Why Do We Celebrate Halloween?
An oral history proejct by David Greenberger and the Duplex Planet.Actual conversations with residents of the Duplex Nursing Home, Jamaica Plain, MA, recorded 1980) VISIT The Duplex PLanet WALTER KIERAN: Christ! Nobody knows that! I don’t even know myself! I bet you can’t tell me where Halloween originated. It started up in Salem, with the witches. The kids go around and knock on the doors and they have to give ’em something to get rid of ’em. GEORGE MacWILLIAMS: Damn if I know. I’m not interested in that stuff. It’s a kids holiday, they enjoy it. HERBIE CALDWELL: Well, they have a good time, don’t they, and everything else, don’t they? I don’t know much about it, that Halloween licks me. The other’ll be sportin’ and I’ll be licked, right? LARRY GREEN: To make pranks. Scarecrow. The Devil. Skeleton. Witch.Goblins. That’s all. Play pranks. Set fires. Empty wooden barrels. Bonfires in the middle of the street. Once I got arrested for setting fires, put on probation for the rest of the su
Sacred or secular, domestic or foreign… There are many influences that have led to the holiday we now call Halloween. From influences of many culture’s Day of the Dead to the Catholic All Soul’s Day, one of the main themes of Halloween is death. But this doesn’t make the holiday evil. In fact, it’s a time that people celebrate and welcome the spirits of the dearly departed from the past year. Some beliefs include costumes so the spirits would think that the living were one of them and not take them. Many other influences have contributed to the customs and lore of this particular holiday. In the Wiccan tradition, Halloween is called Samhain (pronounced sow-en). It is the most important Sabbat according to their beliefs. It is essentially the Wiccan New Year. It’s a celebration of the final harvest as well as the death of the Sun, whose rebirth is celebrated at Imbolc in February. Being a Wiccan, I celebrate Samhain for religious purposes. I celebrate Halloween as a holiday that is a
