It was Halloween yesterday but it is a day that is nearly never celebrated in Malaysia. A day that we only see on TV shows or movies. What on earth is halloween? this is just a brief history of halloween.
Halloween, or the Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1. In old English the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians used to observe All Hallows Day to honor all Saints in heaven, known or unknown. They used to consider it with all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the Church year. And Catholics, all and sundry, was obliged to attend Mass.
Through the years and even generations it has evolved into some what of a day of excuse. An excuse to get sweets, wearing something stupid and not be laughed at, having a bad hair day and getting commended for it, partying all night long etc. We usually watch on TV seeing children dressed in costumes going to each home to get sweets and the house owner is obliged to give out candies. It actually reminds me of the hungry ghost festival that we often witness back in Malaysia. It sounds similar, just that the ghost around here has a sweet tooth.... haha...
Anyway.. i went with my friends yesterday to the pub nearby to experience my first halloween.. not that i celebrate or care about it but just to see what people do.. It was a funny experience seeing people dressed up running around.. most of them already half drunk.. the worst thing is as i was walking, for every 20m i would count about 5 splatters of vomit.. absolutely disgusting.. and im doing a presentation on Alcohol consumption on Friday... anyway... it was fun at the pub.. people dancing and drinking away... These poor misguided people got no where to go and the highlight of their day is drinking and clubbing in the night.. was talking to one of my classmates and she told me that drinking and clubbing is her life.. she has nothing to do if she stops clubbing... i was saying to myself "what a sad life". So have i finally understood the word meaninglessness?
This really reminds me of the times i read the book of Ecclesiastes where the wisest man that ever lived on this earth, King Solomon laments about meaninglessness on this earth. His famous tag line in that book is "everything under the Sun is meaningless". The man who had everything in this world, power, wealth, women, kingdom, castle etc. and he says everything is meaningless. what sense does it make? So what then is our purpose on earth? Are we just extra dough that God miscalculated? NO.. God has a purpose for all of us.. That's why He sent His only begotten Son Jesus to redeem us from sin. We have a mission. Solomon goes on to say that life without God is meaningless. We have a call. Those people need Jesus and there are many more out there who need Him too. I really hope that i would never have to understand or experience meaninglessness in my life. I have Jesus.. Halleluyah!!
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