WESTERN culture has so great an influence on our way of life that several of its customs and practices have found root in our social milieu. One such practice is Halloween, a holiday celebration that comes once a year on November 1.

But Halloween in our country is somehow confined in urban centers and prevalent or largely indulged in by the middle and upper middle class population. Halloween is practically unknown in the rural areas and far-flung villages.

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Halloween traces its origin in Europe, specifically Scotland and Ireland, where it is held on the night of October 31. It is actually a popular Scottish name for October 31, also called All Hallows Eve, Holy Eve, Cake Night, and in North England, Nutcrack Night. Its elements date back to the pre-Christian era.

Halloween was common among non-Christian or pagan peoples. The Celts (original people of Indo-European stock from Central Europe) held festivals for two major gods - a sun god and a god for the dead whose festival is celebrated on November 1. The festival for the dead later on became an integral part of Christian religious ritual.

From the early pre-Christian period, it has been usually associated with superstitions and customs that are believed to be remnants of the ancient festival of Pomona, the Goddess of fruit trees. Some Europeans still believe that children born on Halloween possess supernatural gifts.

In the 9th century, a feast honoring all saints (All Hallows) was fixed on November 1 and, 200 years later, November 2 was designated as All Souls' Day.

During the medieval times (14th-15th centuries) and thereafter, Europeans believed that elves, fairies, and witches fly on All Hallows Eve and play pranks on children. To drive away these spirits, people made bonfires in their yards. Halloween was also a time for games and various rituals involving fortune telling.

Boys and young men engaged in practical jokes, while children dress up in colorful costumes and go from door to door of houses playing tricks and hoping to receive treats that came in the form of candies and pennies.

Halloween was truly a time for merry-making and fun for all ages. It's no wonder that we Filipinos find this foreign practice quite enjoyable and entertaining.

Points to ponder

* Filipino farmers want to see former Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante standing above the ground, rather than lying six feet below it. Only those who were his accomplices in the alleged fertilizer scam would want him eliminated from the human race.

* General Eliseo dela Paz, that 6.9-million peso man, said he will face any investigation and answer all questions. Of course, he will tell everything he doesn't know!

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(November 1, 2008 issue)
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