WHY HALLOWEEN-LIKE EVENT NOT IN HINDUISM?

In this post, we will talk about what Halloween.

WHAT IS HALLOWEEN?

As per Brittanica.com, Halloween’s origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which was held on November 1 in contemporary calendars.

It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits. In this way, popular Halloween tropes such as witches, ghosts, and goblins became associated with the holiday.

WHY HALLOWEEN NOT IN HINDUISM?

Halloween like-event is not celebrated in Hinduism because it won’t make much sense as Hinduism has a clear and well laid practice of ‘Terahvin’ after the death of their beloved people.

Terahvin refers to the ceremony conducted to mark the final day of mourning after a death by many Hindus, and sometimes Sikhs also. The term terahvin means thirteenth, and the ceremony is held on the thirteenth day after the death being mourned.

As taught by many highly conscious souls and Saints that have come into this world, It is believed that on the thirteenth day of the death, a living being’s soul moves on to the next step i.e. in the court of the Lord where one’s judgement of their actions and inactions are done.

Following this process, they’ve stated, that the soul then either is sent to reincarnate into the next body or according to their Karmas (actions), sent to heaven or hell for some time before it gets reincarnation again.

The Hindu Samkhya Philosophy states that the soul keeps reincarnating until it has learnt all its lessons on earth and achieved its true purpose of coming into this world : EVOLUTION, and therefore Moksha.

Hindu Samkhya philosophy, one of the six classical schools of Indian philosophy, offers unique insights into the concepts of the soul and reincarnation.

The Samkhya philosophy, founded by the sage Kapila, emphasizes a dualistic worldview and provides a distinctive perspective on the soul (Atman) and the process of reincarnation (samsara).

Here’s what Samkhya philosophy teaches about these concepts:

1. Concept of Atman (Soul): In Samkhya philosophy, the concept of Atman is fundamental. Atman is considered eternal, unchanging, and distinct from the physical body and the material world. It is described as pure consciousness and is beyond the influence of material nature (Prakriti). The Sankhya philosophy posits the existence of countless individual Atmans, each with its own unique identity.
2. Reincarnation (Samsara): Samkhya philosophy aligns with the broader Hindu belief in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, known as samsara. It teaches that individual Atmans go through a continuous cycle of reincarnation, moving from one body to another as they accumulate experiences and karma (the consequences of one’s actions). The nature of the new birth is determined by the accumulated karma from previous lives.
3. Liberation (Moksha): The ultimate goal in Samkhya philosophy, as in many other Hindu philosophies, is liberation or moksha. Liberation is achieved when an individual’s Atman realizes its true nature, transcends the cycle of samsara, and becomes free from the bondage of the material world. This liberation entails a deep understanding of the distinction between Purusha (the pure consciousness or Atman) and Prakriti (the material nature).

Therefore, learning from the above given spiritual treasures in Hinduism, it may make no sense to a person to welcome the spirits of his ancestors as one would already know that the Soul has proceeded in its journey ahead.

Read more articles in HINDUISM here

Subscribe to weekly spiritual wisdom here.