Halo-Ween
- The circle of light and our imaginations... do we suppose wrongly?
How curious that Halloween said to have been derived from All Hallows Eve and the Christian Holy Days of All Saints Day - November 1st and All Souls’ Day November 2nd - is about honouring saints as decreed by Pope Gregory III in the eighth century. Contrary to this, history also speaks of influences by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain.
I do, however, wonder why we now celebrate horror. So, taking a lighthearted look at where I am and what I’m seeing, and having some fun with a play on words I’ve renamed it… Halo-Ween.
Allow me to explain…
In the mid-16th century, Halo was denoted as a circle of light. Derived from medieval Latin, halos, and Greek halōs it symbolised the disk of the sun or moon… yet, aren’t we humans also denoted by a circle of light?
While Ween in Old English wēnan and of Germanic origin, related to Dutch wanen means to imagine, with the German wähnen meaning ‘to suppose wrongly’. Might we imagine less horror and more light and loved-filled images that inspire, uplift and recreate joy in our lives… and celebrate living a more meaningful life?
Walking the streets at night with Peggy has been fun! It brings back memories of being a teen staying over at my friend Marion’s place—she was such a daredevil—and slipping out at night when her parents were out. Why? Because we were told not to! When a car went past, we’d slip behind a tree. (I’m smiling as I write this… another revelation for my dear mum who reads my newsletter!)
Many homes in Downtown Whitby have put great effort into setting the stage for a spooky Halloween, no doubt inspired by the decorating contest for the most spooktacular home organised by the town’s Municipality. There’s even a 1.5km guided historical walking tour that visits 9 sites across 2.6 km and includes reenactments by the Beech Street Theatre Company. A waiver must be signed and attendees must be 18 years and over to participate due to the sensitive nature of the ghost stories.
One might ask, in this day and age, why anyone would want to take a tour of terror when there is so much emphasis on fear-inducing images in our everyday lives already.
Putting the obvious aside, I marvelled at Peggy’s eldest grandson, Master Four who faced one of the scary monsters during the day, pointed to it and shouted, ‘You’re not real!’ For him, it’s all about bright colours, bold dress-ups and the creativity of it all! Truly, his innocence and knowing made my heart sing.
Ending on a noteworthy chuckle… I’ve cropped it as it went on and on… enjoy the laugh!
Do you buy into Halloween? What does it mean for you?
Thank you sincerely for journeying with me across the USA and Canada. As my time here comes to a close and I prepare to return home to Victoria, Australia, what remains, is my deep gratitude for everything I have experienced and remembered. I literally cannot wait to write my next book and extend my heartfelt thanks to the generous family and friends from Australia and those who have hosted me in the USA and Canada as well as the loving, attentive and giving souls' who journeyed with me at the events held, and every other person I have had the auspicious occasion to meet along the way. My life has been enriched by every one of you! Thank YOU 🤟🏼
While this is my 41st and final post from my travels abroad, it’s by no means the last from my substack/earthaum newsletter!
Love’s harmonies and haapppyyyy halo-ween!
Leanda Michelle ✍🏼
Leanda, I enjoyed this fun and very colourful post! With that said, the heavy consumption of horror in our culture has always raised questions in me. And (like you, I believe) I think our world is seeing the effects of programming the imagination to dwell on darkness. However, I also feel that Hallowe'en is one of those special occasions when we have permission to play and escape. Back when I taught school, I remember a colleague saying, "This is 'the children's holiday—their favourite one of the year.'" At Hallowe'en, there are no religious divisions or other reasons to feel like an insider or an outsider. There's a festive element in the whole thing. I love what you said about Peggy's grandson: "For him, it’s all about bright colours, bold dress-ups and the creativity of it all! Truly, his innocence and knowing made my heart sing." My heart sings, too. And I can hardly wait to meet the trick-or-treaters at my door!
Love this post and your re- imagining of Halo ween -- beautiful photos. The programming on darkness is, sigh, everywhere.