ALL HALLOWS' EVENING









Pic.:  Wikipedia


Two nights ago, a group of children – between the ages 10 and 13 – had come to invite my wife and me for their party. My wife opened the door and spoke to the children. They had prepared a lovely invitation by hand and won my wife’s heart by their warmth.

After the kids had left, my wife showed me the invitation and cried, “Trick-or-treating?”

I smiled and travelled back to my own childhood days...

‘All Saints’ Evening’... ‘All Hallows’ Evening’...  That’s how it was for us. The evening before the ‘All Saints’ Day’, we would attend a special mass in the church and evoke the blessings of ‘all the hallowed souls’ – the saints and the blessed, the noble and the gentle... Maybe, there was this reason: ‘Don’t be afraid of death... Scare the demon out of you... Defeat the death... Laugh at death... Play with death... Dance with death... Whatever it is, but, celebrate Life, have fun, allow the child in you to rejoice... even though it means wearing some false-funny-wired mask and going around the streets a lot funky and freaky...

But, I don’t remember anything about ‘All Saints’ Evening’ except for that one special mass, followed by a visit to the graveyard to light the candles and pray for our departed souls and, then, coming back home to go about our routine...

No pumpkin lanterns... No devil masks... No Dracula’s skulls!

Last night, the door-bell rang, once again. This time around, I opened the door. “Uncle, you and aunty did not come for the party,” the little girls complained, “So bad!”

“Sorry dear,” I confessed accepting the two paper-plates with snacks brought by them, “what would old people do in a ‘Halloween’ party?”

“Have fun!” the girls giggled.

I looked at my wife. “Children don’t tell lies,” the twinkle in her eyes told.


“Do you know what ‘Halloween’ is all about?” Many a times, I have felt like asking the enthusiasts. But, then, I have held that urge back and simply gone with the flow, the blowing wind – or call it ‘madness’ or ‘dumbness’ or just ‘innocence’ or whatever you wish to call it – and let the madness be, dumbness be... innocence be...

Let the child, always, play, have fun...

“Hallowed be thy name, O the child in me!”

“Amen.”


GERALD D’CUNHA


Comments

Niavas said…
Brought smile on my face. Nivas
November 1, 2014 at 4:08 PM
Sheela Pillai said…
Very informative and entertaining too. thanks Gerry - Sheela Pillai
November 1, 2014 at 6:55 PM
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