England, Canada and additionally in Mexico, where it is known as Día de los Muertos or the Day of Dead. In China, there is something very similar known as the ghost festival, where spirits are believed to walk the earth.
Everything we partake in during this day has its roots in history. Pumpkins are carved with ghoulish faces to ward off evil spirits, and people dress in daunting outfits to imitate evil spirits believed to be walking amongst mortals.
The days of late October bring more than fun and games - but violence and social hostility are also a major part of the holiday, particularly on the day before Halloween on what is called "mischief night". This night often triggers wild behavior and some criminal activity to it is important that one remains safe and aware.
Emerson McAfee, a freshman business major said, "I worry about the kids and how safe it could be for them, but overall I love the Halloween vibe you get in New York City. It's just more adult-oriented than in the suburbs."
He also noted for the past two years he attended the Village Halloween parade where anyone can dress up and join in, traveling up and around Greenwich Village and SoHo.
Be the first to comment on this story