If you associate Halloween with children “trick or treating” their way from door to door in the hope of a sweet or two, stop right there. I have been in Chicago over the weekend making a documentary loosely centered on the subject of war.
The city lived up to its windiness – it made for a spectacularly sunny Halloween with an icy wind billowing in off what amounts to the largest freshwater pond in the world. But whatever we were doing it was impossible to escape the festivities.
Checking into the hotel, the clock behind reception was smothered in cobwebs, the men and women on duty, wore green make up and sported wigs to their waists.
Getting into the elevator, we were joined at intervals by people with horns, fangs, and at times bodies that appeared to represent vast inflated whoopie cushions. So far as I could divine, there wasn’t a child in the 26-floor building.
The entire pumpkin production of Illinois seemed to have descended on Chicago, together with straw bails that appeared to have been dropped by helicopter down the central reservation of Michigan Avenue. But above all, it was the wholesale dressing up – be there or be square, and some were.
I saw a number of cardboard boxes walking down the street, even a wooden box that blew over, crossing at an intersection. The planks fell into the street revealing the unfortunate inmate who fled in pyjamas, carrying bits of timber under his arm.
A mass desire to dress up, to become absurd, seemed to seize the place. The Feast of All Souls? All Saints Eve? Forget it – this is America’s day, all fools day, and it gets bigger every year, more commercialised (many of the ritzier costumes I saw had been professionally constructed and sold) and more infectious (witness its growth in at home in Blighty).
The net result is that the stranger going about his work in normal clothing feels undressed, almost naked and horribly sober. Did I say horribly? That’s quite enough horror for one weekend!
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Blogged about Halloween myself, a post entitled “Grabbed by the Ghoulies” as usual, its not very intellectual…!
In my city, Edinburgh, it was difficult to distinguish between who was dressed up especially for Halloween and who was simply on a regular saturday night out
The boring people like myself listened to evensong at’ All souls’ church in Margaret st ..
Not a believer , but the nostalgia is something that E.T.ish reminds me of home, so I often go through the rituals.
in a little village in the centre of rural england the insane Americanism of Halloween appears to be dying.Just real witches dancing naked before the altar of life
You should see Austin! I just arrived here for the winter from Blighty and they go absolutely crazy for Halloween here, apparently known across the country as the place they do it biggest. With the world’s largest urban community of bats (1.5 million!) living under Congress Bridge in the centre of downtown it’s kind of fitting!
I went as Alex from Clockwork Orange, the reaction to which was equal parts delight and bemusement depending on whether people had seen the film. The funny thing was noone believed I was English, they all thought I was putting on the accent for the part!
Halloween ‘fun’, well, actually I think the hideous spectre of pumping tons of poisonous fumes, smoke & carcinogenic crap into the air, right accross the country, in the name of ‘Guy Fawkes’, is more ludicrous in an era of environmental considerations!
Am I being OTT to suggest it should be banned?
No. Don’t ban it. The idea of blowing up the Houses of Parliament is well worth commemorating, particulalrly this year…!
What we should perhaps do though, is try to hold the celebrations on one night and get it over and done with, rather than spread out over several weeks as tends to happen now.
I’ll rephrase that. I meant to say, Halloween is just a fun time even though some people disapprove of it. But, Plot/bonfire night seems hideous in terms of burning fires in the name of Guy Fawkes. The amount of pollution drives in the face of environmental protection and attempts to lower greenhouse gases and poisonous substances.
I would ban Bonfire Night only because of this reason.
No I agree Anthony( at the risk of being a kiljoy)
There are other ways to have fun and the use of these displays of fireworks at every festive occassion is on the increase. Good biz for those who work in TNT and occassionally it is appropriate.
20 years ago I would have said ‘you boring s*d .’ I love fun and life is for the living , but hang on ;havn’t we got enough actors around ?
I won a fancy dress as a kid at school for dressing up as a witch , an outfit which I made myself. That is where it stopped as a 12 year old.
These Guy Fawkes activities are dangerous and out of date .. Move on West… lets go back more natural fun..in the best possible taste…..
No Anthony, you are not – BTW don’t forget to lock your doors tonight,close the curtains tight,put your slippers on and your cleanest Scrooge attire.Then perhaps settle down to “The Sound of Music” (all that fresh air and rolling countryside !) Only then will you be free of all those strange people out there having a thoroughly wonderful time with their children, celebrating a great historic British tradition – good luck
A Swedish perspective:
To us, the “All Saints” weekend has always meant remembering our dead. Whether religious or not, we light candles and put on the graves along with reaths and Heather. We give some extra thought to the loved ones who have passed away. In church, the names of all those who have died during the last year are being read out in a special Service. Given our dark Northern November nights, it feels somewhat comforting to see all the candles lit in church yards across the country.
BUT.. during my years of commuting back and forth between the UK and Sweden, I have noticed a change. Nowadays, the commercial Halloween way of celebrating has taken over. Big time. Not to the extent you describe from Chicago, Jon. But – we are definitely going that way.
I went out for a lazy Chinese take away Friday night in Topsham. Surrounded by witches, little ghosts – AND big ones, vampires and devils, I felt strangely ‘naked’ – just as you described.
I have lived in different parts of the world but became an adult in the UK during the 90s and Halloween never existed here during that time, it was just good old Guy Fawkes burnt on a bonfire with children and adults alike still having fun.
So, as usual, Halloween has been introduced to this country for purely financial reasons. It also happens to coincide with the year’s worst street crime in one night. Will we ever get anything right?
adzmundo CND
“I saw a number of cardboard boxes walking down the street”
Vagrants and the homeless are ahead of the game of course!
The US citizens are dead right – have a good time – hard enough at times – it is a pity that here it appears to be ragaarded just as something for youngsters – we should at lesat try to be as song says — ” young at heart ” .
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