Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you’re all going to have lots of fun celebrating the occasion this weekend. I’ve got lots of exciting things planned. Halloween is certainly one of my most favourite times of the year, and I know that’s definitely the case for the Faery Kingdom too. Huge parties and lavish balls will be held in Faery Land to honour what they see as their official New Year.

Halloween, or ‘Samhain’ as it is traditionally called, meaning ‘Summer’s End’ is an ancient festival which originally marked the official start of the winter season and the end of the cycle of the year. It was looked upon as a time to remember the dead and pay homage to our ancestors and departed loved ones. This is probably where the association with ghosts and ghouls comes from today, but in reality there is nothing sinister at all in the occasion’s origin. Nevertheless the 31^st October has always been thought of as a particularly magical evening when the veil between the two worlds is supposed to be at its thinnest and communication with the spirit world easy to obtain. People thought that if they dressed up in scary costumes themselves, then any real demons, witches or werewolves wouldn’t notice them, and it would keep evil at bay.

I absolutely love dressing up for Halloween and now I get to share that enjoyment with my daughter who loves it too. We’ve decorated our house with bats, broomsticks and skeletons and we’ve carved out our pumpkins, standing them outside the front door to let ‘trick or treaters’ know they are welcome.

It saddened me to hear on the radio this week that the Pope and the Catholic Church continue to condemn Halloween as ‘wicked’ and that they are trying to get it banned and replace it with a religious ceremony instead. I promise not to get on my high horse right now about this, as I have many strong opinions on the subject and here is not the place to air them, but I couldn’t help but thinking that this is what rid the human world of our belief and understanding of Wicca, faeries and nature in the first place.

Thankfully, Halloween has become a booming merchandise industry and far too many modern-day people enjoy it to allow the Church to dictate. Last October, the UK alone is reported to have spent over £300 million on Halloween related goods. I can’t see too many retailers happy to turn that down just to keep the Pope happy.

Now I’m off to get my Ghostbusters outfit on, and to get my little girl into her pink sparkly witch outfit for our big party tonight. Then I’m doing my friend’s make-up as he is going as Edward from Twilight. How exciting! And I bet all the faeries are in the process of sorting their costumes too. Let me know what you’re up to and send me some pictures. Have a great time and may black cat luck cross your path at every turn xxx