Halloween!

Yes, yes, we know, it’s not a typical Greek celebration. But, as the years go by you do see more and more pumpkin lanterns in the shops here (put this down to shameful Americanisation of popular culture if you will) and for many of the Coffee Morning crew it is another date that lends itself to a ‘jolly good night out’. As we have already mentioned on our lifestyle page Laina and Wendy are planning to kick off the Winter Party Season with a Halloween Special—if last year is anything to go by, it will be a night not to be missed! In Rethymnon the international community has celebrated Halloween in a variety of eccentric ways over the years. For example, in 1983, backpackers at the Youth Hostel were told that they could only have a bed for the night if they promised to wear fancy dress. The ‘dressing-up’ cupboard at the Youth Hostel was somewhat limited in its stock of witches’ hats and broomsticks, so a certain amount of ingenuity had to be employed (snorkels and flippers were popular options, as I recall). The motley crew that made its way to the bar at the seafront was a sight to behold….Anyway, I digress. Just to show that this is not just any old frivolous rag, here is some historical background to this ancient holiday. Halloween (October 31st) draws its roots from the Celtic pagan festival Samhain. This was an autumn ‘fire’ festival when the dead were said to visit the living. All over the Celtic world large bonfies would be lit to ward off evil spirits. When Pope Gregory IV moved All Saints’ Day (All Hallow’s Day) from May 13th to November 1st in 835. At that time the day in the religious calendar was deemed to begin at sunset, so the two holidays were celebrated together. In recent decades the holiday has experienced a revival—mainly due to commercialization in the US. Typically, on this night adults go to fancy dress parties — costumes generally themed round horror and superstition. The American custom Trick-or-Treat (where children go from door-to-door collecting) is a relatively recent addition to the festival—frowned on by many in the UK. More traditional Halloween games include ‘Bobbing for apples’ - apples are put in a basin of water and people have to try and retrieve them using only their mouth. Apples, being autumn fruit, figure in many of the customs associated with Halloween. The tradition of carving pumpkin lanterns goes back centuries. In Ireland, traditionally ‘jack-o lanterns’ were carved from turnips or swedes.

The custom stems from the legend of ‘Stingy Jack’, a mean farmer who tricked the devil into climbing a tree, then trapped him by carving a cross into the trunk. The devil got his own back by placing a curse on Jack—making him walk the earth for ever at night. Children placed candles in their hollowed out turnips to represent Jack’s curse. When the festival made its way to the US - pumpkins were used instead, as they were easier to carve! And in case you were wondering, apparently Boston Massachusetts holds the record for having the greatest number of jack-o-lanterns lit at once as of October 2006 (well, that’s something for the pub quiz, if nothing else). Attitudes to Halloween vary: some people disapprove of the holiday on the grounds that the festival glorifies Satanism, whilst many others view the festival as harmless fun. Here at Bugle Haunted House, if you are planning to celebrate, we hope you enjoy the day!

Stella McBarking and Cornelius Pointy

As you may imagine, mentioning Halloween to our cosmic couple was akin to letting five year olds loose in a sweet shop (Clairvoyant Chloe takes a well earned break this month) and they ran riot with unintelligible predictions. Eventually they calmed down, and we can now bring readers the Bugle’s unique October Horoscope….

Sock AND Satsuma: 2nd October—14th December
The trouble with living in a close knit community is that you can end up feeling a little hemmed in. Might be time to juice things up a bit!
Pringle AND Paintbrush: 15th December—9th February
People’s half-baked ideas occasionally leave you worn to a frazzle. Just keep yourself primed with up-to-date information and with a stroke of luck you’ll find your rainbow.
Teaspoon AND Tent-Peg: 10th February—26th March
Your cup brims over this month. In fact, some might say that you’re a little bit jammy. Treasure your freedom—don’t get roped into anything that might tie you down.
Cement Mixer AND Castanet: 27th March—16th April
Far too often you do all the spade work and let others take the credit. Time for revolutionary action. Let the piper play a different tune and finger someone else for a change.
Dandelion AND Daffodil: 17th April—23rd May
People may tell you that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Silence them with a withering glance, then tell them not to be so lily-livered.
Paper Clip AND Ping-Pong: 24th May—19th June
Something in your staple diet could be causing you problems—it might be difficult to pin down, though. Try not to fixate. Use your imagination and cast a wider net. Always remember: ‘neurosis’ and ‘yin-yang’ don’t mesh well together.
Beach Chair AND Batman: 20th June—1st October
This month, life’s little vagaries can all be classified under the global umbrella of ‘Sea change’. But there really isn’t anything to get in a flap about. Relax, have a bit of a flutter and enjoy the night life while you can.