Here are links to some of the Halloween news stories that have been in the Press recently. Some of them are good, some fun and some downright dreadful. First, my favourite:
"Halloween? It’s more than trick or treat" - Opinion piece by Professor Ronald Hutton in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/28/halloween-more-than-trick-or-treat-origins
Now some interesting or useful ones:
"Love It or Hate It, Halloween Is Going Global" - story at National Geographic: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/halloween-world-costumes-germany-uk/
"Halloween 2017 survival guide: How to cope with nuisance callers" - story at Derby Telegraph http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/halloween-2017-survival-guide-how-534508
"Americanised festival of Halloween is a horrible nightmare on my street" - story at Daily Record: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/family-kids/americanised-festival-halloween-horrible-nightmare-11423956
Here's a cute but silly story:
"Pictures: Dogs get dressed up for Halloween!" - story at BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/41788840
Finally, probably the worst and most inaccurate story about Samhain (a pagan name for Halloween) I think I have even seen in a British newspaper:
"DEAD SCARY Samhain is the pagan origin of Halloween – and its terrifying rituals include human sacrifices and pumpkins filled with burning human fat" - story at The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4711600/samhain-is-the-pagan-origin-of-halloween-and-its-terrifying-rituals-include-human-sacrifices-and-pumpkins-filled-with-burning-human-fat/
2 comments:
I don't care about Halloween, Samhain on the other hand...
Sadie, you might find the Ronald Hutton piece very interesting - it talks about all the pagan festivals that existed before Halloween. Samhain was really on celebrated in Ireland in ancient times. The Welsh, Norse, Saxons and other pagans had different festivals that were not called Samhain. Obviously if you are strictly an Ancient Irish reconstructionist then only caring about Samhain makes sense, but if you are modern pagan with a wider remit then learning about this history of Halloween is rather useful - and interesting.
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