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Beware of Ghosts, Goblins and Ghouls
By Ali Asadullah 30/10/2001
Indeed it is again that time of year, when America, however unknowingly, dispenses with its Christian traditions and turns instead to pagan ritual. To be more accurate, America actually "goes pagan" several times a year, typically around major Christian holidays; but Halloween is arguably the most pagan of holidays on the U.S. calendar.
The History Channel's website has a decent historical description of the
holiday. The essential piece of information that one needs to know is that Halloween originated with the Celtic people of the British Isles some 2000 years ago. A harvest festival that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, Halloween came to represent Celtic cosmology with reference to life and death. According Celtic belief, just as plant-life dies at the onset of cold weather, so to does human life wane at this time of year. As such, it was thought that Halloween marked a time when the barrier between the living world and the dead world blurred, allowing wandering spirits to pass into the land of the living. Druid priests and priestesses would take advantage of this blurring of lines to "communicate" with the spirits.
When the Romans marched into Britain in the fist century, they spread some of their own pagan practices. Before long, certain Roman holidays that essentially coincided with Halloween were incorporated into the local practices. And thus a long-lasting pagan tradition was born.
With the advent of Christianity came more syncretism. Trying to phase out pagan beliefs, Pope Boniface IV established All Souls Day to remember the dearly departed - including saints and martyrs. He did not quite succeed in his efforts; and while All Souls Day became an established holy
day - it remains a feature of the Catholic religious calendar to this very day - Halloween simply became the evening of superstitious revelry preceding it.
In today's modern world, however, most Americans have dispensed with Pope Boniface's All Souls Day, opting instead to focus on entertaining themselves the night before. Ever the consumer nation, America has seized upon this opportunity to milk leisure time profit from hard working citizens.
Leading up to Halloween, Hollywood makes sure to have at least a couple horror films in rotation to attract moviegoers trying to "get into the spirit of the season". This year,
13 Ghosts and Bones lead the way. On cable and satellite television, networks fit into their programming cycles special Halloween episodes of popular programs such as
Friends and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And not to be forgotten are the television reruns of a whole host of horror film classics, including the
Friday the 13th series, the Halloween series, the Nightmare on Elm Street series and any movie that deals with Dracula, werewolves, the Mummy or Frankenstein. All of this to entertain and make an extra buck.
Specifically for the kiddies, any number of entertainment distractions appear at this time of year. Haunted house exhibits are particularly popular, as are special Halloween dances at junior high and high schools. And of course who could forget "trick-or-treating", a tradition that single-handedly props up the American candy industry.
For those who have more "adult" tastes in entertainment, various nightclubs throw masquerade balls and Halloween-themed dance parties. A particularly debauched event, "The Exotic Erotic Ball" has become a San Francisco tradition in and of itself. As the name suggests, there's nothing hallowed about that event.
Catering to those who like to make political statements during this time of year, costume makers have rolled out an entire line of outfits whose theme centers upon America's new "War on Terror". Especially popular are the Statue of Liberty, George Bush, Uncle Sam, Colin Powell and even Tony Blair. As for Osama bin Laden, his likeness has become a special favorite of haunted house operators such as those in Florida who feature a special Osama electric chair display in their hall of horrors.
It doesn't take much reflection to recognize that anyone professing to be of monotheistic faith should have some serious misgivings about Halloween. Yet it seems that entertainment has become such a fixture of American life that people, religious or otherwise, simply dash out to participate regardless of religious conviction. In fact, there will be many Muslim parents this Halloween who will carve spooky jack-o-lanterns with their kids, dress them up for "Costume Day" at school, and take them out to collect candy on Halloween night. They will even sit with their children to watch that perennial Halloween favorite, the "Great Pumpkin" episode of Charlie Brown, which will also have a smidgen of pagan in it.
But that's the key feature of syncretism - a tiny smidgen here, a tiny smidgen there, and suddenly what were once two separate traditions are one seamless expression of culture. The typical American probably has no problem with this mixing of traditions. However for Muslims, whose challenge is to stick to their religion as staunchly as possible, Halloween presents some very specific problems. And before anyone dives into what seems to be a harmless American tradition, consideration should be given to just how much tradition is too much.
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