The Darkside of Halloween

The days are getting shorter and the nights getting longer. The sunsets are getting gloomier and darker and more ominous. This could only mean one thing, it's Halloween. We can't deny it, we see the decorations in the stores, and the kids are all a buzz about it and some adults as well. It the most fun of all the days of the year where the adults can be kids again. We've turned the day into nothing but a day of fun. But there's a dark side of Halloween...

Before the age of science and before the time of Christianity, there was one day out of the whole year that was both feared and respected and that was Halloween. Our ancestors would call the day Samhain, a day where our ancestors believed the veil between our world and the spirit world was thin. It was the only day out of the year the spirits was allowed to visit our world. If not careful, the spirits could and would, trick you into coming back into the spirit world with them, never to return...

What we think as nothing but fun and games came from these traditions that our ancestors preformed to keep the dead and evil spirits away from them. For instance, Jack 'O' Lanterns came from that of fires that was lit in the windows to ward off or to scare evil spirits away. This very tradition evolved into that of our Jack 'O' Lanterns with a well know prankster Jack.

According to legend, Jack was a trickster and loved tricking everyone he came across. One night during Samhain, the devil was about looking for someone to take back with him to the spirit world. He came across the unsuspecting Jack. The devil gave Jack a choice, either win his test and remain in the human world until his dying day or go back with him to the spirit world. Jack agreed to do his test, he thought he would pull a trick of his own against the ultimate trickster. Needless to say Jack ticked the devil but with dire consequences. After the test was completed, the devil realized he was tricked and cursed Jack to wonder the night, for ever with only a small light to light his way... only never to succeed.

Another well known tradition that we observe today as a fun time for the kids is that of Trick or Treating. Our ancestors would set out some food in the widows or outside on the door steps of their homes in the hopes to keep the deceased from coming back and haunting them.

These are just a few of the well known traditions of Halloween that we still carry on from our Ancestors of old. We may think it is nothing but fun and games today but back then to our ancestors, they took this night of all nights very seriously. So take head of what they did, fear and respect this one night of the year... lest the spirits pay you an unsuspected visit and carry you back to the spirit world, never to return to the world of the living...

Happy Halloween
(Sinster Laugh)