Along with an annual Xmas party, our street also celebrate Halloween.
I love our street. The feeling of community runs strong in a number of the
people who live here and even though we don’t really see one another that often, it’s the nods in the afternoon or on a weekend and the catch up chats at our xmas party that really make a difference and make you feel like you belong. But its Halloween, when the most ‘stayed’ neighbour will dress up to scare the kids or leave a full basket of chocolates at the door because they have had to go out for the evening, that really brings a smile to my face.Celebrations for Halloween range from children dressing in fancy costumes and begging for sweets door to door, to watching horror films and attending bonfires. Most Australians only see it as an ‘American thing’ having see it only on the TV or in films associated with that country. However, most people ( including Canadians and Americans) have little idea of the origins or meanings behind these customs. Halloween draws from an ancient Gaelic festival known as Samhain , which means roughly “summer's end”. Immigrants brought their festivals to the US and it has evolved largely from there. For us in the southern hemisphere it is a heralding of the summer to come – if it hasn’t already hit us!
In many other cultures is has been seen as a festival of the dead, where the belief that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on this particular evening; thus, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. Interestingly, Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, which is celebrated on November 1st. The Catholic Church still honors its Saints on this designated day with a variety of festivities.
In saying all of this, our family observes Halloween as an honouring of the knowledge, wisdom and energy passed down to us from those who have gone before, of those who have passed on. It’s a time to reflect on the lives of recently passed over friends or family members; to give thanks for their presence in our lives and to open ourselves to the blessing and wishes which can be passed to us in this existence.
Before the trekking up and down the street tonight, we sat in a circle and gave thanks for simple things around us and offered up our gratitude to the spirits around us, asking for protection , guidance and blessings.
We had a great little groups of kids to do the trek with this year – followed close behind by another group from a little further up the street.
Adrian delighted and terrified callers with his Frankenstein outfit. I quickly did up a coffin and headstone for the front where Morgan and Lilly placed little buckets of sweet offerings to the callers. We string glow sticks around the fences and I was luck y enough to find some pumpkin heads in a string of lights to be p-lugged in and looped around the fence as a welcoming light.
Just in case we didn’t have enough sugar – we laid the table with all sorts of sweets and treats – and how could you not have dead mans fingers dipped in blood at a kids party? ( cheerios)
The kids are still running around in circles (9 pm) and giggling ( drunk on sugar literally) I haven’t stopped them eating the treats they got , so I am expecting a huge sugar crash for the morning – hangovers all round.
