Celebrating Halloween: From the Celts to Singaporeans



CelticOrigins
CelticOrigins


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You’ve conquered dreadfully long readings, frightfully confusing assignments and terrifying reports. Now that you’ve survived 11 weeks into the semester, you might think there isn’t much left to be afraid of.

But you couldn’t be more wrong – Halloween is just around the corner! But where exactly did it come from? Grab a few cushions and a mug of hot chocolate – The Ridge writers Chun Min and Jeremiah tell us all about how the odious occasion began.

OoOoOoo! Creepy origins

(Source)

They believed in starting the year in darkness, just like how all birth and gestation begins in the darkness of the mother’s womb.

It is said that the veil between the living and the dead thins on Halloween. But did you know that this notion of blurred boundaries came from the Celts? The end of October was seen as the transition period between the bright summer months and the dark winter season. They believed in starting the year in darkness, just like how all birth and gestation begins in the darkness of the mother’s womb. Frightening!

It was the Christians who popularised the occasion and even gave it its current name. ‘Halloween’ comes from ‘All Hallowed Evening’, the Christian feast commemorating the souls of the recently departed. It is likely that the Church sought to stamp out pagan beliefs and practices by assimilating it into a Christian observance in the eighth century, thereby popularising a festival of haunted houses, scary stories and horror films for us today.

Halloween’s twin in Asia?

Chinese devotees in Malaysia set fire to a paper statue of the Chinese deity Guardian God of Ghosts. (Source)

Here in the region, we have our own spooks too – notably, the Hungry Ghost Festival aka Halloween of the East. Also known as the Chinese Seventh Month, it is believed the gates of hell open and the dead can transcend the afterlife, to dwell among the living and roam the streets.

The Hungry Ghost Festival is commonly observed by Buddhists and Taoists in regional countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. Food, joss sticks and paper effigies are offered to the dead, either to appease the dead as in the case of Buddhists, or to express filial piety, in the case of Taoists.

There are taboos to look out for too – lesser known ones include refraining from swimming, lest you get dragged off by “water ghosts”, peeking under altar tables which might provoke the anger of hungry ghosts, and staying away from walls because ghosts like sticking to them!

There are also numerous similarities between the spook-fests of the East and West: in both cultures, food is eaten in commemoration of the dead or set aside for the consumption by the deceased.

From horror to holiday

Halloween Horror Nights 2014: Singapore-style nightmare (Source)

Halloween costumes and accessories are creeping onto the shelves of supermarkets and neighbourhood shops – a sure sign that Singaporeans have (literally) bought into the culture of Halloween.

Now a bewitching worldwide phenomenon, it’s difficult not to get excited about Halloween. Think about how hyped everyone is to dress up as a creepy ghoul or sexy witch! Dressing up as scary creatures was initially a practice to appear inconspicuous to evil spirits. Now, the tradition has evolved into a form of fashionable self-expression. Halloween costumes and accessories are creeping onto the shelves of supermarkets and neighbourhood shops – a sure sign that Singaporeans have (literally) bought into the culture of Halloween. Whether you’re trick-or-treating or headed for a killer Halloween party, check out websites like this one to compare outfit ideas and get creative with their conceptions.

And it’s not just R21 – people of all ages can celebrate the spooky holiday. Events such as Safari Boo! at River Safari, Scream Fest: The Toy Maker’s Maze at JCube, and the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore are but a few in the long lineup of events this Halloween.

So before the dreaded self-imposed purgatory of reading week comes in a few weeks, have a blast tricking others and treating yourself to scary costumes, events and surprises. Take a breather and revel in Halloween festivities this weekend!


Do you have any spooky traditions of your own? Share them with us on our Facebook page!

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