Halloween ushers feasts of saints and souls - ROSES AND THORNS by Alejandro R. Roces

Today we celebrate Halloween. Along with Valentine’s Day, it is one of the two holidays that we inherited from the American regime. Like many Christian feasts, Halloween had a pagan origin. Halloween traces its beginnings to the ancient Celts of the British Isles. In their old calendar, October 31 was the last day of the year. It was the day when all witches and warlocks were abroad and the souls of the departed roamed the earth. The ancient Celts tried to frighten them away with a noise barrage in the very same way that the Chinese try to expel evil spirits during New Year by exploding firecrackers.

With the coming of Christianity, the day became known as All Hallows Eve because it took place before All Saints Day. But its pagan elements survive. The traditional symbol of Halloween is the jack-o-lantern. That is a lantern made from a pumpkin that has been hollowed out and carved with a face. A candle inside turns it into a lamp. The Irish have an interesting story about its origin. They say that Jack was a miser who could not enter heaven. He was also expelled from hell because he was always playing practical jokes on Satan. So he has to walk on earth till Judgment Day with his lantern.

The other notable feature of Halloween is trick or treat. Children go from house to house saying "trick-or-treat." They are generally given some sweets. Those who don’t give any token gifts are subjected to pranks. Be, low is an ancient Irish Halloween song that children sang:

Souling, souling for soul cakes we go

One for Peter, two for Paul,

Three for him who made us all.

If you haven’t got a cake, an apple will do,

If you haven’t got an apple, give a pear or two,

If you haven’t got a pear, then God bless you.

Trick or treat has spread even in the rural areas. There, it is called nangaluluwa.

Lately, there have been worthwhile moves to give meaning to trick-or-treat. In many places in the United States, Halloween becomes the occasion for children to raise funds for the UNICEF. The money they get from house to house is turned over to the local UNICEF to help meet the basic needs of deprived children all over the world. We hope that this is adopted here. We must give meaning to our festivities.

Starting tomorrow, we will have a two-day holiday; first, All Saints, followed by All Souls. Originally, All Saints was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Later it was expanded to include all the saints. The church adopted Greek words to differentiate different degrees of reverence given to the saints. Latria is the adoration offered to God alone. Dulia is the secondary reverence given to the saints. Hyperdulia is the special reverence accorded to the Virgin Mary. But All Saints Day in the Philippines is just an extension of All Souls. People generally celebrate both days in the cemetery. For the next two days, the dead will come to life in the minds of the living.

Cemetery actually means a sleeping place. But as Walter Scott said, "Is death the last sleep? No, it is the last and final awakening." To those who believe in the after-life, earth is the land of the dying; the other world is the land of the living. Poet John Gay wrote his own epitaph. It said:

Life is a jest and all things show it,

I thought so once, but now I know it.