Boo!

My goodness, look what I found lurking amongst my archives. A spooky vintage photo! Where did this come from? Is it a ghost? Is it a vampire? Is it Bride of Frankenstein?

No, wait, it’s just me making mischief with a piece of lace-trimmed polyester. I took a series of photos a couple of years ago, but never published them as they were a bit macabre for SNAP. But they’re perfect for All Hallow’s Eve!

Hallowe’en is not hugely celebrated in Australia, and certainly was not when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, so some research was called for. I learned that historians postulate variously that Hallowe’en originates from the Roman feast of Pomona; or the festival of the dead, Parentalia; or the Celtic festival of Samhain. In Ireland, it was the end of summer that was celebrated, before the onset of the ‘darker half’ of the year.

Also in Celtic tradition, it was large turnips that were hollowed out and carved with faces. After the Irish immigrated to North American shores, they adapted this idea to the jack-o’-lanterns, as pumpkins were readily available. Being larger, they were also easier to carve than turnips. Before that pumpkins had been associated with harvest festivals.

Another charming notion is the idea that on Hallowe’en night, a young woman may look into a mirror by the light of a candle and catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband. (Unfortunately it does not seem a name is provided – however, knowing what The One looks like would make it that much easier when trawling internet dating sites.)

Hmm, now where did I put that veil…?

Click here for more spooky photos.