AC Phoenix, October 1990, Page 25
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Halloween: More Tricks Than Treats
By Peggy Moore
Halloween is on just
about every calendar as
one of Ihe most signifi
cant holidays we cele
brate. October 31st is
set aside for this obser
vation. And though it’s
exciting for kids to dress
up in their favorite cos
tumes and knocking on
doors holding brown
paper bags, it is more
concern today than at
any time prior to it’s ori
gin.
Many families and in
dividuals take part in the
fun holiday time, but few
could tell you its mean
ing or how it came into
being.
Halloween was ob
served by a group of
people called the Celts.
The Celts origin is
traced back to Northern
France and the British
Isles. The Celts had a
tremendous fear of what
they referred to as
“Halloween”. During the
fail months the Celts
could see the change in
the length of daylight.
the sun, which they
worshipped, was
thought to have been
killed by darkness. Day
light hours decreased,
and darkness began to
set-in between 5 o’clock
and 5:30 p.m. After De
cember 21st it was be
lieved that the days
went back to their origi
nal length of time.
On Halloween night
the Celts believed all
spirits of the dead were
called together. Wicked
spirits would take the
form of cats. Because of
this, people believe cats
have evil powers.
During this time those
who dared to dress as a
witch, would have prob
ably been killed.
Witches were greatly
feared because it was
believed that they, as
well as cats, possessed
evil powers.
As children we re
member Halloween in a
scary-fun way. Scary?
Costumes were not al
ways pleasing to the
eye and we knew that it
represented something
unpleasant. On the
other hand, knocking
on doors and receiving
treats from pleasant
smiling faces was in
deed a pleasure.
When young people
were ask “What is so
exciting about Hal
loween," they re
sponded: “I like receiv
ing candy, food and
some liked the idea of
getting money.
Whether it be five, ten,
fifteen, or even twenty-
five cents, the
knock...the smile...the
thank you, were all
worth it."
Much of Halloween’s
luster has been tar
nished because of mo.'e
tricks than treats. Ob
jects have been found
in apples and other
treats. Drugs are also
high on the list of anti
The Meaning of Homecoming
Halloween persons.
There are many things
to be shared with you
concerning Halloween.
Hopefully this will
arouse your suspicions.
Go to your local public
library and find out more
about why we celebrate
Halloween. And find if it
is worth it or not.
The crisp air fills with
excitement as hundreds
of voices ring out with
joyous calls, for it is time
for Homecoming to be
gin. From many different
places they return to
share the joys and sad
ness since the last
gathering. It is a time to
relive days gone by and
tell of how time has
made the passing so
much more pleasant
than when the reality
occurred. What makes
one return to the place
of yesterday? Is it the
maturing of apprecia
tion, the need to let
others know you have
etched a place of your
own in society, or is it to
see who else will be
present? It Is a compos
ite of all of these things
that bring people to
gether again. They loy
alty to the school plays
an important part in all of
the activities that
abound and makes for
pleasant memories. The
more people begin to
realize that isolation is
not a pleasant mode,
the more they tend to
gather for homecom
ings and other such
gatherings. The unde-
finable bond that exists
seems to be much
stronger during this pe
riod of time. It erases
position, status, or
whatever individual
concerns that have kept
individuals apart previ
ously, and leaves a
warm, inner feeling of
comradery because
each has his or her own
story to tell. Homecom
ing means that you be
long to an important
group that has been a
growth process unfold
and you have been a
part of that unfolding in
some way. This has cre
ated memories that will
always be etched in
your mind. Homecom
ing means a time to re
new friendships that
perhaps have slipped
by the way because of
distances. Homecoming
means a time of release
of tensions that have
been caught up in the
day-to-day living of
making things work and
meeting the needs of
what must be done to
sustain life. It is a time
when the ego, more or
less, has a field-day, and
realities can be pushed
aside for a short while.
Homecoming is a return
to the place where new
beginnings took root
and sprouted to help
make you who you are
and add a deeper di
mension to your exis
tence.
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