Comments on: Explosives vs Dressing Up

By: Stabs

Stabs — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:16:51 +0000

Alan Moore for one celebrated it in a different way.

By: darkeye

darkeye — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:47:25 +0000

Halloween is a strange mix of pagan and christian traditions, so dressing up as ‘evil spirits’ could be some sort of pagentry either for the houses to placate or drive away, it was thought this day was when spirits roamed the world of the living. The christian side comes from the following day celebrated as All-souls day, and people would go from door to door singing and praying for all souls in return for sweets and coins.

It’s funny about bonfires and fireworks because the local authorities and the gardai have been really clamping down on them, with confidential phonelines for people to snitch on others hoarding materials for bonfires. But I’m sure bonfires were often used in pagan culture but now they are seen as ‘anti-social’.

By: Dàchéng

Dàchéng — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:57:10 +0000

Although Hallowe’en is indeed being imported into England from the US, it came to the US in the first place from Ireland and Scotland (it is a Celtic festival in origin), and has always been celebrated here in Ireland, even when nobody in England had ever heard of it.

By: Dàchéng

Dàchéng — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:52:26 +0000

Stabs, I think it’s pretty obvious what’s being celebrated. At the top of the bonfire is a guy. Guy Fawkes. this festival is “burn a Catholic” night.

By: spinks

spinks — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:31:31 +0000

The dressing up thing does puzzle me a bit. I remember it being traditional for people to dress up as ghosts, zombies, witches etc to go trick or treating, but in the US it seems to be just a general fancy dress festival.

By: darkeye

darkeye — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:24:59 +0000

A lot of stuff associated with Halloween comes from this side of the Atlantic, such as trick or treating and dressing up, so you shouldn’t blame the americans for those, but yeah they did ruin them anyways.

By: Stabs

Stabs — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:59:26 +0000

One of the wonderful things about Guy Fawkes’ Night is its ambivalence. Are we celebrating that a plot to blow up the King and his Parliament was foiled or are we celebrating that someone had the balls to have a go?

I don’t think it will ever die out. I don’t even think the two really compete. There is precedence for two festivals within a week working perfectly well – no one thinks “screw new year, I took a day off at Christmas”.

By: spinks

spinks — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:02:22 +0000

Unless your business is … KILLING ZOMBIES!!! ?

By: AndyH

AndyH — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:51:31 +0000

Don’t really like the Hallowe’en event in City of Heroes much. Trick-or-treat for salvage to get an extra costume slot is a grind, the zombie attacks interrupt you going about your business, and the city’s in permanent night for several weeks. It is nice to see those kids in their fancy dress robes having their green bonfires in the park though – oh, wait…

By: Dril

Dril — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:16:17 +0000

Guy Fawkes Day?

‘Tis Bonfire Night to me; I always preferred it anyway to Halloween. Burning fire>colonist candy.