Halloween is not a usual thing here, although recently I’ve noticed costumes, jack o’lanterns and other paraphernalia in the shops.
I think it’s a pity, because it gives kids a chance to dress up on a mass scale, and do something with an element of ‘scariness’ to it, something almost not-childlike… like holding adults to ransom.
It’s curious how Hallowe’en has developed from a pagan celebration (Samhain) to a pretty well commercial one, in spite of a religious overlay (All Souls/All Saints). But the sense of supernatural still seems to be there, even if kids are choosing to dress up as non-spooky things. (Although I can see that a giant toothbrush could be spooky too.)
Its an interesting thought about the alternation of sex in costuming. It’s something I’ve noticed in some of the LOTR fandom activities – the number of females who want to dress as Frodo or Sam (but not so many males want to dress up as Rosie.) This could be because of the dearth of likely female characters, or perhaps it’s a close identification with F and S. I don’t know, perhaps it’s a bit like wearing a boyfriend’s/partner’s jumper when it’s cold – you feel closer to them because you’re inhabiting their ‘skin’. I do like the idea of being able to express otherwise hidden aspects of yourself.
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Date: 2003-10-30 01:21 am (UTC)I think it’s a pity, because it gives kids a chance to dress up on a mass scale, and do something with an element of ‘scariness’ to it, something almost not-childlike… like holding adults to ransom.
It’s curious how Hallowe’en has developed from a pagan celebration (Samhain) to a pretty well commercial one, in spite of a religious overlay (All Souls/All Saints). But the sense of supernatural still seems to be there, even if kids are choosing to dress up as non-spooky things. (Although I can see that a giant toothbrush could be spooky too.)
Its an interesting thought about the alternation of sex in costuming. It’s something I’ve noticed in some of the LOTR fandom activities – the number of females who want to dress as Frodo or Sam (but not so many males want to dress up as Rosie.) This could be because of the dearth of likely female characters, or perhaps it’s a close identification with F and S. I don’t know, perhaps it’s a bit like wearing a boyfriend’s/partner’s jumper when it’s cold – you feel closer to them because you’re inhabiting their ‘skin’. I do like the idea of being able to express otherwise hidden aspects of yourself.
(I’m not sure if any of this makes sense…)