An odd tale, beautifully written, about a group of schoolboys who unwittingly undertake an adventure after meeting a mysterious figure at a haunted house on Halloween, and, traveling to and fro in time, attempt to find the meaning and origin of the holiday.
First, witnessing the abduction of their ailing friend, from an unknown force which whisks him away to a land unknown, which the boys must travel to by clinging to the tail of a kite. They then encounter a series of death rituals and celebrations, from prehistoric times to the rituals of ancient Egypt, where Osiris, king of the dead, reigns over all. Food was placed in ceramic and copper dishes on window sills and porches, illuminated by oil lamps nailed to the house fronts, for the spirits of the deceased. They then encounter a mummy, with whom they witness an ancient Egyptian funeral procession and interment, of none other than Pipkin, their missing friend, whom they follow all the long night, and just before midnight, must make a personal sacrifice to bring him home.
LOTS OF REVIEWS for this one, so I thought I would comment some on the nature and origins of the holiday, which the book explores through the adventures of eight young sojourners in an effort to save their friend. Halloween is collectively our favorite holiday next to Christmas, and it's become much more popularized in the last several decades, but, as the book notes, its origins are ancient, and convoluted. It's widely believed that many traditions associated with the modern holiday originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals and rituals, in particular, that of Samhain (pronounced SAO-in). Unfortunately, modern-day Halloween has become ever more commercialized, focusing on costumes and candy rather than time-honored traditions, some of which are described in the book: carving pumpkins into jack-o-lantern, costume parties (the origins of which involved the living dressing in disguises to hide from the spirits of the deceased), bonfires, bobbing for apples, pranks, and trick-or-treating.
Most associated with Celtic rituals and festivals, there is some suggestion that, indeed, Halloween has some origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits in particular, and in the festival of the dead, the Parentalia, when friends and relatives would travel out to Roman cemeteries-some elaborate tombs even had cooking and dining facilities, such as triclinia, or reclining couches and tables, and even sometimes ovens for preparing funeral feasts for celebrants. The festival of Samhain was actually celebrated on October 31st, which the modern holiday inherited. It was believed that, as in the Christian tradition, the boundary between this world and the Netherworld thinned on this particular day, allowing the spirits of the deceased to return to earth. Common foods and items associated with the fall harvest, including apples and nuts, were used in divination rituals: apple bobbing and nut-roasting on special bonfires, which were also the subject of certain rituals, including divination, were popular activities during the celebrations.
Some of these ritual elements persisted into the Christian era, as Halloween falls on the night before All Hallows' or All Saints' Day on November 1st and All Souls' Day, initially celebrated on November 2nd. Even in the nascent Church, feasts involved vigils held the night prior to an important holiday, initially in this case called All-Hallow-tide. All Hallows' Day was switched to November 1st in 835 by Pope Gregory IV, possibly due to Celtic influence. In the Middle Ages, apparently parishes too poor to display relics allowed their parishioners to dress up as saints, with carved pumpkins and even turnips standing in as the souls of the dead, serving the dual purpose as lanterns, which illuminated the streets and served as a guide to souls returning to the homes of their families. In France and elsewhere, a carnival known as the danse macabre involved people dressing in elaborate costumes, but here, more commonly as corpses and hideous figures than saints, which may be the origin of the practice in modern times.
In the modern day, it seems that many of these ancient traditions have morphed more into "kitsch," which is more playful than serious or involving much religious ritual, as it's now centered on children and imagery. Example: according to a 2018 study conducted by the National Retail Federation, 30 million Americans spent $480 million on Halloween costumes for their PETS (!), which increased from $200 million only eight years before. The most popular pet costumes are reportedly pumpkins, hot dogs and bumble bees.
Personally, I prefer the Dia de los Muertos model, where the memories of the departed are celebrated, and people are free and even encouraged to spend time with them, in cemeteries, which are brightly decorated and become places of shared community spirit once more. As a child, I remember the community in a small town in rural Arkansas holding a cemetery event on the first Saturday in June, where the graves were cleared and stones cleaned, and some general maintenance, an event which involved the whole community, and included feasting pot-luck style, so after the work was done, the event became one massive picnic among participants, children such as myself included. It's one of my earliest memories, one I wish I could take part in more frequently. I think the value of the book is that it rekindles some of those old traditions, and encourages readers to find the true meaning behind Halloween, as it has influenced them personally, in beautiful, visually-rich prose so characteristic of this capable and much-beloved author.
----------NOTABLE PASSAGES---------
So it goes in every country. Each has its death festival, having to do with seasons. Skulls and bones, boys, skeletons and ghosts.
Up in Illinois, we've forgotten what it's all about. I mean the dead, up in our town, tonight, heck, they're forgotten. Nobody remembers. Nobody cares. Nobody goes to sit and talk to them. Boy' that's lonely. That's really sad. But here... it's both happy and sad. It's all firecrackers and skeleton toys down here in the plaza and up in that graveyard now are all the Mexican dead folks with the families visiting an flowers and candles and singing and candy. I mean, it's almost like Thanksgiving.
And everyone set down to dinner, but only half the people are able to eat, but that's no mind, they're there. It's like holding hands at a séance with your friends, but some of the friends gone.
Always the same, but different... every age, every time. Day was always over. Night was always coming.
First, witnessing the abduction of their ailing friend, from an unknown force which whisks him away to a land unknown, which the boys must travel to by clinging to the tail of a kite. They then encounter a series of death rituals and celebrations, from prehistoric times to the rituals of ancient Egypt, where Osiris, king of the dead, reigns over all. Food was placed in ceramic and copper dishes on window sills and porches, illuminated by oil lamps nailed to the house fronts, for the spirits of the deceased. They then encounter a mummy, with whom they witness an ancient Egyptian funeral procession and interment, of none other than Pipkin, their missing friend, whom they follow all the long night, and just before midnight, must make a personal sacrifice to bring him home.
LOTS OF REVIEWS for this one, so I thought I would comment some on the nature and origins of the holiday, which the book explores through the adventures of eight young sojourners in an effort to save their friend. Halloween is collectively our favorite holiday next to Christmas, and it's become much more popularized in the last several decades, but, as the book notes, its origins are ancient, and convoluted. It's widely believed that many traditions associated with the modern holiday originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals and rituals, in particular, that of Samhain (pronounced SAO-in). Unfortunately, modern-day Halloween has become ever more commercialized, focusing on costumes and candy rather than time-honored traditions, some of which are described in the book: carving pumpkins into jack-o-lantern, costume parties (the origins of which involved the living dressing in disguises to hide from the spirits of the deceased), bonfires, bobbing for apples, pranks, and trick-or-treating.
Most associated with Celtic rituals and festivals, there is some suggestion that, indeed, Halloween has some origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits in particular, and in the festival of the dead, the Parentalia, when friends and relatives would travel out to Roman cemeteries-some elaborate tombs even had cooking and dining facilities, such as triclinia, or reclining couches and tables, and even sometimes ovens for preparing funeral feasts for celebrants. The festival of Samhain was actually celebrated on October 31st, which the modern holiday inherited. It was believed that, as in the Christian tradition, the boundary between this world and the Netherworld thinned on this particular day, allowing the spirits of the deceased to return to earth. Common foods and items associated with the fall harvest, including apples and nuts, were used in divination rituals: apple bobbing and nut-roasting on special bonfires, which were also the subject of certain rituals, including divination, were popular activities during the celebrations.
Some of these ritual elements persisted into the Christian era, as Halloween falls on the night before All Hallows' or All Saints' Day on November 1st and All Souls' Day, initially celebrated on November 2nd. Even in the nascent Church, feasts involved vigils held the night prior to an important holiday, initially in this case called All-Hallow-tide. All Hallows' Day was switched to November 1st in 835 by Pope Gregory IV, possibly due to Celtic influence. In the Middle Ages, apparently parishes too poor to display relics allowed their parishioners to dress up as saints, with carved pumpkins and even turnips standing in as the souls of the dead, serving the dual purpose as lanterns, which illuminated the streets and served as a guide to souls returning to the homes of their families. In France and elsewhere, a carnival known as the danse macabre involved people dressing in elaborate costumes, but here, more commonly as corpses and hideous figures than saints, which may be the origin of the practice in modern times.
In the modern day, it seems that many of these ancient traditions have morphed more into "kitsch," which is more playful than serious or involving much religious ritual, as it's now centered on children and imagery. Example: according to a 2018 study conducted by the National Retail Federation, 30 million Americans spent $480 million on Halloween costumes for their PETS (!), which increased from $200 million only eight years before. The most popular pet costumes are reportedly pumpkins, hot dogs and bumble bees.
Personally, I prefer the Dia de los Muertos model, where the memories of the departed are celebrated, and people are free and even encouraged to spend time with them, in cemeteries, which are brightly decorated and become places of shared community spirit once more. As a child, I remember the community in a small town in rural Arkansas holding a cemetery event on the first Saturday in June, where the graves were cleared and stones cleaned, and some general maintenance, an event which involved the whole community, and included feasting pot-luck style, so after the work was done, the event became one massive picnic among participants, children such as myself included. It's one of my earliest memories, one I wish I could take part in more frequently. I think the value of the book is that it rekindles some of those old traditions, and encourages readers to find the true meaning behind Halloween, as it has influenced them personally, in beautiful, visually-rich prose so characteristic of this capable and much-beloved author.
----------NOTABLE PASSAGES---------
So it goes in every country. Each has its death festival, having to do with seasons. Skulls and bones, boys, skeletons and ghosts.
Up in Illinois, we've forgotten what it's all about. I mean the dead, up in our town, tonight, heck, they're forgotten. Nobody remembers. Nobody cares. Nobody goes to sit and talk to them. Boy' that's lonely. That's really sad. But here... it's both happy and sad. It's all firecrackers and skeleton toys down here in the plaza and up in that graveyard now are all the Mexican dead folks with the families visiting an flowers and candles and singing and candy. I mean, it's almost like Thanksgiving.
And everyone set down to dinner, but only half the people are able to eat, but that's no mind, they're there. It's like holding hands at a séance with your friends, but some of the friends gone.
Always the same, but different... every age, every time. Day was always over. Night was always coming.
