Halloween is a fun and spooky holiday, steeped in folklore and superstitions. And even though we think of halloween as mostly a “kids” holiday, or a chance to dress up in costumes, halloween traditions stem from darker roots. About 2,000 years ago, the ancient Celts celebrated Samhain on November 1st. The festival honored the dead but the folks celebrating were sure to keep wandering spirits at bay by taking part in certain rituals. It was believed that on October 31st, the barrier between the living and dead weakened and the dead returned.
Some superstitions that I remember hearing when growing up — a lot of them were from my grandparents — include….. if you see bats flying around your home on Halloween night, spirits and ghosts are nearby. If a black cat meows at you window iron your porch, a death will soon occur within the family. If you hold your breath while you drive by a cemetery, evil spirits can’t enter your body. When passing a graveyard or a house where someone has died, turn your pockets inside out to make sure you don’t bring home ghosts in your pockets.
I still think of Halloween more as a day for the kids, but then I read an article in the Huffington Post about “deindividuation.” According to the article, deindividuation is when people become less likely to evaluate their own behavior, and less apprehensive over the possibility that they’ll be recognized or observed by others. The article goes on to state that Halloween stirs up the perfect storm of factors to lead kids to deindividuation. Masks and traveling in group can potentially cause deindividuation and bad behavior. Any consequences are less severe when the person you’r “tricking” can’t identify you under a mask or costume. Studies found that masked kids between 9 and 13 are more likely to take large quantities of candy compared to those kids who are unmasked.
Make what you will of this, but keep an eye out tonight for evil children — that’s all I’m saying.
Happy Haloween!
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