Happy Halloween – It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
In my teens, Halloween and the idea of “the veil being at its most thin,” seemed like a good thing. If there is a way for the departed to come back and make an appearance for once night and spend time with loved ones, what’s wrong with that? The departed aren’t truly departed and gone forever, that’s kinda nice. Loved ones are forever distant, it’s possible to interact. That feels comforting, not scary.
Going back a little earlier, we have the fun of going out with friends, after dark, and getting loads of candy. Not to mention comparing the haul and who got more and who gave out the best candy, because those were the houses to go to first next year. Then gorging on as much as possible, because you can.
Despite the rumors, there was never any mass tainted Halloween candy. That is an urban legend. The one time it was found, it involved a single person committing insurance fraud, and the perpetrator was immediately caught and dealt with sternly. It has some grim details, but it was NOT a “mass” poisoning. [1][2]
Next we have the costumes. Whether it be silly, serious, or decadent, this can be seen as a way to get in touch with your alter ego, or at least embracing or understanding that it exists.
Is there something to that costume choice? Can Halloween be a safe way to trial or showcase a new “look” and see how it fits? You be sexy or flirty and not feel embarrassed and not get any shame over it. Just as easily, you can express something about yourself and feel self-conscious over it. Halloween allows you to step into the shoes of someone else and it’s accepted. It can be a very safe environment.
Halloween is also about a little bit of “blasphemy,” which is probably why the religious nuts lose their minds. A clever Halloween costume can make fun of or call out a group without raising too many eyebrows.
Who hasn’t seen the drunk monk, the dirty priest, the pregnant nun, the stripper nun, or the horny angel?
It’s also when every style of devil makes an appearance from the devil in horns carrying a plastic pitchfork, to the gentleman seducer. Despite the bad reputation of the devil, lots of people try that one on at Halloween. He’s a good looking chap.
Let’s not forget the female devils, sexy witches, succubi, naughty nurses, and all sorts. Witches have also faired poorly through the ages, but when it comes to Halloween, there are tons of them. And not the gnarled, wart on the nose stereotype. The amount of spandex, lace, and fishnets is off the charts at Halloween. What’s not to love? 🙂
Finally, we have the facing of mortality. Halloween reminds us that the sands of time are always flowing and our time is limited. We may not stare Death in the eye on Halloween, but we are surrounded by his visage. We know he’s out there.
There is no Death with a scythe, but eventually we’ll become the skeleton we see across the room at the “punch bowl.” Being immersed in it takes away the fear.
To me, Halloween is in fact, “The most wonderful time.” Halloween is fun, sexy, and a way to embrace “sin” and “blasphemy” in a totally mainstream way. Not to mention the fantastic aesthetic. We can have the skulls and crossbones, witches and devils, sinners and more sinners, indulge in it all and have a good a laugh.
We can surround ourselves with our own mortality until it loses its power. We can see the symbols of death and say, “This is fine, I’m not bothered anymore.”
We can tickle at sin and blasphemy and say, “I kind of like this,” then maybe do it again.
We can see death as the summing up of life, and that Halloween allows us to reflect on it all with fun and humor rather than doom and gloom.