Spooky? Perhaps … Eerie?

Hallowe’en turns me into a Grumpy Old Woman. Not the event and its history. I like the fact that here, its roots lie deep in the Celtic festival of Samhain. As harvest ended and winter began, the veil between the living and the dead grew thinner, making it easier for spirits to return.

By the Middle Ages, the church had appropriated the days for its own ends, and made All Saints Eve (‘Hallowe’en’) a day for honouring the dead. And over the years, various merry-making traditions grew up round it: Trick or Treat; dressing up as witches, ghouls and ghosts; carving Jack-o’-Lanterns (from swedes in my day. Can you imagine the hard work involved?); and games such as apple-bobbing. Yes, all that I liked: community-based home-spun entertainment just right for this miserable time of year when clock-change plunges us all into night from about 4 o’clock onwards.

What I don’t like is that, these days, from September onwards, shops are crammed with Hallowe’en souvenirs of every kind – all plastic and ultra-transient, and cheap and tacky costumes, not even slightly bio-degradable, to be worn – for one night only – by marauding hordes of children descending on the neighbourhood demanding sweets without number from about four o’clock onwards. I can still remember the night we gave out more than 200 treats before firmly shutting up shop and closing the front door against all comers (We had an American base nearby – they taught our children well).

So the images I offer for this week’s Monochrome Madness: Spooky, as suggested by Dawn are perhaps eerie rather than spooky, and come from the natural world, or at least a world-gone-by. Apart from my header photo. This is a puppet from the Puppet Museum (Museo del Titere) in Cádiz and spooky enough to terrify anybody. And two bits of street-fun: one from Brick Lane, the other from Newcastle.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

49 thoughts on “Spooky? Perhaps … Eerie?”

  1. Margaret, I‘m totally with you on the Halloween commercial side.
    Didn‘t even want to read the post, as I‘m really NOT into this. But then I did anyway and your photos are once more just stunning. Thanks for that.

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  3. You make me feel all shivery, Margaret! As does looking out of the window currently, as the rain bounces. I hope it will be drier tomorrow as the families here traditionally visit the cemetery on All Saints. The kids will have a good time tonight. It’s not my thing and never has been, but we’re stocked up on the sweets. Looking at poor Valencia I’m feeling remarkably lucky, and have no complaints whatsoever. How is Barcelona doing? Great photos, by the way! I daren’t wish you Happy Halloween.

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    1. The Iberian peninsula is having a tough time just now, Barcelona is I think, OK, and they certainly need the water. But poor Valencia, a city I know best in November and the winter months. Tough times. Enjoy whatever you do at Hallowe’en.

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  4. Where I’m from we didn’t maraud at Halloween, that was for mischief night. We didn’t bother with the treat part, it was all about the trick. Halloween was left to be… spooky. In my house we have a turnip lantern every year. They are considerably more spooky than pumpkins with the added advantage if they dry properly you can bring them out each year as wizened shrivelled heads 😉

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    1. Ah. Husband Malcolm, from Liverpool is a Mischief Night kinda person. But we were talking about it the other day, and he said it was boy territory, looked on rather disdainfully by girls. I’m glad you were in Team Turnip/Swede. Far better. But lethally hard work.

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  6. Some very spookily atmospheric shots here. I recognise that bench from the small garden outside the Charterhouse in London. It’s very unusual, although I’m sure there are others elsewhere.

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  7. I loathe all the commercial side of Halloween. I do remember having a pumpkin lantern, but we didn’t go trick or treating in my day. Bonfire night was what we looked forward to. Your version of spooky is excellent.

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  9. I completely agree with you and I think it’s a shame we’ve imported some of the US traditions that have distorted or overwritten our own. I’m especially not a fan of trick or treat. Parents spend 364 days of the year telling children not to take sweets from strangers and then send them out into the night to do just that! I enjoyed seeing the spooky decorations in California because it felt like part of their traditions, I just don’t want to see them imported here!

    I like your misty landscapes – very eerie indeed! And I recognise that little figure from Brick Lane (he was still there last time I looked!)

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  14. I understand your grumpiness and I concur. I have no children of trick or treat age or grandchildren nearby that I can relate too, but it seems to me, in this community, at least, we are moving toward a “trunk or treat” way of celebrating.

    I know I have been watching my facebook of children participating in local events such as this all week. Not sure what to do about all the plastic trash the holiday creates, that is another form of spooky!

    Anyway, your gallery is wonderful and I am so glad you shared it with is, and your story. I hope this evening is more fun and joyful than spooky and grumpy, if not, well tomorrow it is over for another year.

    Happy Halloween!

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  20. very lucky noone knocked on my door. Harriet went out with Tabby, and Tabby loved it but Harriet did say far too many sweets. I’ve suggested next year that her neighbours all add in some ‘magic tricks’ so they do a proper trick or treat, and maybe some fruit too!!

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    1. I said to the boys next door when they came round ‘Trick please!’ and they were utterly nonplussed. I’ve tried the Healthy Eating thing in the past, but trust me, it doesn’t go down well.

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