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There has always been an air of mystery, superstition, and magic around the festival of Halloween. Originating as a Celtic end-of-summer festival of Samhain, Halloween was once seen as an occasion for remembering one’s deceased friends and relatives. For these friendly spirits of loved ones, people set places at the dinner table, leave treats on the doorsteps and lit candles along the roadside to help them find their way back to the spirit realm.
Through the years; however, the depiction of ghosts on Halloween nowadays has become more malevolent and fearsome, with several superstitions, customs, and cultures being added to the folklore.
Halloween is a favourite holiday festival for both children and adults indulge in a variety of festive activities including trick-or-treating, donning weird and scary costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns out of pumpkins and binge-eat candies.
Halloween Through the Years*
About 2,000 years ago, the Celts celebrated the festival of Samhain to commemorate the beginning of the Celtic New Year on November 1. The day marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter after the end of the Summer and the harvest season. At those times, the winter season was often associated with death, and the Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundaries between the living and the world of the dead became non-existent, due to which, the spirits of the dead were able to make their way on to the Earth.
The presence of these ghosts and spirits, in turn, allowed the priests to make accurate predictions. Therefore, the Celts built huge bonfires, wore celebratory costumes made from the skin and heads of animals, and made sacrifices to appease the spirits and Celtic deities.
By the year 43 A.D. or so, after the Romans conquered the Celtic territory, they combined the two Roman festivals of Feralia (the day to celebrate the passing of the dead) and the one to honour Pomona, the Roman deity of fruits and trees, with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
Later, by the 9th century, the influence of Christianity was gaining popularity in the Celtic lands. As a result, the Christian celebration of the All Saints’ Day was supplanted with ancient Celtic rites, to become the festival of All-Hallows or All-Hallowmas, where the populace built great bonfires, paraded across town and dressed up as saints, angels and devils.
Eventually, the festival got its present-day name of Halloween.
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Important Lessons from the Halloween
Friendships that Last a Lifetime are Invaluable
We all value friendships in life; after all, without friends, everything will be so dull and monotonous. Remember the days when you used to go out with your friends, dressed as your favourite superhero or the Devil himself, trick-or-treating your neighbours for candy, on Halloween night?
There’s not even a single moment of dullness when you scampered around the neighbourhood all night long with friends on Halloween. More than anything, the holiday is an excellent testament to the bond of friendship and how friendships that last a lifetime are so unique and invaluable.
Don’t Run Away from Your Fears, Face Them
Running away from a problematic situation is not an act of cowardice by any stretch of the imagination. It rather implies that you are not sure about confronting your fears and overcome them. Take costume-clad people on Halloween, for example. On Halloween, you can find children and adults dressed in outrageously scary costumes. The scarier the outfit, the grander is the holiday celebration.
Under all the costumes and makeup; however, there is a simple individual who wants to embrace the Halloween spirit and have a great time celebrating, and not some monster lurking underneath. The same holds for all your fears, especially death – if you look closely, you can see that fear is nothing but another opportunity for you to learn and evolve as a person.
Many of us consider death as a taboo and even dread facing the possibility of it happening unannounced. First, it will the end of your existence on this planet, and second, your family’s future could be jeopardised with your untimely demise. Instead of dreading death and considering it as an eventuality; therefore, you must consider death to be another step in your life’s journey and as an opportunity to leave a legacy for your family.
This Halloween Carefully Wish for a Safe & Secure Future!
Whether it is the festival of Halloween or life in general, all of us wish for only the best things in lives, but merely hoping for something to happen, doesn’t always yield the desired results.
Do you remember making promises to self that you will eat all the Halloween candies in a single night, but always failing to do that? That’s the same thing with life. If only you could foresee your future, you would know that your family’s financial stability not guaranteed unless you prepare for it.
Festivals such as Halloween are surely a time to rejoice and have a good time with your family. The holiday also gives you different perspectives about living life to the fullest and leaving a legacy after you are long gone. Remember, it is crucial that you have goals in life and that you work dedicatedly to accomplish each goal, one at a time.
At the same time, it is crucial that you secure your family’s future financially and protect their dreams from the uncertainties of life. At Max Life Insurance, we offer various insurance plans, you can buy insurance plan according to your financial needs and secure your loved ones against the vagaries of life.
Based on your needs, you can include the likes of life insurance plans, online savings plans, and health insurance plans, so that your family can continue to live and enjoy life to the fullest – Halloween and all!
References:
*https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
ARN:- 16102019/KC3
