Halloween: Get Stuck In!
Out of all the holidays, Halloween is probably considered the least important. A good percentage don’t celebrate it at all, growl at those who trick or treat and view the whole thing tacky. Many over 18 simply take it as another excuse to go out and get leery with costumes becoming more random and spookless (Power Rangers/Marilyn Monroe) as the years pass. Christmas always encroaches on it, further lessening its presence, distracting participants from asking that basic question which even the most drunk Irishman will ask on St Paddy’s – what’s it all about then?
It’s essentially a combination of superstition and remembrance – the former for warding off ghosts in the Celtic festivals known as Samhain and the latter for those who have checked out. Admittedly it may seem inappropriate remembering Grandad while a bunch of kids dressed up as Star Wars characters run past, but you shouldn’t let things that make you frown stop you from having your own Halloween.
While much of what you see is American-influenced there are some great traditions to this spooky season that everyone should get involved with. Taking decorations as an example – Halloween far surpasses Christmas which is why it’s a crime they overlap. Christmas themes are limited. Evil comes in all forms. There is much more artist expression in carving a pumpkin than there is in hanging baubles on a tree. The rise in popularity of the Halloween tree is a welcome modern creation. To me it symbolises poisoning Christmas before it’s begun!
The opportunity to dress up is another we should all embrace. A chance to break out of that socially conditioned shell and get in touch with the big kid inside is good for the soul. A big percentage of those who completely denounce Halloween will be sour individuals who deserve a good scare, which brings me to the most crucial point.
So long as we’re not doing it to oldies with a dodgy ticker we should all try and get a good scare in, just as most try to get in a good fool on the first of April. It is the essence of Halloween to unnerve another, to get them to believe in (if only for the slightest of moments) that all is not right. It is when life’s boundaries are completely set that things can become rather boring. How to stop someone feeling bad about work? Make a dash at them with artificial foam coming from the mouth!
To finish you can’t beat gathering around to watch a horror flick – there is something cosy about watching things that might follow you upstairs and enter dreamland. There can be something nice about nightmare’s….no? It might just be me! The reality of most ‘celebrating’ Halloween at movie time will involve them getting drunk out of their minds, and so while they may not even be asking that most basic question regarding where it all comes from – at least they will be doing great impressions of zombies!
