Worshipping the night light (Image: Steven Schofield/Corbis)
Read more: 鈥�The night: The nocturnal journey of body and mind鈥�
WHAT is 鈥渘ight鈥�? A mundane answer is that it is the result of a planet rotating under a shining star. But for humans it has always meant much more than that. Night is a strange and special time, not only different from the day but also a place of unorthodox beliefs and behaviours.
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If we look at how various cultures imagine the time before the world came into being, it is often conceptualised as a kind of night. Judeo-Christian cultures, for instance, conceive of a world that emerged out of darkness. Many cultures view darkness in negative terms, a time distinguished not only by the absence of light and often warmth, but also by chaos and fear.
But there is another side to the human relationship with the night. We have a long tradition of studying dreams (think of Freud), modes of sleeping, and the special behaviours of night-time. All three conceive of night as a period of release from external social pressure and internal inhibitions.
Sleeping customs, however mundane, are indicative of deep emotional attachments and a sense of belonging. About a third of our lives are passed sleeping, so how and with whom this time is spent are significant for family life, for rest and recuperation, and for one鈥檚 place in society. Dreaming is a time when we are particularly open to associations, thoughts and memories, pleasurable or otherwise.
Of no less importance is night鈥檚 special social status. It is not just a time for sleep but also an opportunity to celebrate, to obtain relief from the structures and strictures of the day. In this respect the night is not a void, but is filled with beings and activities, human and non-human, real and imaginary, sometimes obscure, evil or menacing, or at least different to those of the day.
Since the beginning of history, people have attempted to master or 鈥渆nlighten鈥� the night, if only to banish it. For centuries, these attempts were based on little more than the domestication of fire or the periodic blessings of the full moon. For most of our early history there was no illumination during the night other than stars or moonlight. Today the night has been colonised by light 鈥� but it continues to combine menace, wonder and thrills.
The release from the limitations and control imposed by daylight make possible unique activities. Many individuals and groups use and cherish the night for what it is. They do not want to put up lights, but rather need darkness for their actions and doings: thieves, demons, hunters, warriors, healers, or just people wanting to celebrate. One way to carry out such activities is to create, at least temporarily, an alternative life through dressing up, getting drunk, singing, dancing, disguising yourself, or changing personality and identity through performance or theatricality.
Whatever they are, events taking place at night are characterised by behaviour that is radically different from that of the day, full of the potential for creativity and expression and all sorts of inversions and playful fantasies.
A good example is Rio de Janeiro鈥檚 carnival, which is built around an opposition to the city鈥檚 daytime character. People are awake but not doing anything productive; they occupy public thoroughfares usually reserved for vehicles, don special costumes and masks and enact creative, fanciful productions often flaunting erotic themes.
Spanish fiestas, which happen at weekends and during holidays, are another. Rarely starting before 1 am and usually continuing till dawn, they take place in streets and squares, bars and clubs, giving people free rein to enjoy the special, magical dimension of the night.
More generally, night is a place for performance: theatre, dance, music and comedy. A time when a host of beings 鈥� creatures of the night, whether dangerous animals, demons, deities or pleasure-seekers 鈥� appear in their most forceful, creative form.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淭he night鈥�
