Ground Zero and Halloween
After America was shocked by the September 11 attacks, its people reacted by uniting against foreign threats. Back then, the nation was getting lost in the globalization mix, but resurfaced into world view after the events of September 11.
Halloween after 9/11
Due to the tragic events that occurred on September 11, even Halloween festivities were reconsidered, since it may affect the sensitivities of some people. Most of the countries in the world couldn’t believe the unfortunate incidents that occurred on 9/11. Some individuals felt that any celebrations should reflect and respect the losses that occurred on that fateful day.
Soon people treated Halloween in much the same way as Christians celebrated the day that closely followed it — All Souls’ Day. People began to reflect on life and remember their departed loved ones, a swift 180-degree turn from the corporatist image that Halloween had been getting.
What was Halloween like before the big companies rolled in?
Originally, Halloween then was very different from the Halloween we know now. It wasn’t about parties and trick-or-treating. Halloween concerned authentic human feelings, something that’s lost its meaning in the modern world.
Halloween was originally a celebration of life. By remembering and paying respects to those that have passed away, Halloween acted as that small hill where people could congregate and look at the past. By remember and understanding the past, people could confidently expect continuity.
Continuity
Continuity is such a strong thematic for Halloween, even if people don’t realize it. Continuity is important because the thematic of death is not a terminal point; what precedes death is also the continuation of the process.
We can only fully appreciate life and creation once we have fully appreciated death. Life is coexisting with everything harmoniously. If we lived solitary lives, mementos, monuments and tombs wouldn’t have any meaning. The permanence and essence of life is commemorated by appreciating the inevitable. This realization makes our existence much more meaningful and rewarding.
Dia de los Muertos
A festival of mourning might sound paradoxical. However, in many cultures outside the white, homogenous borders of the United States, death was something that should be taught and remembered through ritual and ceremony.
For instance, the Dia de los Muertos is an official time of mourning in the Rio Grande. This is the time where people mourned and revisited the memories of relatives who have passed away. It’s sad to note that we only think about death when something tragic happens. Unlike other cultures, we don’t have a very good understanding and appreciation of things related or relating to death.
In the case of the tragic events of September 11, some Americans have looked outward for answers. Because it seems that Corporate America had forgotten how to completely mourn something so tragic.
Will Halloween ever be known as something more than just a superficial celebration? Will it ever enjoy the deeper and richer meaning it used to have before getting turned into a largely commercial event?
There is still hope to change a superficial celebration to something more worthy of people’s time and memory. And when that transformation takes place, we can easily embrace it completely, once again.
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