Halloween: Do Ugandans Know What It Is They Are Celebrating?
SO somebody’s daughter has been pestering you for the last week or so about the Halloween night.
Modern-day Halloween rituals have their root in human sacrifice and demonic curses
By Denis Jjuuko
SO somebody’s daughter has been pestering you for the last week or so about the Halloween night. Anyway, today is D-day for Kampalans to celebrate. This night has gradually but surely established itself on the calendar as another long evening of partying. Though it has not reached the status of St Valentines Day, it will surely get there one day just like the goat racing thing.
At Ziper House, the models are hotly anticipating the night. Their skinny bodies will be arrayed in special Halloween apparel this evening: “We have designed them for ourselves. We received them on Monday. We shall definitely have fun at Kampala Casino,†a model reveals.
But before you dress in that special attire and cover your pretty face in an oversized mask, it’s imperative to know the origins of this day.
The modern day celebrations of Halloween are drawn from the ancient Celtic fire festival called Samhain. Samhain was the feast of the dead in Pagan times, marking the end of harvest and welcoming the unfriendly winter conditions.
To the Celts, it was significant to mark the end of the summer because it meant that time of the year when their lives could change radically. As pastoral people, their cattle were brought down from the summer pastures and the masses gathered into their houses for the long winter nights of story telling.
The Celts believed that when people died, they straight-away went to the land of eternal youth and happiness called Tirnan Og. So they celebrated.
However, Halloween is seen by many as an evil function that should be shunned by contemporary society. According to Bible.com, the Halloween in its entirety creates a culture of fear among people, especially the children. Halloween dictates that the kids are ushered through spook houses and dread rooms. Therefore, by dressing children as witches and ghosts and making them look like the Majimotos and Mutulakungos of this world is an unholy experience that might negatively affect them for the rest of their lives.
It’s further argued that games like mummy wrap, which are evident at these celebrations, are fantastic representations of Satan. We all know that skeletons and black cats characterise darkness and death.
The ‘trick or treat’ games were part of the festivities. The Celtic wizards called Druids would go from one house to another asking for a virgin to rape and sacrifice in their pagan rituals. In return they would leave behind a candle made of human fat in a hollowed-out pumpkin (a Jack-o-lantern) as a reward. Failure to comply could cost one his life as the Druids would arrange for demons to assasinate such a person.
‘Soul cakes’ were also left on people’s door-steps to appease the wandering souls of the dead and thus avert evil. Failure to participate in such barbaric practices would lead to insults to the owner of the house. The home-owner was usually viewed as insensitive.
Quite many Ugandans can stand insults. They go through the same ordeal everyday, from taxi touts to those good-for-nothing lads who hurl abuses at any lady who shows off her G-string— and of course the gossip fellows who are steadily establishing themselves in our media. What takes one aback are the human sacrifices that are associated with Halloween night. We are still lucky here in Uganda because it hasn’t happened yet. But these Halloween festivities can lead to occult involvement in the long run. A new breed of Kibweteres might actually be born out of this Halloween religion. Yes, it’s a religion with a massive following.
Halloween enthusiasts were worshippers of Satan. They believe in darkness and always look for blonde blue-eyed children for sacrifice.
These nights include fortune-telling (usually by a Gypsy) as hundreds listen and cheer, making it look like plenty of fun. This includes divinations dealing with marriage. Some apples are placed in a barrel of water. The first individual who is able to bite an apple would be the one to get married in the coming year. Apple-peeling was another that showed how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be. Some ended up committing suicide after learning that their lives were short.
What do Ugandans say about this night? Should they celebrate Halloween? Christine Mawadri of the Cooper Road-based Capital FM says that Halloween is a good thing: “Ugandans should celebrate Halloween since we don’t have many fun days. However, they must understand its origins and everything about it,†she says. “We should even integrate it into our culture and make it Ugandan.â€
Her colleague Alex Ndawula has no kind words for the whole thing: “It’s a waste of time. Halloween has no meaning for Ugandans. It’s just an excuse to party,†says Kampala’s loudest mouth.
At the Weekly Ad on Kampala Road, Daniel, the Sales Manager says: “I hear it’s fun. I have never attended Halloween parties. I was just told.†Do you really understand this night? “Well, I hear it’s very scary. Given a chance, I would attend,†he answers.
The owner of Hosanna Smirties, a clothing outlet at the Pioneer Mall, couldn’t even pronounce the word Halloween. Not because she is not aware of it but to her, it’s a day for ghosts and witches. “Please come back when you have another topic. This day must not be celebrated by any Ugandan,†she said in a scary voice.
“Hallo..what? To be honest I don’t know,†says John Kazibwe, a special hire driver along William Street.
Surprisingly, the Banana Boat management at Kisementi don’t fancy the night and are not selling anything for this day: “It’s a big day in Britain. Halloween isn’t Ugandan. Try supermarkets for such gifts,†the white lady at its front desk says.
The Halloween parties can be very detrimental to some people as they create fear among the faithful. The children might end up accepting evil. Have a party folks but beware of the consequences. Ends
By Denis Jjuuko
SO somebody’s daughter has been pestering you for the last week or so about the Halloween night. Anyway, today is D-day for Kampalans to celebrate. This night has gradually but surely established itself on the calendar as another long evening of partying. Though it has not reached the status of St Valentines Day, it will surely get there one day just like the goat racing thing.
At Ziper House, the models are hotly anticipating the night. Their skinny bodies will be arrayed in special Halloween apparel this evening: “We have designed them for ourselves. We received them on Monday. We shall definitely have fun at Kampala Casino,†a model reveals.
But before you dress in that special attire and cover your pretty face in an oversized mask, it’s imperative to know the origins of this day.
The modern day celebrations of Halloween are drawn from the ancient Celtic fire festival called Samhain. Samhain was the feast of the dead in Pagan times, marking the end of harvest and welcoming the unfriendly winter conditions.
To the Celts, it was significant to mark the end of the summer because it meant that time of the year when their lives could change radically. As pastoral people, their cattle were brought down from the summer pastures and the masses gathered into their houses for the long winter nights of story telling.
The Celts believed that when people died, they straight-away went to the land of eternal youth and happiness called Tirnan Og. So they celebrated.
However, Halloween is seen by many as an evil function that should be shunned by contemporary society. According to Bible.com, the Halloween in its entirety creates a culture of fear among people, especially the children. Halloween dictates that the kids are ushered through spook houses and dread rooms. Therefore, by dressing children as witches and ghosts and making them look like the Majimotos and Mutulakungos of this world is an unholy experience that might negatively affect them for the rest of their lives.
It’s further argued that games like mummy wrap, which are evident at these celebrations, are fantastic representations of Satan. We all know that skeletons and black cats characterise darkness and death.
The ‘trick or treat’ games were part of the festivities. The Celtic wizards called Druids would go from one house to another asking for a virgin to rape and sacrifice in their pagan rituals. In return they would leave behind a candle made of human fat in a hollowed-out pumpkin (a Jack-o-lantern) as a reward. Failure to comply could cost one his life as the Druids would arrange for demons to assasinate such a person.
‘Soul cakes’ were also left on people’s door-steps to appease the wandering souls of the dead and thus avert evil. Failure to participate in such barbaric practices would lead to insults to the owner of the house. The home-owner was usually viewed as insensitive.
Quite many Ugandans can stand insults. They go through the same ordeal everyday, from taxi touts to those good-for-nothing lads who hurl abuses at any lady who shows off her G-string— and of course the gossip fellows who are steadily establishing themselves in our media. What takes one aback are the human sacrifices that are associated with Halloween night. We are still lucky here in Uganda because it hasn’t happened yet. But these Halloween festivities can lead to occult involvement in the long run. A new breed of Kibweteres might actually be born out of this Halloween religion. Yes, it’s a religion with a massive following.
Halloween enthusiasts were worshippers of Satan. They believe in darkness and always look for blonde blue-eyed children for sacrifice.
These nights include fortune-telling (usually by a Gypsy) as hundreds listen and cheer, making it look like plenty of fun. This includes divinations dealing with marriage. Some apples are placed in a barrel of water. The first individual who is able to bite an apple would be the one to get married in the coming year. Apple-peeling was another that showed how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be. Some ended up committing suicide after learning that their lives were short.
What do Ugandans say about this night? Should they celebrate Halloween? Christine Mawadri of the Cooper Road-based Capital FM says that Halloween is a good thing: “Ugandans should celebrate Halloween since we don’t have many fun days. However, they must understand its origins and everything about it,†she says. “We should even integrate it into our culture and make it Ugandan.â€
Her colleague Alex Ndawula has no kind words for the whole thing: “It’s a waste of time. Halloween has no meaning for Ugandans. It’s just an excuse to party,†says Kampala’s loudest mouth.
At the Weekly Ad on Kampala Road, Daniel, the Sales Manager says: “I hear it’s fun. I have never attended Halloween parties. I was just told.†Do you really understand this night? “Well, I hear it’s very scary. Given a chance, I would attend,†he answers.
The owner of Hosanna Smirties, a clothing outlet at the Pioneer Mall, couldn’t even pronounce the word Halloween. Not because she is not aware of it but to her, it’s a day for ghosts and witches. “Please come back when you have another topic. This day must not be celebrated by any Ugandan,†she said in a scary voice.
“Hallo..what? To be honest I don’t know,†says John Kazibwe, a special hire driver along William Street.
Surprisingly, the Banana Boat management at Kisementi don’t fancy the night and are not selling anything for this day: “It’s a big day in Britain. Halloween isn’t Ugandan. Try supermarkets for such gifts,†the white lady at its front desk says.
The Halloween parties can be very detrimental to some people as they create fear among the faithful. The children might end up accepting evil. Have a party folks but beware of the consequences. Ends