The Telluride Film Festival brings Halloween to The Palm

The Celts, who  lived 2,000 years ago in the part of the world that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and France, celebrated their New Year on November 1, the day that marked the end of summer and harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year some cultures associated with death. The Celts believed that on the night before their New Year, the Maginot Line that divided the worlds of the living and the dead became very fuzzy. October 31 was Samhain, when the ghosts of the dead returned to walk the earth.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic land, and, in the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints’ Day, an attempt to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day). The night before – the night of Samhain – was called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints’, All Saints’, and All Souls’, were called Hallowmas. Today, orange and black on October 1 has nothing to do with Princeton University and everything to do death, night, witches, black cats, bats, vampires, pumpkins, jack o’ lanterns and Autumn hues. 

Sunday at the Palm features films such as “What’s Under My Bed?,”  “Magic in the Air,” and “Dem Bones,” plus lots of wonderful surprises and FREE pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch.

For more about Sunday at the Palm for Halloween, click the “play” button and listen to the Telluride Film Festival’s education liaison Erika Gordon’s podcast.