9781422276549

introduction

Halloween & Remembrances of the Dead

D eath is a natural and inevitable part of the human experience. As the human brain became more developed, humankind came to realize that every living thing must eventually die. Even after accepting this truth, however, human beings have found it difficult to part with loved ones. When family members or friends die, people feel the need to set aside a special time to honor and remember them. In response to this desire, most civilizations, whether ancient or modern, have devoted a special holiday to honoring the dead. Moreover, many cultures have created holidays dedicated to death itself, perhaps as a way of coming to terms with this unavoidable end that comes to all living beings. Many Western countries share similar practices for celebrating the dead. For example, people in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, and Iceland all celebrate a holiday called Halloween in some way. Recently this holiday has become popular with children in other European countries as well. Today Halloween is highly commercialized and thus retains little spiritual significance. Nevertheless, it originated as a holiday dedicated to death. Some celebrations similar to Halloween were originally dedicated not to death itself but to loved ones who have died. One such holiday is Day of the Dead, which is celebrated in many countries in Latin America, including Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Because much of Latin America was colonized by the Spanish, there is a strong link between Day of the Dead and the Christian holidays All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, and the Soul Saturday Radonitsa, which are dedicated to deceased saints and ancestors. When All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day were introduced and established as holidays in the new Spanish colonies, the indigenous people had their own holidays dedicated to death and did not accept the Spanish traditions. Over time, however, the

Halloween & Remembrances of the Dead

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