It's the 9th Creeping Wednesday and we have a serious reason to post it today - All Hallows' Eve! This time (or perhaps, from this entry?), you'll have more interesting things to read, as except the usual interview, I have something extra...
Many thanks to *
SandraHultsved and *
erinclaireb for suggesting some nice artworks for this article, and to all these people who helped me with the further part - and who are mentioned below. Next theme: skeletons!
Interview with ~GrimDreamArt, a wonderful architecture painter!
What is that attracts you to traditional art?
I'm kind of an old-fashioned person
I've got a strong need of creating images and I consider that using traditional media is just more pleasant for me than using the computer (even if I occasionally put my brushes into a cup of tea instead of a jar with water). I've always admired Old Masters such as da Vinci, G. B. Piranesi, A. Durer or C. D. Friedrich. Maybe it's not very original but their works are my main source of inspirations.
What do you especially like about All Hallow's Eve?
Candies! But seriously I like the unusual mood most. It's nostalgic and gloomy but yet cheerful. I don't know why but this day makes me feel younger somehow.
Is All Hallow's Eve celebrated in Poland?
It becomes more popular each year. It's celebrated for about 10 years I suppose (maybe a bit longer) by kids and teenagers mostly. Personally I've never celebrated All Hallow's Eve but my younger sisters bring me lots of sweets they gather from neighbours each year.
The official holiday in Poland - All Saints Day is on November 1st. and it's much more gloomy and depressing than the Halloween. On cemeteries people visit their relatives who have passed away. They usually freeze and get wet (November in Poland can be really awful) and eat cotton candy (which is sold near cemetery gates along with candles and flowers).
Thanks for your nice answers!
We all know how Halloween is celebrated in the USA...
but what is it like in the other countries?FRANCE
"So here in France we call that day "Halloween" and it is celebrated since 1990's. Some weeks before (when it is not months) pumpkins, candies, bats and costumes invade shops. We can see some houses decorated. The 31st october, children dressed up like witches, ghosts and skeletons go out in the street and ask for candies. But it was like this some years ago, now it seems that we see less and less children doing that. And now they are mostly accompanied by adults.
I also read something about the equivalent in Lorraine (near Germany) which is called "Rommelbootzennaat" ("Night of the red beetroots") where children sculpt grimacing faces into beetroots (just like pumpkins) which are the last vegetables in the year. Then they put it on windows and cemetary's walles.
It must be frightening!"
BRAZIL
"The thing is, there's nothing to say, in here Halloween is something mostly for children (since they watch it on cartoons and stuff), some private clubs and schools give parties, but it's nothing special, most of the people don't even wear costumes. Our last president changed it's name to "Dia do Saci" ( Saci being a tricky elf-like boy with one leg that sours milk etc.) but it didn't catch. On our folklore we have some monsters etc. but none of them has anything to do with halloween, there's no tradition about a night when the world of the dead is closer to the world of the living or anything like that. We don't have any traditions similar to Halloween that I know of, but if we do then nobody celebrates them."
POLAND
"As you've already read in the interview with ~
GrimDreamArt, we have another special day that is celebrated more than Halloween - but Halloween itself is more and more popular each year, despite the fact that a lot of people have a negative attitude to it. The All Saints Day (or All Souls Day), that is on the 1st of November, have its roots deeply in Slavic pagan traditions and it was intercepted and adopted by Christianity. Today it means visiting the graves of our loved ones and burning candles. It's treated like a very sad and very serious day, but on the other hand it's something really worth seeing in the evening - thousands of little fires burning against the dark sky above."
AUSTRALIA
"Halloween isn't celebrated in Australia, although over the past few years Halloween decorations have started creeping into shops in October. I've heard of Halloween themed parties, but alas, I've never been to one. Only a few days ago, I heard for the very first time of somebody who had actually encountered two trick-or-treaters one year!! As I told this lady, I'm 51 y/o and I've never - not even once - had the honor of trick-or-treaters come to the door!! My son Andrew has just told me that Halloween is celebrated in Sydney - the capital of New South Wales, but I live in Victoria and have never heard about this before, so it must be a fairly recent development. I love the whole idea of Halloween, so I have read a lot of Halloween based short horror stories, and I've bought some Halloween decorations for all-year-round enjoyment.
As I bought a skeleton in a black cage a few days ago, the woman behind the counter asked me if Halloween had any historical basis to it. I was glad to be able to answer her question, but it struck me that her question is indicative of how most Australians are about Halloween."
HUNGARY
"Halottak Napja (Day of the dead), is not a really exiting thing in Hungary (honestly i'd prefer if we'd celebrate Halloween instead :/).
We just go to the cemetaries, burn candles and mourn..
It's 100% a catholic holiday.
Unfortunately christianity destroyed our old belifs (or religion) which is a shame if you ask me, because it'd be very important to remember the old knowledge."
NORWAY
"The problem is just that these traditions barely exist here in Norway - well, the last decade children in Norway have picked up the American Halloween celebration, dressing up and walking around in the neighbourhood for candy. We have been quite influenced by the USA through popular media, and shops and television is exploiting Halloween to the max.
However, All Hallow's Eve is not any dear, old tradition here. I have googled a bit, however, and found that we did have some religious Fall celebrations before the 1700s, but few remember this today.
Instead, we have a tradition called "Julebukk", which is an old norse tradition. Today the tradition is mostly characterized by children dressing up in costumes at Christmas times, walking from door to door and singing Christmas carols, getting sweets in return. "
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Posting the new issue in minute or two!
I was curious about how other countries celebrate Halloween.
Am surprised that Australia does not celebrate it, the US got some of it from England.
Guess they had a different set of settlers in Australia.
[link]
For me, Halloween is more the time I try to make a special picture and watch more horror movies than candy.
Used to eat candy corn around Halloween but they don't sell small bags of candy corn anymore. All the bags are big and candy corn is not that great to eat a large bag.
Halloween candy sales beat out Valentine's day sales.
A lot of people find it a hard holiday to understand but there are
tutorials online so people can take baby steps.