Dressing Like The Holy Ones?
It is All Hallow's Eve, the evening of all the hallowed, or holy, ones. Hallow Evening or, as spelled these days, Hallowe'en. A night when we remember those who have gone before us and are freed from bodies no longer able to support them, freed from a planet they no longer need, temporarily separated from family and friends who will join them a little later on. Their day, All Saints, comes tomorrow and this is the eve of that feast.
We recall their memory on this night by dressing up like our favorite holy, or sainted, one. Pretty much the same word; they are those who lived pretty good lives and wait for us. So we remember them this way.
Somehow, I just don't see today's costumes as resembling anyone I've heard of who has passed on. I've seen pirates (hmmmm ... not much hope for them, I'm afraid), cartoon characters (maybe nice folks, but imaginary) and movie characters (just as imaginary). Nobody going around like St. Patrick, Joan of Arc or even their holy deceased grandparents.
So it's the October 31 Costume Party and Candy Beg. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose; look what we've done with Christmas. Not many newcomers to this planet realize that New Year's Day, in the church ritual, used to be a solemn holy day to commemorate a surgical procedure commonly done on male babies. The holy day's name and emphasis was changed a couple times and we no longer attend Mass where little children say, "Mommy, what's circumcision?"
I never had a favorite costume, but the best year ever was the time my mother dressed up as a witch when the neighborhood kids came to the door for treats. Somewhat before then, on the preceding evening's Doorbell Night, I put an old broken speaker on the front porch and hid inside with my finger on the button of an electrical cord connected to an outlet. When kids came to ring the bell, I'd hit the button and the resulting "braaccck" blast probably caused more than a few to wet their pants.
I have dressed up as a burned-out jazz trumpeter, as well as Raggedy Ann. No, they aren't saints, and neither am I. It was fun and I'm sure the real saints don't mind; maybe they dress up as us for the occasion.
We recall their memory on this night by dressing up like our favorite holy, or sainted, one. Pretty much the same word; they are those who lived pretty good lives and wait for us. So we remember them this way.
Somehow, I just don't see today's costumes as resembling anyone I've heard of who has passed on. I've seen pirates (hmmmm ... not much hope for them, I'm afraid), cartoon characters (maybe nice folks, but imaginary) and movie characters (just as imaginary). Nobody going around like St. Patrick, Joan of Arc or even their holy deceased grandparents.
So it's the October 31 Costume Party and Candy Beg. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose; look what we've done with Christmas. Not many newcomers to this planet realize that New Year's Day, in the church ritual, used to be a solemn holy day to commemorate a surgical procedure commonly done on male babies. The holy day's name and emphasis was changed a couple times and we no longer attend Mass where little children say, "Mommy, what's circumcision?"
I never had a favorite costume, but the best year ever was the time my mother dressed up as a witch when the neighborhood kids came to the door for treats. Somewhat before then, on the preceding evening's Doorbell Night, I put an old broken speaker on the front porch and hid inside with my finger on the button of an electrical cord connected to an outlet. When kids came to ring the bell, I'd hit the button and the resulting "braaccck" blast probably caused more than a few to wet their pants.
I have dressed up as a burned-out jazz trumpeter, as well as Raggedy Ann. No, they aren't saints, and neither am I. It was fun and I'm sure the real saints don't mind; maybe they dress up as us for the occasion.
posted by Tom Carten at 12:34 AM
2 Comments:
I once dressed up like an Russian Orthodox Bishop. I even had a censer with tons of incense burning. I used an old lamp shade coverd by a white bed sheet.
Happy Halloween, you prankster!
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