Unexplained Mysteries: Usually at this time of the year we like to post up an article which delves into the history of Halloween, what it's roots are, how it originated and what it means. This year however we thought we'd try something a little different. For the most part, the original traditions of Halloween have been lost, replaced instead by pre-made costumes, pumpkin lanterns and a level of commercialisation which has essentially ensured that the original meaning of Halloween has been forgotten. The following article from the Scotsman touches on how a tradition such as Halloween can eventually turn into a commercial 'monster'.GIE'S oor Halloween ... The traditional cry of the guiser grows ever fainter, driven into the outer darkness of what was once All Hallow's Eve by strident shrieks of "trick or treat". The once-ubiquitous reek of burnt neep is dissipated under the glare of the pumpkin, that transatlantic yellow peril which has all but usurped our native turnip as lord of Halloween misrule. While police forces across the country issue warnings about excessive trick-or-treating, the gibbering of ghaisties and ghoulies enjoying their annual spree is drowned out by the ringing tills of what has become a multi-million-pound industry. After Christmas and Easter, according to research analysts, Halloween is the third-most profitable event for retailers in Britain, with associated spending rocketing from £12 million five years ago to an anticipated £120 million this year - reflecting, among other things, the move from home-made guising costumes to often ready-made, bought outfits. And this is not just for children: the adult fancy dress and decoration sector is the fastest-growing aspect of Halloween spending - while the UK pumpkin market is worth some £25 million.
Pumpkins, of course, as even the most fervent Halloween fundamentalist has to agree, are easier to carve than turnips (many of us will recall maternal wrath as the best kitchen knife was mangled, and spoil heaps of surplus neep accumulated). The leering orange vegetable's popularity may also have been boosted among adults by reports that its seeds may improve the sex drive. Perhaps the cry should be "Gie's back oor Halloween", as the one-time pagan Celtic festival of Samhain, hijacked by Christianity as All Hallow's Eve, is reduced to a consumer-driven charade, like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. Perversely, it has come full circle, the holiday having been first imported to America with Scots and Irish emigrants, then returned, rehashed and hugely commercialised, to Britain and Europe over the past century.
View: Full Article | Source: The Scotsman
