Halloween to most of us means candy, costumes and trick-or- treating. For New Yorkers it means one of the biggest parades of the year.
Hallows or Hallomas started out as a festival to honor the Crone, the wise grandmother. Over the years it has been transformed and commercialized into wicked old witches flying on broomsticks with black cats. Even the cauldron has changed meaning as it represented the womb of the Goddess – a symbol of rebirth.
For the Celts, it is called Samhain - summer's end - and it is the beginning of the Celtic New Year.
From darkness, endings and death comes light and rebirth. Something we all need to remember.
This is a holy time when the veil between the worlds is thin. For many cultures this is a time when the ancestors return to visit and communicate with the living. In Ireland, it is believed that the fairies come out on this special night.
Photo by Akram Huseyn
Honoring Ancestors
In Latin America, El Dia del las Muertes is celebrated at the cemetery. Families sweep the graves, bring food, create altars with marigolds and sugar skulls and celebrate those who have died. It is also a way to teach children that death is part of life and not to fear it.
Christians all over the world celebrate All Souls Day and All Saints Day (November 1 and 2).
In the true spirit of Halloween let us take some time to honor our ancestors and to share their gifts with our children. This was the beginning of the story telling season, so why not make this Halloween a time to honor our elders by asking them to share stories of their past.
Make this Halloween a time to honor our elders - send them a card, take them out to dinner or just say, ”I love you”.
Did you know that the idea of going from door to door to ask for candy and sweets actually comes from a British custom of asking for money for the poor? In that spirit, collect money, toys and food and give it to those who are more unfortunate as we count our blessings.
As this Chinese Proverb says, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.”
With love,
Barbara