Do you suffer from samhainophobia?
You may think this is a personal matter and is none of our business. Or you might be thinking: what is it and why you ask?
Well, samhainophobia is a little known psychological disorder. It is not the fear of the people named Sam Hain. The definition given by David DiSalvo in Forbes is: “A persistent, abnormal and unwarranted fear of Halloween, despite the phobic person’s conscious understanding and assurance by others that there is no danger. “
So what was this phobia named? The answer to this question takes us back 2000 years to the ancient Celts. Each October 31, they held a ceremony called Samhain, which means “the end of summer,” to honor the completion of the harvest cycle. The Samhain festival featured large bonfires and ritual sacrifices to appease the dead so that they would not return and cause trouble for the townspeople. People also wore masks to please the spirits.
Even though you won’t find a diagnosis of samhainophobia in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), it fits the requirement of a phobia because it involves irrational or excessive fear related to a situation or a specific object. Other similar phobias include wiccaphobia, fear of witchcraft, and arachnophobia, fear of spiders. I (Lynn) admit I have this latest fear. Doug likes to hide plastic spiders in drawers, just to see me jump! It’s fun and playful!
You might be wondering what would cause samhainophobia? Some possible reasons could be that many traditions around Halloween involve scary things like ghosts, skeletons, witches, and vampires. Some people don’t like to be scared or afraid.
With a few days of Halloween, it looks like there will be fewer restrictions this year than last year. So now we can wear different masks. COVID is like a creepy goblin that has been lurking around us for quite some time. It is as if we had lived Halloween, without the fun.
Moreover, we are sure that it is not fun to suffer from samhainophobia. If you have it, Halloween is definitely not a pleasant holiday for you. There are therapies using desensitization techniques, relaxation techniques, and hypnotherapy, which can be helpful. It must be hard to feel like a stranger when a lot of people are enjoying Halloween.
Yes, Halloween is popular. Did you know that Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday right after Christmas? Halloween is also one of the most popular days for Hallmark, ranking 6th among the most popular holidays.
If you are one of those people who really love Halloween, what memories do you have of Halloween? We remember putting on costumes when we were young, going to neighbors and saying, “Trick or Treat! We also look back on going to Halloween parties and playing games like ‘fighting for apples’. The health department would have a crisis because of this game today! Even as adults, we dressed when we took the kids to the neighborhood.
What was your favorite treat to put in your goodie bag when taking a ride or having a treat? One of us was Almond Joy or Mounds bar. They were delicious and more expensive than the other goodies. Then, they cost ten cents against half for the others. Today that same candy bar costs $ 1.29! According to CandyStore.com, Americans’ favorite Halloween candy are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, followed by Skittles and M & Ms. Candy Corn is # 10.
Pumpkin carving remains a favorite Halloween activity for kids of all ages. Doug is a master at carving pumpkins. This year, however, it has been loaded, so we’ll just have to remove the old ceramic pumpkin.
Did you know that the first pumpkin lanterns were made from potatoes, beets and turnips? These seem really hard to sculpt, don’t they? Have you ever wondered how the term jack-o’-lantern came about? Once again he returns to Ireland. Legend has it that an Irishman named Stingy Jack cheated on the devil. Therefore, he was not allowed in either Heaven or Hell. Instead, he spent his days roaming the land carrying a lantern. He was called “Jack of the Lantern”, which turned into Jack O ‘Lantern.
And you? What kind of Halloween are you planning this year? Now you have more facts about Halloween than you probably ever wanted to know. But think about how prepared you are for this big day.
Hope if you are suffering from samhainophobia the symptoms will disappear like a ghost so that you can enjoy the vacation as well. We wish you a peaceful, safe and fun Happy Halloween!
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