The origins of the holiday are hard to pin down - and as I'm not a historian I'm not going to attempt it. Suffice it to say though, Hallowe'en has probably undergone the most changes of Western holidays over the years, and people will have very different opinions on what the day means. I would like to share one of these meanings and, in an attempt to encourage you to keep reading and to enjoy what you read, I can safely say that what I'm about to write does not challenge any religious views.
So here goes...
In one of its transformations, or maybe even it was the original beginnings (who knows?!), Hallowe'en celebrated the end of the Celtic Year in the Northern Hemisphere. This was grounded in the nature around us and in the changing of the season. Its name, was Samhain.
The principle of Samhain and the end of the Celtic Year is to undergo a personal progression and deeper understanding between New Year's Day (1st November) and Midwinter (21st December). The idea is to take inspiration from the nature around you, and as the leaves fall and the nights close in you take the time to think back over the last 12 months. You appreciate the good times and the new people you've met, you let go of any guilt and self-deprecation from mistakes you may have made and, most importantly, you begin to let go and come to terms with the people you've lost. Then, the day after Midwinter as the sun begins to grow for the next 6 months, you begin your new chapter and the new year.
The night of Samhain itself is the celebration of the passing of the year - many people light fires to signify the start of the dark nights - and at one point in history, letting go and saying goodbye to the dead was the most important moment in the celebrations and many people believed the plains between life and death were thinner on this night.
It is from this, I think, that the concept of death has been so grossly misinterpreted over the years. Through various conflicts in history and just through the general passing of time most of the Celtic holidays are forgotten or have become merged with other popular holidays. Somewhere along the line, this important part of letting go of the dead has become a night in which the dead apparently walk the earth. Fast forward a few hundred years and now we're left with Hallowe'en horror film nights and dressing up as zombies.
It's going to be impossible, no doubt, to bring back more of the philosophical side to Hallowe'en and for years I would get angry at shop windows with tacky green cobwebs and pointy witches hats. But now as I'm older and less angsty I can see that dressing up, letting go and having some fun is part of life and certainly a nice way to bring in the Celtic New Year (whether you know that's what you're doing or not).
But what I've found this year, more than ever, is how applicable and deeply helpful the mindset of Samhain can be. Recently I have been strained through simply too much work to do and this week I've felt near breaking point. But last night I sat in the beautiful Georgian church square where I live, enjoyed the cold air and watched the leaves falling around me. I started to concentrate on simply releasing my stress. The world isn't going to end if I don't cross everything off my to-do list. Taking a step back and realising you're an important but very small part of this huge world - a world that is constantly changing - is a very humbling and puts everything into much needed perspective.
I will continue to follow this philosophy and I probably won't watch horror films or dress up like a zombie on Hallowe'en, but that's only because the night means so much to me. But I do hope that this has helped spread a little joy and deeper meaning to the Hallowe'en most of us don't understand.
