Halloween

To my mind, there is something mysterious, even magical, about Halloween - the pagan celebration that occurs on the eve of All Saints or All Hallows' Eve - whether one chooses to actively participate in it or not. And the hollowed-out Jack-O'-Lantern pumpkin that has become such a part of the festival adds to the macabre aspect of it all, indeed has perhaps become the embodiment of it!

When I was a lad, though, we in this country never celebrated Halloween, indeed most of us would not even have known what it was! No, the special occasion for us was Guy Fawkes Night on 5th November, when we made up a bonfire and set on top of it the ragged effigy of Guy Fawkes who centuries ago attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament and almost succeeded! So our celebration is actually one born of a historical event, not a supernaturally based one that Halloween is in essence.

Halloween is really something imported from the USA, as far as I am aware, and, as with a lot of other American traditions, we have adopted it as our own, although with less gusto and fervour than over there where they really take it seriously and the custom of going out trick-or-treating from house to house at night is a much more widespread practice.

But coming back to jack-o'-lantern, there's something definitely spooky about him, lit-up from the inside and grinning ghoulishly as if he has something gruesome in store for us! He almost seems to come alive and Halloween without him would just not be the same. Together with witches and haunted houses and supernatural goings-on, he now embodies the very spirit of modern Halloween.