Seeker

The Halloween celebrations of my childhood seem so innocent in retrospect, as indeed they were, unlike some now. In England when I was a child Hallowe'en (Eve of All Hallows) was a very low-key event. I don't remember any commercialism. I've just heard what the average spend per household for Halloween is today in the UK and I'm horrified, especially as that includes much plastic rubbish, easily flammable costumes, sweets that rot teeth and a gross waste of pumpkins by people who only use them for carving and not eating. I could go on, but that would be at the risk of being a kill-joy and I am all for people having fun in ways that don't harm people or the planet. So, back to my childhood reminiscing. Bobbing for apples, in a bucket of water without using hands, was about as dangerous as it got at the Sunday School party on 31 October. Well, I suppose a child could have been drowned if there had been someone there of such evil intent or if the supervision h...

The Halloween celebrations of my childhood seem so innocent in retrospect, as indeed they were.  For a start they were very low-key.  Bobbing for apples in a bucket of water without using hands was about as dangerous as it got at the Sunday School party on 31 October. Well, I suppose a child could have been drowned if there had been someone there of such evil intent or if the supervision had been lax. Passing round a paper bag containing 'eyeballs' to feel in the dark was as scary as it got. And when the light was turned on and the eyeballs revealed to be grapes gave reassuring relief. One year at a friend's house I remember   carving lanterns from swedes (turnips for some of you), standing those outside the door, then running around inside house covered in an old sheet as a group of children pretended to be 'ghosts' to frighten each other. There was much more laughter than fear. The Irish/American custom of 'trick or treat' was completely absent a...