Guest opinion
Put tradition back into holiday
By Caroline Neeley Special to the Acorn

Not too many years ago, when I trick-or-treated for Halloween with my mates back in Scotland, we needed to do a bit more than just stick out our bags at doorways waiting for candy.

When someone answered the door, we shouted, "Happy Halloween." Before the treat was tossed into our brown paper bag, we needed to sing, recite a poem, tell a joke or do something to earn the candy.

If you did not perform, the prize passed right under your nose and into someone else's bag. Since I'm not a singer, a tap dancer or a poet, I earned my goodie by telling a corny joke.

Halloween, also known as All Hallows' Eve or the eve of All Saints' Day, has its origins in ancient Ireland- a Gaelic festival known as Samhain, translated as "end of summer."

The Festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season and is regarded as the Celtic New Year.

Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to stock up on all necessary supplies in preparation for a brutal winter season.

The ancient Gaels, an ethnolinguistic group which originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man, believed that on Oct. 31 the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped. The deceased would come back to life- some intentionally creating havoc and chaos.

Bonfires to ward off evil spirits. Young and old alike dressed up as creatures from the underworld- ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches and goblins.

Other spooky costumes and masks were created from an active imagination- using household material scraps and the good earth in an attempt to confuse the evil spirits or placate them.

The children would then knock on neighbors' doors to gather fruit, nuts and sweets for the Halloween festival. Salt was sprinkled in their hair to protect against evil spirits.

Fast forward to Halloween, 21st century style. Quite frankly, it has become commercialized. The tradition of Halloween is as dead and buried as the ways of ancient Ireland.

Today's Halloween has become a costume competition. Parents shell out exorbitant amounts of money to appease their trickortreater and fuel the competition without effort. And besides, I don't think evil spirits would be confused by fairy princesses, mermaids or angels.

All children need to do today is knock on their neighbors' doors, say "trick or treat" and move on. I've opened my door to find parents standing holding sleeping babies dressed up in Halloween costumes.

Indeed, times have changed. We are helping a "no effort" generation to refine their "take whatever you can get for free" attitude.

So I ask you parents, just this once, to save your hard-earned pennies, resurrect your creative imaginations, raid your makeup drawer and stampede the linen closet.

Creating a scary costume from scratch is what makes Halloween fun. Have fun and be safe! Oh, and don't forget the salt.

Caroline Neeley is a conflict negotiator, anger management counselor and humorous motivational speaker based in Camarillo. She can be reached at (805) 484-5134.