All Hallows' Eve

It's Halloween again. I can see it in every store, restaurant, bar and even private houses. The business sees Halloween as a chance to sell Halloween themed products and pumpkins, vegetable that we don't see the rest of the year, seem to be everywhere.

The 31st October is thought to be the night of the year when ghosts, witches and fairies are especially active. It happens on the eve of a major catholic festival, All Saints Day, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, and also on the eve of the pagan Celtic festival known as Samhain, marking the end of the light half of the year and the beginning of the dark half. In some catholic countries tomorrow will be a bank holiday except in the UK, where we must go to work tomorrow too.

The name, Halloween, is a shortening of "All Hallows' Eve" and the festivity has been so Americanized that whole Europe, including the UK, celebrates the night before All Saints Day with trick-or-treating, decorating and carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, and wearing spooky (or not that spooky) costumes. Don't get me wrong, I am not against American traditions. However, I believe traditions should stay where they belong instead of trying to conquer the rest of the world.

Bristol247.com suggests a very interesting guide with Halloween-themed plans to do in Bristol: 'Halloween Fun' at Bristol Zoo, 'Late Nights' at the Watershed, 'Under the Dark Moon' at the Creative Common and Ramshackle Halloween Freak Out at the O2 Academy, for example. It's a weekend full of plans... or make your own!