Origins of Halloween

This time of year has always had an air of mystery, magic and superstition; and ceremonies remembering the dead have been celebrated for thousands of years.

All Hallows' Eve is more commonly known as Halloween. It precedes All Hallows' Day, also known as All Saints' Day, on 1st November and All Souls Day on 2nd November. These dates hold a special significance across a variety of cultures throughout the world, as the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thought to be at its thinnest.

Halloween originates from pagan celebrations connected to harvests and seasons. The Celts and Druids celebrated Samhain on November 1st but the celebrations started at sunset on the eve of Samhain. Come sunset on 31st October, families would extinguish fires within the home and indulge in a "fall" cleaning to make way for the new season. Samhain was a harvest festival that was celebrated at the end of summer and commemorated the cycles of life. People would then gather to light huge bonfires to burn crops and animal sacrifices to the gods, in the hope that the sun would return and their crops would be plentiful.

Christians would carve jack-o-lanterns out of turnips to remember souls trapped in purgatory. It was recorded in 1837 that American colonies used pumpkins as a replacement to the tough turnips that the British used. This is a tradition that still lasts today, but how many of us know why we carve them?

Even the tradition of "bobbing for apples" is connected to harvest time and superstition, much like the pumpkins and turnips we how carve for fun. Apples were thought to represent fertility and many believed they could help predict their future love.

Image by Kim Fearheiley www.fineartamerica.com

It is believed that the boundaries between the living and the dead are thinner on All Hallows' Eve. People would often disguise themselves with costumes to hide from malevolent spirits out to cause harm or to signify the release of souls trapped in the physical World.

Today, we tend to dress up for slightly more fun and commercial reasons, with children playing trick-or-treat for sweets or gifts. Have we forgotten the spiritual side to Halloween, or do we remember it in the traditions we still follow?

Since Halloween is the day when most people are discussing death, often in a fun way, we're planning our first Death Cafe at the Brink on 31st October from 5.30pm - 7.30pm. There'll be a free slice of cake, a hot beverage and interesting conversation.

Death Cafe Liverpool

Death Cafe - Halloween 2013

We are proud to announce that The Bucket Project will be hosting Liverpool's first Death Cafe at the Brink, Parr Street, L1 4JN on 31st October 2013.

The objective of a Death Cafe is to increase awareness of death, with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives. It is based on an idea thought up by Bernard Crettaz, a Swiss sociologist who set up Cafe Mortels. His idea has since spread across the globe, evidencing a very real need for a place and opportunity for people to open up and talk about death. 

We will provide a comfortable place to relax and talk, with a hot beverage and a slice of cake. Our Death Cafe takes place at the Brink, which is Liverpool's first "dry pub." The Brink are known for their creative, community approach and put on a wide range of amusing, entertaining, educational and inspirational events - with the Death Cafe being just one of them!

The Brink, Parr Street, L1 4JN

Death Cafe is now an established social franchise that has reached over 3000 participants in around 300 separate Death Cafes all over the world. They are purely run on a voluntary basis by Jon Underwood in East London. He organised the first one in the UK, facilitated by his mum, psychotherapist Sue Barsky Reid, in his own home. It was hugely successful and has grown massively since 2011. You can find more information on Death Cafes by clicking here or have a look at our very own Death Cafe Liverpool page.

Feedback from previous Death Cafes have stated that the experience was "enriching" and "as far from gloom and doom as could be possible." We're hoping to replicate this in Liverpool on Halloween 2013. You can drop in any time from 5.30-7.30pm, but we would suggest arriving at the start to benefit from the whole experience. There will be free hot drinks, a slice of cake and a warm welcome. It's not often you get the opportunity to sit down and have an open conversation about death with other people who want to do the same.

Free cake at our Death Cafe!

So, if you haven't already, you should start making your plans for Halloween 2013. If you're interested in coming along to our Death Cafe and taking part in a global initiative, please email: rachael.mckindley@mariecurie.org.uk. Fancy dress is optional, but encouraged, since we're celebrating All Hallow's Eve, and there may be a prize for the best dressed! It's all free and you'll be among the first to participate in Liverpool's first Death Cafe. So pop in for a cuppa, cake and conversation.

Thank you to Ryan Spence at Five Mil Bleed for producing our Death Cafe Liverpool poster and to Terry McKindley for helping to get the creative juices flowing in the design process.