(PCM) How many of you have every heard of The Necrofeast? Don’t worry, we hadn’t either until we discovered quite a few pages on the internet dedicated to this relatively unknown macabre holiday that is celebrated from sunset to dawn on December 27th.
According to the Facebook page dedicated Necrofeast, the holiday is influenced “by potpourri of Native American, European, Arabian, & other “unknown” pagan folklores. While similar to Halloween, El Día de los Muertos & Walpurgisnacht, The Necrofeast’s customs include honoring the dead & the undead with ornamentation, benevolence, shenanigans & celebratory masquerading.”
It is thought because of the cold weather the spirits are forced to wander among the living in search of food and comfort. It is a common myth that the spirits will often trick people into becoming lost leading them to certain doom or they will enter people’s homes disguised as animals or lost loved ones. The goal is to drive people outside through their worst nightmares.
The Facebook page lists eight customs that are typically associated with a Necrofeast celebration which include:
#1. On December 27th, from dusk until the following sunrise, people must remain within their homes or a friend’s abode having all the windows & doors closed with only a few exceptions…
#2. Before sunset, consider wandering through your local cemetery in order to keep the ground loosened & warm so the undead might not need to visit your home later on after dusk….Oh, and remember to whistle while you are there to keep everyone in good “spirits”….
#3. Within your front yard, the closer to your entrance, the better, you must leave an humbled sized empty cauldron, basket, can or any other kind of opened container. And the more embellished with the macabre, the better. Out of mutual respect, the undead will drop an object of best wishes into it which can be a variety of small things like food, toys or pennies. A special note on possible décor: Their favorite containers are opened coffins…
#4. In order to stay safe, for the undead are sneaky as much as they are hungry, you must throw a indoor masquerade until sunrise. The reason being so your friends will keep an eye on you from being possessed, etc. Again, out of mutual respect, the more ghoulish, the better. Besides eating, drinking & dancing, the most important custom would be the sharing of ghost stories through any kind of media as long as they provoke emotional fright & frolic….
#5. With the understanding that not all people or their friends can stay in their homes all night, in order to be safe outside, one must be costumed in the false appearance of a nocturnal creature . The undead have no interest in eating their friends of the animal world. This may include cats, bats, rats, owls, raccoons, possums or anything else. You may also appear as the undead since they much rather have something a bit more “fresh”…
#6. It is very important to know that while you are out & about, in order to trick the undead into believing you are one of them, you must also contribute a small object of best wishes to those who have left out a opened container. Kind of like trick or treating but in reverse. Also, before entering & leaving one’s home, you must say, “Knock on wood!!!”
#7. All costumes, gifts & décor may only be thrifted, homemade, recycled, etc. from prior festive embellishments. Think of it as a “grave robber’s holiday”
#8. In the end, this is about the celebrating of the macabre, the Gothic tales & The Fantastique of our past through storytelling, song & dance with victuals & libations while keeping in mind, it is meant to be lively but never “cute”. In other words, over time, we always felt holidays like Halloween needed a distant friend to lurk behind XMAS & whisper in its ear, “We’re still here…” (Kind of how XMAS steps on Halloween’s toes but not as stressful, over commercialized or sappy) Something much darker. A spine tingling epilogue just a little bit before the end of the year we call “The Necrofeast”
Well, there you have it! We were certainly fascinated to learn all about Necrofeast and the mystery surrounding this dark and eerie celebration. Let’s dig out that Oingo Boingo record and get ready to celebrate!
