October begins a period of myth and miracles that reflect not just our history but that of the ages. It is the time of the harvest. It is a time we celebrate the life giving Earth and its bounty, but, though we’ve harvested the fruits of our labor, the plants are dying. It is, therefore, also the time we celebrate, as it were, the dead.
Halloween is the most obvious of such celebrations, but there are a fair number of others.
As example, the Jewish holiday called Sukkot, celebrated in early October, “is a time for honoring nature, harvest, and those who came before us.” The Day of the Dead, primarily celebrated in Mexico and South America, comes Nov. 1.
These holidays, and others, share some celebratory elements: Food, family, dancing, costuming and/or elaborate masking. How do cultures end up adopting similar holidays when they are thousands of miles apart?
Well, Halloween takes place at Samhain (pronounced sah-wan), an ancient celtic celebration that marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter.
A quick Google investigation noted that Samain involved “communal bonfires, feasting and rituals to honor the dead and protect against spirits during the thinning of the veil between worlds. Key practices included the Druids lighting sacred bonfires, wearing costumes to ward off evil spirits, and performing divination rituals.”
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it.
Well, at about 300 BCE, the Romans rose up and began to drive the Celts westward across the European continent, chasing them eventually into England and Ireland. On that journey, wherever the Romans went, they met celtic culture and began to absorb it and merge it with their own.
Again, a familiar sentiment, as we set out our carved pumpkins to scare them away.
However, other rituals welcome the spirits. The Japanese welcome the dead in a celebration called Obon. However, the elements remain with this Buddhist ritual, which typically involves burning fires, lighting paper lanterns, sharing food and often picnicking at the relatives’ tombs.
Many of these ideas are believed to have been passed around the world during the 1,000 years that Rome dominated both culture and trade. Each culture added its ideas to Rome’s, and Rome added ideas to theirs. This continued even when Rome was subsequently dominated by the Christian Church.
In its effort to be accepted, the church adopted many of the dates and holidays of the non-Christians. That’s why the Day of the Dead is also All Saints’ Day, and Christmas is celebrated at the time of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia; and Saturnalia is said to be celebrated at that time due to its being the winter Solstice which was celebrated by the Celts.
Interesting, isn’t it, how that works. Something to think about when we’re dressed up in costume, carving a scary face on a pumpkin.