By Sebastian Tuinder
Before we begin carving our pumpkins, decorating our front steps, and purchasing industrial-sized bags of candy (hint: capitalize on MASSIVE candy discounts on November 1st – you’re welcome), let’s consider the origin of Halloween celebrations, as well as everyone’s morbid fascination with their deathly themes.
Roughly 2,000 years ago, the Celts, who existed in north western Europe (today’s UK, France, and Holland), celebrated the new year on November 1. This marked the end of the harvest season, and the beginning of the cold, dark months. With no CVS or a free flu-shot, these winter months were synonymous with death and dying. October 31, therefore, became a day when Celts believed the boundary between the living world and the world of the dead became unclear. They lit fires, donned costumes, and prayed to their gods – asking for protection during the long winters.
Fast forward a few thousand years, Halloween remains a community-based celebration with elements tailored to all ages.
Our continued fascination with the dead and dying in today’s age may stem from our perpetual encounters with death. An experience with death is inevitable, it should then not come as a surprise that people are curious about the topic.
Professor Cavuoti, a professor here at Brooklyn College told WBCR that thanatology is the study of death and dying. She teaches a class called Human Encounters with Death and Bereavement, or “Death, Dying and Bereavement” as it is also known.
The class is offered in the Spring, Fall and Summer semesters, can be added to any major, and can be combined with nine other Health Science credits to establish a 12-credit minor. It can also fill the pathways general education requirement.
“Where other courses and other disciplines may only apply to your future career goals, death applies to everyday life. And I think everyone can benefit from that type of education,” said Professor Cavuoti.
“None of us will escape death or the challenges it presents,” said Professor Cavuoti, which makes death an exceptionally important, albeit difficult, topic to discuss.
In addition to terminal illness, palliative care, bereavement, and coping tools, the course covers symbolism associated with death, intriguing ceremonial practises across the world, human rights issues related to euthanasia and assisted suicide, as well as the invaluable lesson to not shy away from the most commonly shared human experience.
But Professor Cavuoti believes that the most important lesson that can be learned from the course is that “grief is normal, and it’s natural,” and that society’s expectations may not coincide with how an individual expresses grief. How we mourn is stylistically different from each other, and may be a result of our own exposure or preparation prior to our encounters with death.
For some, death is a celebration of life, but for most Americans, death is a time of mourning. The subject of death is pushed aside, swept under the rug, shied away from. Until Halloween, that is.
Professor Cavuoti shared that she hosts a big Halloween party each year where she elaborately decorates her home.
“I think it’s fun! I think it allows us to let the creepy in,” she said.
So, this year, as we try to paint our faces in hopes to replicate Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, or find a dagger to resemble Arya Stark’s, it might be interesting to take a moment to reflect on what we are celebrating. Life? Death? Discounted candy? Everything in between?