Halloweenification

Yes, I'm right at the heart of the traditional Halloween celebration which is why I chose to write about... The little ones will be ringing our bells leaving no choice but to trick or to treat. Guessing the final option shouldn't be such a difficult task. Behind the boohoos and the spookiness that comes along, Halloween is a celebration of the mask, of the carnival. It's the perfect time to slide yourself under the costume you've always thought about, you can re-create yourself and embrace the features of a supposedly but not necessarily frightening image. Frankenstein could easily greet us, which is great by the way, we can actually see a smiley or laughing Frankenstein. Or not really. Maybe catch a glimpse of a sad clown instead.

At any rate, there seems to be an ongoing exchange of features between the mask and its bearer. Which brings up the following issue: are we really turning into Frankenstein or does Frankenstein become more humanly than he's ever been before? It is pretty fascinanting how we allow characters from the imaginary, which is undoubtedbly part of our unconscious, come to surface, maybe in an attempt to tame down that secret, less accessible part of ourselves. Humanity doesn't have many options in front of the unknown, in front of the giant universe, in front of the giant strangeness that we're striving to catch in words...or in Halloween costumes. Taming down. Yes, that's my take on the whole issue. Ridiculing and laughling at a supposedly frightening symbol helps the psyche surpass the fear of the unknown and the apprehension for the dreadful imagery surrounding our cultures.

Little is known nowadays about the connection between Halloween masks and ancient beliefs as this custom is most certainly closely related to a taming whose meaning has been long lost in the mist of history. Which makes the main reason why every sacred act is encrypted in symbolic manifestation. It is the symbol that preserves the meaning in the most simple ways, but if the meaning behind is slowly fading the whole act turns into nothing but a mere automatic, empty representation, suiting entertaining purposes at its best. Just like fairytales. They use symbol as a meaning preservation mode. Most of them carry a deep message that is meant to be decoded by the witty ones. So there you go Halloween, enchant us with your cryptic symbols!