November is known as a spooky month. Many celebrate Halloween and dress up as ghosts, monsters, mythical creatures, etc. People parade on the streets in their costumes, and worse, make pranks, while others share their paranormal experiences and spread fear. People exhibit their artistic side – from food to fashion.
But, what do we really celebrate this month? Why are others not celebrating it too? What does November really signify?
In the Filipino culture, November is believed as a month where ghosts manifest themselves everywhere, thus, producing fear to the people. This has led people to make fun of it in an artistic way – from food, haunted houses, fashion, and, body modifications. We have witnessed the sudden transition on how this period should have been celebrated. Since we live in a very diverse world, we have our own expression of every event during this time but one thing that is common is the imitation of the dead.
This made me think again about what this period really mean. This might not be understood by others but the simple imitation of the dead people or even acting like demons are not healthy. As people start to struggle on what to wear for the Halloween, we are slowly changing our perspective about what this month should be.
We are supposed to celebrate life, not death. We are supposed to remember our loved ones who passed away. We have to understand that this month is not about dressing as the dead or dressing as demons.
These acts do not contribute to our human existence. Others may call people who are against dressing as demons, ghosts, or other creatures as killjoys but at the end of the day, we have our own beliefs.
May 15, 2024
