Malini Yugendran
Auckland, October 31, 2022
Many New Zealanders observed Halloween today (October 31).
Although not a public holiday, businesses and schools were closed in Marlborough this year because it was Marlborough Anniversary.
Halloween is a great time for children to dress up in costumes and go door-knocking around the neighbours in your community collecting sweets.
Some Christchurch residents went to great lengths to get into the Halloween spirit. A handful of properties in the suburb of Linwood were decked out with extensive Halloween decorations in a bid for neighbourhood bragging rights.
Although Halloween is not widely celebrated in Aotearoa, many people like to get involved. However, there is a divide among Kiwis as to whether this is a celebration or otherwise.
Some believe that Halloween should not be celebrated as it does not represent a New Zealand tradition, while others do not like to participate due to religious beliefs.
However, many other Kiwis see it as an excuse to have fun, get dressed in costumes and throw a Party. The divide means that Halloween is seen as a little gimmicky, with clubs, bars and restaurants using it as more of a theme night.
Other Halloween traditions such as trick-or-treating and bobbing for apples are also not commonplace in New Zealand, though eating lollies and watching scary movies are still popular customs.
Many people around the world celebrate Halloween, which occurs annually on October 31. It is the day before All Saints’ Day and is also sometimes called All Hallows’ Eve and Hallowmas Eve.
Tragedy in South Korea
More than 150 teenagers and young adults in their twenties were crushed to death in the deadliest mishap in South Korea in years.
The incident has left 82 others injured with 19 of them in serious condition.
Tens of thousands of people attended the first event, post the lifting of the pandemic restrictions of requiring face masks- the Halloween festivities. The cause of the crush is yet to be established.
This incident has sparked questions about celebrating ‘evil.
But festivals honouring the dead are observed in many cultures. Halloween today is about candy and horror, but it originated as a festival that honours ancestors.
The beginning of ‘Hallowed Day’
World History Encyclopaedia posits that Halloween is a festival that recognises transition: summer to winter and dates back thousands of years, coinciding with the festival of Samhain, the Celtic New Year. The celts believed that during this time, the world of the living and the world of the dead are more easily connected and the deceased can return at this time.
They also believed that during this time those who had passed on in the past year and had not made a transition to the after-world could do so by connecting with the living to say their goodbyes. During this period, provisions were stocked up and feasting and drinking around a bonfire took place.
The tradition of leaving out the deceased’s favourite food was also observed. It is also believed that the spirits of those who were wronged would also return and deceive these spirits, darkening the face with soot and ashes were done.
With the arrival of the British, the Christianisation of Samhain happened.
Pope Boniface IV instituted All Saints’ Day in the 7th Century CE, initially from May 13 to November 1 and ordained that the eve of the All Saints Day become a Holy or Hallowed Day.
Soon, the secular and sacred days converged. However, with the Protestant Reformation, the religious aspect came to an end and today Halloween has become a secular festival with celebrants wearing masks and costumes going around the neighbourhood for trick-or-treating.
The Chinse Hungry Ghost Festival
The Chinese celebrate the Hungry Ghost festival on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month.
The Chinese believe that on this day, the gates of hell will open and the ghosts of those who have not made a transition will return looking for food and relief. To placate these souls and to pay tribute to the departed, the Chinese burn hell bank notes, joss paper, and joss paper items that are believed to be of value in the afterlife and this may include cars, mobile phones and incense. They also prepare elaborate meals and leave them out. This is done for fourteen days.
The Nepali Cow Festival for Yamaraj
Gai Jatra is a festival observed in Nepal that pays tribute to the dead.
The celebration is mostly about commemorating the lives of the deceased and wishing them a peaceful afterlife. The spirits of the deceased are said to be saved if people worship Yamaraj, the God of Death, in the month of Bhadra as per the Nepal Calendar. The cow, revered as a sacred animal by Hindus, is used in this festival. It is believed that the cow will be able to guide the deceased’s passage to heaven. It is a one-day festival and the homes that do not have cows, dress their children as cows.
A Fortnight of Ancestors
Pitru Paksha is a fifteen-day observance that pays homage to the ancestors in the Indian lunar month of Bhadrapada. Pitru Paksha, according to the Vishnu Puranas is deemed an auspicious time to honour our ancestors as it is believed that the after world comes closest to the living world during this period.
According to the Hindu scriptures, the living must pay homage to their ancestors. Offering Darpan or Shraddha (food offering) is the highlight of the event.
This ritual is performed usually by the eldest son or male relative of the family. The male who performs the ritual wears a ring of Dharba grass indicating to his ancestors to stay within their realm. Many Hindus believe that the deceased stay in a realm between heaven and earth for three generations before they can ascend to heaven. A ritual that is properly done brings blessing from the deceased to the living.
Paying homage to the deceased is also a practice in many other cultures such as the Japanese, Mexican, Koreans, Cambodians, and many more.
The honouring of the deceased is a reminder that nothing in life is permanent and that we should never forget those who have contributed to our lives.
Malini Yugendran is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
