Halloween: Beginning the Season of Family
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, I met some friends at a pub in downtown Vancouver, WA called Brickhouse. If you’re like me, in reading that name, you hummed or sang the song Brick House by the Commodores (1977). But this Brickhouse isn’t a woman who is “mighty mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out” but a restaurant at 109 W 15th St in Vancouver that is, quite literally, made from brick. As my friends and I enjoyed our sense of community as we sat and caught up, people arrived dressed up in Halloween costumes. People walked along the street in costumes, and we sat watching them. People came into the restaurant in costumes, and we looked and smiled. Who doesn’t enjoy “people watching” especially when those people are dressed up in costumes? It was the beginning of the Halloween weekend, and we could all feel the excitement of those around us.
When I was a kid, Halloween was pretty much the same as it is now. We dressed up and went trick-or-treating. But because of the pandemic, there are so many other creative ways to celebrate Halloween. This year I’ve noticed something different. Trunk or Treating. Maybe it started last year or the year before, but I feel that this is the year that it’s really caught on. Every town, church, and neighborhood seems to be participating in this community-run Halloween celebration. Cars gather in a centralized location, their trunks are decorated for Halloween, and the trick-or-treaters go from trunk to trunk getting treats. The kids still have to say, “Trick or treat” but it’s less walking and more community gathering. I haven’t experienced one yet, but I imagine that the family members would pick a theme, decorate their trunks in that theme, dress accordingly, drive to the event, pick a place to park, open their trunks, and pass out candy. This brings Halloween from a wider area where some parents are driving their kids all over, into a more focused smaller area where a sense of community and fun can be established. I simply love this idea.
Halloween (or Hallowe’en) or All Hallow’s Eve, is celebrated the day before the Western Christian feast of All Hallow’s day, or All Saint’s Day. All Saints Day is dedicated to remembering the Saints (also known as Hallows) and martyrs. In the Catholic faith, and all through my childhood, All Saints Day has been a Holy Day of Obligation. Meaning that we attended mass on that day. And November 2nd is All Souls Day. On that day, we prayed for all those who had died.
That is only a small part of the Mexican holiday el Dia de los Muertos. As History.com says, “While October 31 is Halloween, November 2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2.” If you’d like to know more about el Dia de los Muertos, please click on the link and watch the wonderful movies: Coco and The Book of Life.
This year, as we did last year, we will attempt to shift time and space so we can fit everything in. I would like to see all three granddaughters dressed up and trick-or-treating. One granddaughter lives in Ridgefield, WA. Two live in Camas, WA. That’s a lot of driving to get there, participate, then over to there, participate, and back by the time our trick-or-treaters come to our door. We’ll see. It worked out pretty well last year, but it wasn’t raining. (And as we know, rain affects time machines.)
This is probably why the concept of Trunk or Treating is interesting to me. The process of bringing us from a wider area where we are driving all over, into a more focused smaller area where a sense of community and fun is established. But I wouldn’t trade these moments for anything. I know I don’t have to run here and there, but I want to. I want to see those sweet little girls enjoying their first Halloweens. I want to see them excited to be Elsa and Pikachu and Elsa. (Yes, we have two Elsas this year. How cute is that?) I want to see them run up to houses in their neighborhoods and say, “Trick-or-treat” with their sweet voices and eager eyes. The enchantment they feel will fill me with that same sensation I got from my own kids when they went trick-or-treating. That’s what fulfills me, the looks on the faces of the little ones. No matter the history and the meaning behind all the past Halloweens, these are the moments of my granddaughters’ lives, and I am so fortunate to be a part of them.
What I realize the Halloween, el Dia de los Muertos, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day festivities really emphasize is a sense of family and a sense of community. History.com says, “On the Day of the Dead, it’s believed that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolve. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance, and play music with their loved ones. In turn, the living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations and leave the deceased’s favorite foods and other offerings at gravesites or on the ofrendas built in their homes.” Honoring these family members who have died by bringing them into their homes and treating them brings them back into the fold if only for a short time. Because family is what it’s all about in this world and the next. The love and connection between people throughout all generations.
After visiting with my friends for four hours, it was time to go home. The community of people who wore costumes was growing, which led me to wonder what fun activity Vancouver, WA must have organized. We all reluctantly split, promising to get together soon and planning a friends’ weekend in Walla Walla someday. Walking back to my car I crunched through dried leaves and noticed the rain clouds coming in heavier. Here we are in the season of fall. And here is Halloween, the beginning of all the wonderful family and community-focused holidays. Have a wonderful holiday season y’all!
