Ghosts, witches and ghouls of all sorts! Step out on any given street in North America on the night of October 31st and people running from door to door dressed as one of these won’t be difficult to spot. It is a night we have all grown up with and one that dates back thousands of years, stemming from a Celtic celebration. Bishop’s has its own spin on how we believe the Hallowe’en tradition should be celebrated…and it involves not just one night of dressing up in a ghoulish or outrageous outfit, but three nights in a row!
The original concept of Hallowe’en comes from a tradition called “Somhain” which is the celebration of the Celtic New Year. On the night of the 31st, the Celtics would celebrate the year’s harvest and the turning of the seasons. They also believed this to be a night when the boundary between the worlds of both the living and the dead became blurred… and the dead were able to cross over to our world and cause mischief. In recognition of this, the Celtics would dress up in costumes for their celebration.
The modern day tradition of Hallowe’en is to dress up and go “trick or treating.” In short, once a year, you can dress up as anything you like and then go door to door to get free candy! It’s a far cry from the original Celtic tradition but who’s complaining? At Bishop’s, however, we do things a little differently.
First of all, it is a three-day event at Bishop’s. Three days of dressing up and wild theme parties hosted by our local and campus bars. I was a little shocked the first time I took part in this, especially when I was told I needed not one costume but three. Believe me when I say Hallowe’en is not something that is taken lightly here. This weekend is also significant for students because it marks the end of midterms, making this a weekend of freedom. What better way to unwind then by dressing up as something like a superhero, villain or a character you idolized from your childhood? Then doing it again the next night and the night after. The Hallowe’en celebration at Bishop’s University is not exactly a secret either. Our three-day festivities have been ranked in David Letterman’s Top 10 places to be for Hallowe’en. Not too shabby for such a small school. Though anyone who goes here knows to expect nothing less.
Outsiders might look at the way we celebrate Hallowe’en and think it’s simply an excuse for us to wreak havoc on the small town of Lennoxville for three whole days, but there is more to it than that. Our own Gaiter athletes walk the streets of Lennoxville for hours making sure that they are safe for the local community children to enjoy a night of trick or treating. It’s about spirit and school tradition. Both are something we boast a lot about here. The reason we’re so spirited is the fact that we’re able to do things together. Hallowe’en is just another way for BU students to celebrate that. Being able to dress up as anything from a Superhero one night, a Barbie the next and Ken the night after, well, that is just a perk!
