Halloween is a somewhat controversial holiday. For some, Halloween is an opportunity to become a fabulous whimsical creature and have fun with friends. And some believe that this is a "devilish celebration that should not appear in the lexicon of Ukrainians." Well, everyone has their own opinion on this.
In recent years, this holiday is becoming increasingly popular among Ukrainian youth. You may say that this is disrespect for one's own customs or devilish pastimes.
Of course, we must first and foremost adhere to our own traditions, but we must also respect other cultures. Otherwise, we will not become part of the world community we aspire to. And when we learn to adequately perceive other cultures, we will be able to share with the world and our customs and traditions. The main thing is that this process takes place without prejudices and prejudices.
And the fact that on this day the children change into various costumes, sometimes not very "bright" and "good", does not mean anything. After all, you forget that in addition to devils and vampires, you can also meet Snow White and Superman on the streets.
However, the association is not accidental. It is believed that on this day all the evil spirits come to our world to walk, so to speak, well, to harm someone, of course. But what do we really know about this holiday that we are protesting against so loudly?
Let's dive into the story, and still try to understand the reasons for Halloween. It turns out that the holiday is quite ancient, and hardly anyone's ancestors, ancient peoples with a distinctive culture, would worship evil spirits. In addition, the holiday is not only American, it has long been celebrated by many English-speaking countries.
Yes, Halloween comes from the ancient Celtic festival of harvest and the day of the dead. It all started with the innocent November 1, which the ancient Celts chose for a special celebration – Savina (the day of honoring ancestors and something like the New Year). It was the day when the first snow fell on the ground, winter replaced summer, and the Celts harvested. Not surprisingly, at such a terrible time, it was believed that the dead returned to earth to visit living relatives.
What's wrong here. It was not only the Celts who believed that the souls of the dead could visit the living. Slavs (especially Ukrainians and Belarusians), for example, periodically performed rites called "Grandfathers", "Grandmothers" and "Children" to commemorate deceased relatives. On appropriate days, people went to the graves of relatives and honored them by bringing hot funeral food (it was believed that spirits could inhale the smell of this food). And during family meals, additional tableware for guests from the afterlife appeared on the table. The name of each ancestor was mentioned separately.
Moreover, the Christmas decoration of Ukrainians from ancient times was the grandfather, who symbolized not only the harvest and prosperity, but also the ancestor, the originator and amulet of the family, that is, was directly related to the above rite. This symbol is not really Christian, it has pagan roots. Our ancestors believed that this is the spirit of all the ancestors of the family. When Christianity appeared, such rites did not disappear, but changed somewhat, which is why it is difficult to trace which traditions were pagan and which were added over time.
All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday during which believers honor all church saints. It is celebrated on November 1 and is considered one of the most important in the calendar. It is said that the date was chosen not by chance, but because of the Celtic Savin. The pioneers who began to celebrate All Saints' Day were the Irish and the British (from whom Halloween actually came). It is believed that pagan traditions, which had no place in the Christian holiday, such as disguise and beautification of the unclean force with sweets, were embodied in Halloween, which is celebrated the day before.
But back to the Celts. They believed that, in addition to the souls of the dead, various evil spirits could come to earth on this day: housewives, witches, demons and other brawlers (which are also present in Ukrainian ancient beliefs!). Accordingly, disguise was just an attempt to deceive evil spirits. People believed that witches, evil fairies and the dead could kidnap their children, so they disguised the child in scary costumes to confuse the devil. And they tried to redeem themselves from otherworldly forces by pouring a bag full of sweets and delicacies. Apparently, the little brawlers found out about it and decided to take advantage of the situation.
And there is disguise in our culture. However, Ukrainian youth change their image in winter: at Christmas or during Malanka. He walks in a disguised nativity scene and sings carols. The participants of the action usually dress up as nativity scenes, Cossacks, gypsies, animals and folklore characters. "Grandma Malanka" and "grandfather" Vasyl remain traditional heroes. Today, modern characters have been added to them.
Let's go back to Halloween. There is a theory that this celebration has a Christian basis. More precisely, not a holiday, but the name itself. People originally called this day Allhallowmas (themassofallHallows – Mass of All Saints), respectively, the night before called AllHallowsEve – the eve of All Saints. Over time, the name was modified into a familiar Halloween.
The constant and most famous symbol of Halloween is the so-called Jack's Lantern. We know him – a pumpkin with a carved face and shining eyes. An equally interesting legend is connected with him. It is said that once lived in Ireland, a blacksmith named Jack – a drunkard and a miser. However, the cunning young man managed to deceive the devil twice and invade several years of his life. When his time came, Heaven did not want to accept Jack, and because of the agreement with the Devil, he also could not go to hell. The man's soul had to wander the earth. In the end, Jack received only 2 hot embers, which he placed in a pumpkin instead of a lantern. Some say that this gift was given to him by Heaven so that he could scare away the Devil. Others claim that it was the last gift from hell to illuminate his path in eternal darkness. In any case, this specific flashlight is used for the same purposes as disguise – protection from evil spirits.
Well, let's sum up. The Celts were the first to celebrate this day. Christians, trying to eradicate pagan customs, tried to replace one celebration with another. But despite all the efforts of the church, people did not want to abandon their ancient traditions. Although this is not the first case, because in our beliefs, Christian traditions are closely intertwined with pagan rites. We often cannot separate one from the other.
It is clear that most people have a negative perception of the fact that something new and unknown is suddenly seeping into their culture. But most immediately begin to defend themselves by saying that this holiday is diabolical. Well, maybe his roots are not Christian, but our ancestors also had their gods. We may, of course, not accept their views on life, but we still respect and honor them, so what is the difference between the ancestors of another nation ?!
On the other hand, it is one day a year when young people can afford to gossip, "side with evil" and just have fun. This does not mean that something will change in their minds and they will remain so forever. Isn't that right?
The F28 group, led by curator II Bulakh, also allowed themselves to have some fun on this day, arranging a costume party with competitions and entertainment. Some may have condemned us, others may have watched the action with joy, but no one was indifferent. It was fun and noisy!
Perhaps, from the point of view of Christianity, it is difficult for some to understand the motives for celebrating such a bizarre day. However, it is also part of world culture, world heritage, ancestral traditions and customs. And what a bad thing if thanks to such holidays children can have fun and young people can have fun. The main thing is to learn to perceive everything correctly and to be able to stop in time.
Happy Halloween!
