Three
Alternative Ways at Looking at Death
a. The Egyptians
Perhaps the most famous tombs in the world are
the pyramids built for the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt between 2630 – 2611 BC.
The Pharaohs didn’t have the healthiest way of looking at death. Believing
themselves to be gods they not only were entombed themselves, after death, but
also with many of their servants, slaves and riches. Many Israelites, enslaved
to build the pyramids, were badly injured or died during the building process
and so these tombs became symbols of death and oppression.
b. The Celts
Leaping forward a few hundred years and we
find the Celtic tribes of Europe whose culture grew from their experience of
the land and nature. Their new year was what we calculate as the 1st
November when the life giving harvest was gathered and the deadly cold winter
started to set in. The feast of Samhain
was their new years eve, which they believed to be a time where the dead and
living would mix in this world. To scare off unfriendly ghosts they often
dressed as ghosts themselves to confuse them.
c. The Christians
Pope Gregory III (731-741) introduced the
current format for the feasts of All Saints and All Souls Days as Christianity
continued to spread through Britain and many of the Celtic celebrations were
given a new focus through the eyes of faith. Rather than being fearful of
death, the Church wanted to emphasise Christ’s power over sin and death. The
word ‘hallowed’ used in the prayer that Jesus gave us, the ‘Our Father’, means to
make holy. The feast of All Saints was thus called All-hallows with the evening
before named All-hallows eve and so the feast of Halloween emerged. At the end
of the harvesting season it was a time of celebration where people dressed as
ghosts or devils to mock the power of evil & celebrate God's power over
evil in Jesus’s death and resurrection. They might also dress up as saints and
strut around as examples of people who truly new God’s power in their lives.
Halloween
Today
If your faith isn't central to your life and the Church no longer
offers meaning for you - other things will fill the gap. St Valentines Day
dropped the Saint for commercial interests, Christmas becomes Winter Fest &
Easter becomes chocolate centred rather than the new life symbolised in the
egg. For many reasons, perhaps even relating to horror movies and books or the
opportunity to sell scary costumes, for some people Halloween has become more
of a celebration of evil rather than a celebration of God's power over evil.
For other people, Halloween has no meaning other than a time to have fun. You
can discover an animated interpretation of the history of Halloween at the
following link: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
What
can we do?
One path is to abandon ship and have nothing to do with Halloween;
closing the curtains and hiding yourself away when the trick or treaters come a
calling? You can also embrace some people's celebration that evil rules? There’s
a big difference between going to your neighbours house with your family,
knowing that your trick or treating will be welcomed, compared with walking
around with friends to random houses and knocking on the doors of vulnerable
people. In choosing your costume it makes a big difference to choose one that
causes fear rather than one that is fun and makes people laugh. There are
always choices to make and this year St Clare’s School is offering another
path.
From
All-hallows to Halloween and Back…
At St Clare’s we’re reclaiming the feast of All-hallows as a
celebration of the power of God over death & evil. To make fun of the
spooks, devils & skeletons by dancing or even strutting our stuff dressed
as a saint – we’ll be having fun within the safety of the school
community. We’ll be joining thousands and thousands of Christians around
the world who celebrate this as a feast with a life giving meaning. Many people
take off their costumes and destroy them at the end of the night to symbolise
God’s power over them but in the spirit of recycling perhaps you could pull
your tongue out at the costume instead? We all have choices to make but
choosing to make others laugh rather than cry, to celebrate God's power lived
through the saints and keeping safe is a great way to draw a line in the sand
and say, "This is our feast... we're taking it back!"
God bless,
Fr David.
You can find some alternative arguments via the two following links but
be aware of external advertising on this website:
Six Reasons Why Halloween is Far From Harmless
Six Reasons Why We Should Celebrate Halloween
