In the St Patrick's Day post, Frog Queen mentioned that while visiting England, she'd noticed a lack of Halloween celebrations. I thought I'd post an explanation, as it's bound to be something a few of you might be curious about. Give you an idea of what I'm up against too; a lone Canuck in the Land of St. George (who's hardly recognised any more either, but that's another tale).
Halloween came to North America thanks largely to Irish and to a lesser degree, Scottish immigrants. It's still celebrated in both countries, though not to the extent it is in Canada and the States. And while the celebrations might look a bit different, it doesn't detract from the good time. Hit Edinburgh in Scotland or Dublin in Ireland if you want to experience Halloween on this side of the Atlantic.
Anyway, for some reason, Halloween hasn't really caught on in England. I'm going to go by what I was told by my English relatives, and what I know about Anglo/Scots/Irish relations over the centuries and hazard a guess; it has something to do with the centuries old English prejudice regarding the Scots and Irish (or Celts as they were known way back), being pagan and barbaric. Therefore you wouldn't be caught dead adopting the same ritual festivities. Probably didn't help either that they were burning supposed witches at the stake in this country long before Salem.
Ironic when you consider some of the old English customs, many of which have also disappeared, sadly. Now some of those were really weird!
You do see Halloween merchandise in the stores, but generally, stock tends to be limited and isn't of good quality, in my opinion. Trick or treating is rare, though some children attend Halloween parties organised by schools and clubs.
Someone asked me if Halloween was celebrated any where else in Europe. I have to say I don't know. I'll add that to the list of possible future posts.
Frog Queen also mentioned Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night, as it's more commonly known now. This celebrates the failure of the "Gunpowder Plot" by Catholic conspirators to blow up Parliament on November 5, 1605. And even that doesn't get much of a look up nowadays, depending what part of the country you're in.
Now this isn't to say that Halloween doesn't have it's fans here. It's just that we are small in number and the task is great. So there you have it folks. A sad story, but not without hope. And one that I, and others, are trying to remedy in our own small ways.
Join the fight! Save Halloween!
Sorry Ali, but I wouldn't want Halloween to become a bigger holiday than it already is. Trick or treating for kids is fine, if it's done properly, and isn't just an excuse for kids to 'beg' for cash or play tricks, but I don't see the need for folks to decorate their houses or have big parties.
ReplyDeleteAs you said in your post, St. George's Day isn't recognised that much any more, and I think I'd much prefer that holiday to be recognised than Halloween (which *is* seen as an American holiday these days, regardless of how it started).
As for Halloween in the rest of Europe, I'm also not sure, but I don't recall seeing anything for Halloween over here in Holland. I will see what I can find out from my European buddies and get back to you.
Thanks Kitty! Appreciate the research assistance.
ReplyDeleteThere are holidays throughout Europe that entail costumes etc.. but they aren't Halloween. An example might be Germany's "Fasching" which is held before Lent and is similar to Carnivale.