Where Did Halloween Come From? | Big Think

Where Did Halloween Come From?

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“Trick or treat” evolved from a notion that when hungry ghosts are trying to eat you, a person only survives with protection from the saints.

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Sharon Gannon:

Gannon is a renowned yoga master, instructor and animal rights activist. In 1984, she and her partner David Life created the Jivamukti Yoga Method, which is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. They are pioneers in teaching yoga as spiritual activism/activation. The JY Method emphasizes vinyasa, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism and political activism.

Jivamukti's passionate focus on the original meaning of the Sanskrit word "asana" as seat, connection, relationship to the earth is as practical as it is radical at this time of global and consciousness shift. The Jivamukti Yoga Method is taught worldwide at Jivamukti Yoga Schools in NYC, Detroit, Toronto, London, Berlin and Munich. The Jivamukti practice is also available on DVDs Yoga Journal has recognized Gannon and Life, as innovators in Yoga and "The New York Times" says, "Without Jivamukti, yoga in the U.S. would still be the obscure practice of a few."

"Time Magazine" recognized Jivamukti Yoga as one of the nine methods of Hatha Yoga taught in the world today. JY is featured in the acclaimed documentary film: What is Yoga? Sharon is a featured yogini in various books: "Yoga" by Linda Sparrowe, "American Yoga" by Carrie Schneider, "Yogini" by Janice Gates and "Women to Women" by Christina Lessa.

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TRANSCRIPT:

Question: What is Halloween?

Sharon Gannon: Well very, very old times – older than now, many, many years ago when people were more aligned with the seasonal changes and with the equinoxes. It was known that during these times of shift – seasonal shifts – that the atmosphere could become thinner. Or the veils between the worlds – the worlds of the seen and unseen – would become more thin or more transparent. And that of course the unseen world, this atmosphere that is surrounding us is inhabited by many beings – disembodied spirits – perhaps ghosts or whatever you would call them. Memories. There are many ways to look at it. And that these disembodied spirits tend to be hungry. And that’s why the Buddhists have the term “hungry ghosts”. They’re hungry for an opportunity to live.

Because when you have a physical body; it’s a precious thing to have a physical body. Because then you have an opportunity to work out your karmas; to resolve past relationships; resolve them back into a place of joy or mutual beneficiality. So hungry ghosts are hungry for a chance to have a physical body. And so of course, we have the idea of possession where a spirit will try to possess a living body.

And of course, in many societies, this is acknowledged. This is not questioned. This is a thing that happens. And that it happens during the time of equinox changes, the changes of the seasons, that it can happen more readily.

And so there was a practice of barricading one’s house and putting on a scary mask. You want to scare away the disembodied spirits. So you put like a very scary mask or demon-looking thing above your door on your windows. And you also give some food because the spirits are hungry. So you’re not going to let them have your body, but you’ll give them some other bodies, some food, right? So people put food outside to feed the spirits. And they lock themselves up inside their house. And they prayed, and they prayed for protection to various saints, and gods, and goddesses, and ancestors perhaps.

This practice was done in Ireland. That’s where my ancestors come from. India. India still does this practice. That’s where you see those scary demon masks on the outside of houses and stuff.

But anyway, so the next day, the day after Halloween is All Saints Day. And traditionally, if you survived that night when the hungry ghosts were out trying to eat you, you only survived due to the protection that the saints gave you.

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