Why I love Hallowe'en

Hallowe’en is a semi-Christian festival, based on the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (for more on this, see Christmas at Tillingford Hall) which found its way to America and came back commercialised. Read on to find out why I love Hallowe'en...

Happy Jack

When I was a child, Hallowe’en was more of thing you read about in American books like Richard Scarry or The Berenstein Bears’ Almanac or saw on American TV shows like Sesame Street. But there were mentions of it in English children’s books too – such as Mr McFadden’s Hallowe’en, an odd book by Rumer Godden about a Scottish girl who befriends a grumpy old man at Hallowe’en (which, like most of the best British children’s books, was serialised on Jackanory, a wonderful children’s BBC programme where a famous narrator would read a book. It was like Audible for kids – but with pictures).

Hallowe’en – with the sweets, the costumes and the creeping around in the dark with lanterns – sounded such fun. I really wanted to dress up and go trick-or-treating. But we didn’t, so that was that.

But when I grew up and had a child of my own, after a few qualms about whether one should be encouraging such diabolical activities (some of my Christian friends won’t go anywhere near it because of the nasty satanist undertones and the fear that it will inure children to evil ghoulishness), I decided to embrace it as a bit of fun. Our fear can give power to evil, but laughter and fun can be a very powerful way to counter it – and I think that was the original idea behind Hallowe’en – to ward off the evil spirits that seem to gather as the evenings close in with merriment and light. I’m sure Revd Matthew Causton (from A Little Treat) wouldn’t disapprove of Elizabeth Pemberton’s children’s Hallowe’en party (see Christmas at Tillingford Hall, publishing November 18^th)

And so, I’m particularly keen on Jack-o-lanterns, hollowed out pumpkins with a candle inside. In this part of the world, they used to use turnips before these cucurbits were introduced from the Americas in the sixteenth century. I doubt they were used as lanterns until the Victorian period but I’m just surmising. The point is that these jolly orange fellows, scowling or laughing, are so cheery and daft they never fail to make me smile. I’d happily have them burning all autumn.

A community of Jacks

I grow pumpkins in my allotment and last year my rather small one won first prize in the produce show, rather surprisingly, given that there were two absolute whoppers that made an appearance at the Pumpkinfest. I guess the growers forgot to enter them into the contest, but they did carve one into a likeness of Winston Churchill. How creative and clever!

Please send me your pictures of your jack-o'-lanterns and I will post them here. Maybe we can have our own pumpkin competition!