In
Praise of Halloween-for JoJo
"I
was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds
is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet
song to anyone who cares to hear it.”
Carolyn McCullough, Once A
Witch
This is by far my favorite time of the year, and it precedes by far my least favorite. This is an ode to Halloween, not necessarily for its historicity, but more for its psychosocial aspects as well as the passage of summer into Fall.
This
time of the year is a time of moving into the dormancy of Fall and
Winter, it is a time of moving inward, being more reflective,
conserving, and preparation. Historically, this is when people get
“their
wood put up”
for winter, do some canning, and settle in for a hibernation of body
and soul. At the same time the spirit of Halloween is in the air. A
spirit that is wild and creepy, unpredictable, spontaneous and
mischievous.
The
coming of Fall is just that; a fall, leaves turn many colors and
shades as they are dying and falling to leave behind barren limbs,
the air becomes chilled and loses all remnants of the summer heat.
These changes in Nature bring about changes in our nature, we are
wanting to sleep more, eat more, slow down, and sit by a fire. We may
be more prone to contemplate our own immanent death as well as the
dying, falling leaves. There is a sense of harvest, not just of the
summer’s garden but the harvest of our own life and what fruits or
lack thereof we have produced.
In
all religious traditions there is space, time, and ritual allotted
for a “breaking
of all conventional/traditional rules”
in some kind of ritualized manner. Such festivals and carnivals as
Mardi Gras are times in which there is a suspension of the usual
restraints of “civilized”
social norms, in ancient Greece this was the time and
festivals of Dionysus, which was also the birth of theatre, in
Rome there was the god and festivals of Bacchus
who was the god of wine and fertility, he was known as "the
liberator" because his spirit loosened the usual grips that
social and institutional norms have on people. The word
carnival, in Latin, actually means “farewell
to the flesh,”
for it is a period leading up to Lent in which Christians practice
sacrifice and heightened spiritual disciplines. Ironically, the
carnival leading up to Lent is one in which the flesh is fully
embraced.
From
an anthropological point of view, carnival is a reversal ritual, in
which social roles are reversed and norms about desired behavior are
suspended. Winter was thought of as the reign of the winter spirits
that were to be driven out for the summer to return. Carnival can
thus be regarded as a rite of passage from darkness to light, from
winter to summer: a fertility celebration, the first spring festival
of the new year.
New
Year’s Eve is another type of carnival celebration, and there is a
wildness that is embraced right before we go into our resolutions to
lose weight and be nicer to our girlfriends and dogs.
In
between Halloween and New Year’s Eve are the dreaded Thanksgiving
and Christmas. These are the “feel good” celebrations that
most people abhor (even if they won’t admit it). As a mental
health worker, these are the two holidays that precipitate the most
individual and collective neurosis.
I
believe this is due to the pure white light expectations around these
holidays. There is not supposed to be any darkness, and so everyone
suppresses, pretends, and has unbelievably unrealistic expectations
that are almost never fulfilled. We have the Norman Rockwell perfect
family turkey dinner, baby Jesus, and the perfect Christmas gift that
is on sale if only you can find it. This creates a lot of undue
pressure and stress.
So
I am advocating that we enjoy our dark time of Halloween while we
can. Dress or undress in your favorite fantasy costume, be unruly and
inappropriate, celebrate yours and others flesh fully, acknowledge
and celebrate the mischievous shadow, and befriend the Grimm Reaper
and request some leeway with your mortality mortgage!
.
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