Another Halloween and another opportunity to concoct evil potions, worship devils and take my broom out for a spin.
What? You’re saying men can’t fly witches’ brooms?
That’s sexist!
And, oh yes, another opportunity for some person of some persuasion to fly off the handle about the inappropriateness of celebrating Halloween.
Man, I wish people could just get off their high horse and put their feet back on the ground (Are there any more clichés I can jam in here? Send me an email, I’m starting a collection).
Yep, each year it seems there’s more and more people who’ve got to clamour on about how Halloween is (say this in a nasal, whiny voice…) “really about satanism and occult worship.”
Well, no. It’s not. When you research the origins of Halloween, you quickly learn that…they don’t know WHAT Halloween’s all about.
Oh, it has some connection with the “other side” and maybe there’s something about the spirits of the dead.
And isn’t there something about celebrating the harvest or the coming to an end of the agricultural year or something or other?
Ooh! Ooh! I know. I know. It’s about the end of Daylight Saving Time.
Oh, no, sorry that’s just a modern thing.
But, hey, that’s what it could be! Let’s make it about the end of Daylight Saving Time!
And let’s use more exclamation marks to show we’re REALLY SERIOUS!
See what I did there? I added emphasis with all caps. Did it sound like, in your mind, like I was shouting there? Cool, huh? I was inside your brain.
Umm, it’s kinda echo-y and empty in here. Hey, is that an independent thought staggering around in the dark corners there like an extra in The Walking Dead? Let that puppy out! No. In fact, LET ME OUT!
Okay, let’s get back on track here.
As the darkness increases, we have to – for some reason – move our clock back because, you know, it’s not dark enough in the morning in November, so let’s move our wake up time even further back into the lingering night so that we can get a bit more daylight at the end of the day. Or…something?
Okay, so maybe the end of Daylight Saving Time is not worthy of a great celebration like Halloween.
The good thing about Halloween is that it’s not really about anything and no one credo can claim it as their own and therefore dictate how we’re supposed to mark the occasion.
We can do whatever we want with it.
If somebody wants to dress up as Peter Mansbridge – talk about scary – then let him (somebody I know actually did that). If you wanna be a witch. Then you be one.
Its not about satanism or devil worship. If you’re doing that kind of thing then go away.
It’s just about a crazy vague sort of celebration that could have roots in the depths of our culture or it might have something to do with remembering our dearly departed family members, friends, and people in our community, some of them saints. Fine.
There’s room for everybody in Halloween.
Now, where did I put my broom?
I have chores to do.
