UW Infoshop members and other anarchy supporters learned about the connection between anarchy and Halloween last night at a discussion in the Humanities building.
Infoshop member John Peck presented historical information linking the holiday to the criticism of central authority and emphasis on individual liberty that are among the pillars of anarchy.
According to Peck, the mischievous behavior associated with the holiday hearkens back to old Celtic nature spirits called Sidhe. When millions of refugees fled Ireland for the United States during potato famine, they brought the autumn holiday with them.
“Trick or treating actually comes from the early wealth redistribution effort of desperate Irish immigrant children, who would seek handouts from the rich on October 31, and, if unsuccessful, retaliate with vandalism,” Peck explained. “Now people celebrate a commercialized version of Halloween.”
Peck said the occurrence of All Saints Day — Nov. 1 — and All Souls Day — Nov. 2 — is a direct response to the preceding holiday.
“Ruling elites were so scared by the pagan power of October 31 that they needed two whole days devoted to cleansing their flock of evil,” he said.
The Celtic predecessor of Halloween was the Oct. 31 holiday Samhain, in which “the real insurrectionary threat behind Halloween” is found, Peck said. It is also from Samhain that jack-o-lanterns were derived. In Ireland, carved turnips were illuminated to guide the way for the deceased, who would supposedly commune with living people.
Peck proposed several anarchist-related Halloween activities, including haunting “evil” establishments and cursing capitalist institutions.
In London, a coalition of anarchists and other anti-militarists called on people to meet tonight outside the Houses of Parliament dressed as ghosts to protest the British government’s support of the war in Iraq.
“On Halloween … the ghosts will take to the streets and become visible again,” a post on anarchist website Ainfos.ca read. “We’ll show that politics isn’t made by the few but by the many, and we’ll declare our disobedience publicly. On Halloween the ghosts will become the disobedients.”
