Thursday 31 October 2013

Half term and Halloween

The half term holiday is nearly over and, for a change, I've actually done things other than read and drink too much coffee. 

The Daughter plus Boyfriend drove up from Cornwall on Tuesday and are staying with my parents until Sunday. I feel very guilty that they can't stay with us, but The Daughter's cat allergy won't allow it. I have broached the subject of re-homing the cats, but The Daughter pointed out that she's only up this way a couple of times a year, so sacrificing the cats would not be fair on Sons One and Two. Life with my parents is probably more interesting anyway, as they live in a nearby town rather than being out here in the sticks. So yesterday was spent catching up with The Daughter's life - she's just got a new job to help her get through college. She'll be working on mental health wards in Cornwall as a sort of supply-mental-health-person. There must be an official name for it, but she's basically getting loads of experience towards the job she eventually wants to do, which can only be a plus for getting into university. I am, once again, a very proud mother.

Son Number Two and I have been climbing and spent some time trying the bouldering cave. It's like climbing, only sideways. It's a bit like the games everyone plays when they're a child: the 'Let's-get-round-the-room-without-touching-the-ground' thing. Only I did touch the ground several times. Thank goodness for crash-mats and painkillers...

I sent in my first assignment of the new course, and got it back within 48 hours - a record return from an OU tutor. I scored 70, which is not great, but you've got to start somewhere. As I waffled and argued myself round in circles, it's not too bad I suppose.  

Guess what? I did housework, too. Yes, I know it's a shock, but it's that time of year again, so I thought I should make the effort. I think, of all the festivals, I like Samhain the most. It's a shame to see the back of the Summer already, but I do prefer Autumn. It's nice to be able to draw the curtains, shut the world out, and enjoy being together in the evenings. And Autumn television is so much better than the rest of the year, even if it is still slightly rubbishy. (The Paradise did get me reading Zola though, and I'm ashamed that it's taken me so long to read his books.) This evening, no doubt, we will have dozens of local children at the door begging for treats. I just hope my own children haven't eaten them all. I bought sweets early, which was a mistake, as both sons have been eyeing the bags and I caught Son Number One picking out his favourites. He's suggested that we turn the lights out and pretend we're not in, so he can have all the sweets himself. Just to remind you, he'll be twenty next year...



Thankfully, we've not had an anti-Halloween assembly this year. A few years ago, we had a vicar who gave an assembly on how Halloween was a festival during which evil Pagans tried to talk to the dead. I happened to like that particular vicar very much, but his assembly made me boiling mad. At the time, Son Number Two was at our school, and the uneducated comment upset him greatly. I also had to fend off stupid questions from The Son's close friends, who knew my religious beliefs. For those who want to know, it's a festival to celebrate the end of the Summer (hence the housework - you're meant to clear out all the rubbish of the year). Yes, it's associated with death, in that the weather's getting colder and plants are slowing their growth or dying off. Years ago, it was a celebration of the harvest being safely gathered (hence apple-bobbing games and pumpkin and turnip carving), and some animals were slaughtered for food because they couldn't be kept through the Winter. Today, it's used as a time to think about those who have died (not talk to them, for goodness sake...), so we might light candles for remembrance. 


As far as 'Trick or Treating' goes, it's a commercial thing, and not one that I particularly enjoy. My children have never really got involved in it, as I think it's cheeky to hammer on doors asking for sweets, though American friends have told me it's a great family and party time for them. I suppose it's done very halfheartedly here - it's not done with a spirit of fun. Quite often, the four year olds who bang on the door are wearing masks from horrific and disturbing films (which I can only hope they haven't seen) along with their normal clothes. American friends have sent me photos of really inventive, non-scary costumes, often home-made, and the whole thing seems to be far more pleasant than the nightmare we've turned it into. We don't do it as a fancy dress parade. We do it as a big mess. 

2 comments:

  1. I consider myself enlightened. It is nice to know that Pagans also think that this festival has morphed into something rather distasteful and that I am not being overly curmudgeonly.
    For further enlightenment, it would appear from your calendar/diagram thingy, that the two festivals pevious to Samhain are also harvest-related. Are there any significant distinguishing features ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lughnasadh, or Lammas (Loaf Mass), is the main 'harvest festival' - it celebrated the first grain harvest. Mabon is another name for the Autumn equinox. Samhain is more to mark the turning of the year, I suppose.

      And, no, you're not alone in hating the whole 'violence and general nastiness' thing that the children seem to immerse themselves in at this time of year.

      Delete