Day of the dead
Oct 31st, 2007 by katesaltfleet
And HTB has done the unforgivable - by recording over the Nightmare Before Christmas, one of my favourite movies of all time. “We can get it on DVD, darling.” Yes, but won’t be able to sit and watch it on Halloween night. *pout*
I have mixed feelings about all this Halloween business. In some ways it seems to be something else less than desirable that’s made its way across the Atlantic, and it seems to get bigger every year. I don’t like the way that it is used to excuse all sorts of anti-social behaviour like egging people’s windows. Maybe I’m getting old 
Halloween, or Samhain as it is more correctly known is actually one of eight Sabbats which make up the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. Wicca is actually the indigenous pre-Christian religion of the British Isles, so the belief that Halloween is an American invention is a fallacy. The “spooky” aspect probably comes from the fact that Wiccans believe that this is the night of the year where the curtain between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest. This is the night of the year when you can contact your dead ancestors and it is this ghost aspect which is carried on with today’s spooky parties and the like.
Most of Europe celebrates All Saints Day tomorrow, and All Souls Day on the 2nd November, when people visit the graves of their ancestors and give them a good tidy up and place flowers. In Guadeloupe, it is even a sociable occasion, with whole families taking fold up chairs down to the cemetery. Parked outside are hotdog vans and stalls. It is a totally different experience to that of Britain, and not at all morbid.
In a celebration of life, I will be taking part in World Vegan Day tomorrow. Regular readers will know that I have taken the October Veggie month message to heart and have given up meat. I am also phasing out other animal products, it is astounding how many everyday products have animal bits and pieces in them (fish scales in sparkly eyeshadow anyone?).
