When I was a teenager I did not like horror movies, especially ones with fantastical elements. Monsters did nothing for me. The supernatural felt lame. I was confident that sci-fi films were rarely written as well as “normal” movies. I dare say I even called them juvenile.
Now that I’m in my 40s, however, I’ve taken a 180-degree turn. Maybe it’s being disillusioned with middle age and the responsibility it’s supposed to incur, or simple regression, heading back toward childhood to take up the experiences that I stepped over before. Maybe the world feels too known now and I’m looking for something inexplicable or mysterious to fill some sort of gap. Or maybe the modern age is too absurd and to make it feel normal I want to spend time with paranormal archetypes. Either way, I’m now ready: Bring on the vampires, zombies and werewolves. Give me the monsters and dark castles and aliens from other solar systems. It’s my new bad habit.
Consequently, I now understand why some people love Halloween.
Although it’s a holiday marked by candy, lawn decorations and bobbing for apples, the origins of the tradition begin from a group of people trying to navigate the supernatural. The Celts in ancient Ireland believed that the darker half of the year started on Nov. 1, a festival they called Samhain (pronounced “sow-un”). They believed that on the night of Oct. 31 the boundaries between the earth and the underworld were particularly thin, and that the spirits of the dead often passed through. To protect themselves, people dressed in ghoulish costumes so as not to be recognized by the spirits. They also put jack-o'-lanterns – originally made from turnips – in their windows, as this helped ward off the dead visitors.
It was clear that the Celts took the presence of the supernatural seriously, as it dictated some of their agricultural practices. All livestock were brought in from the pasture before the night of Oct. 31 in order to protect them from nefarious beings. Sometimes crops or cattle were burned in bonfires as a sacrifice to appease the spirits. If a cow dried off unexpectedly, it was usually attributed to some form of paranormal doings.
Even beyond Samhain, the Celts had to deal with the púca, even if the púca proved to be less menacing than the spirits on Oct. 31. The púca (plural: púcaí) was a shapeshifter that often took the form of a typical livestock or wildlife mammal found near the farm. Some accounts said that they looked like humans, but with animal characteristics, such as furry ears or a tail. They were mischievous but seldom harmful. One reoccurring prank by the púca was to pretend to be a black colt and offer a ride to travelers and passersby. The púca would then take them on a wild journey, running and bucking to unsettle the rider, and then leave them exactly where they started.
Although this is only conjecture, I suspect that some members of the Celtic community probably suspected that their livestock sometimes behaved strangely not because of a púca but because of the nature of livestock. There might have been a wife or two who knew that her husband did not arrive home when expected, not because the púca had tricked him into getting onto his back but because he stayed in the pub for too long. Still, the presence of the púca remained strong in Irish culture into modern times. For centuries, crops left in the field after Nov. 1 were called “the púca’s share” and not collected, and kids were told not to eat berries still on the bush after Halloween because the púca had spit or defecated on them. Additionally, there is a Púca Festival in County Meath, Ireland, every year.
Sometimes, when a ghost movie has caused me to wax poetic, I appreciate how the concept of the supernatural has always been a part of the human experience. It helps us negotiate our understanding of ourselves. At times, it has provided an explanation when no other answers could be found. Other instances, it encourages our imagination, giving idle minds something to think about. Sometimes it’s entertainment. Sometimes it simply makes the world a little more interesting.
This Halloween, I’m tipping my hat to all those who dress up in detailed costumes, elaborately decorate their lawns and pass out the donuts and cider. Such customs may not be essential to survival anymore, but they do make the coming darkness just a little more fun.
