Halloween, A History
Bonus: The Greatest Halloween Movie of All Time
I must admit, I don’t have any particularly special Halloween memories. Growing up in Canada, costume choices are somewhat limited when it comes to a late October evening constitutional. If memory serves, over the years I was Superman-in-a-snowsuit, hockey-player-in-a-snowsuit, and wolf-in-a-snowsuit. Basically I looked like this every single time:
So I’m not the person to come to for your kids’ costume ideas. But those long winters meant extra time watching Turner Classic Movies, so for this Halloween season I can present you with the greatest Halloween movie of all time. Coincidentally, it also happens to be one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time.
I am referring, naturally, to Vincente Minelli’s Meet Me in St. Louis. You may remember the film best for Judy Garland introducing the world to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” but the following scene, of a typical American Halloween in 1903, follows instead her co-star, Margaret O’Brien. Judy isn’t the only absence - you will also search in vain for any mention of candy, or of trick-or-treating. Hardly an adult in sight, either. Definitely worth a watch, from one of the greatest movies of Hollywood’s golden age:
Mostly peaceful 21st century protest or 19th Century Halloween Celebration? You Be The Judge
The American Academy of Pediatrics, as you might guess, has mixed feelings about this historical Halloween depiction. On the one hand, definite danger presented by the unsupervised bonfire. On the other, hand: boys wearing women’s clothing!
I know some good neighbors who don’t celebrate Halloween because of the debauched paganism of many of the festivities. While I completely understand and respect that viewpoint, keep in mind that All Saints’ Day, and All Hallow’s Eve, have been celebrated piously by the Church for centuries. Here’s an interesting recent podcast about some of that history. We shouldn’t let the world steal another feast from us, anymore than we should stop celebrating the birth of our savior because so much of our culture has sanitized the ‘true meaning’ of Christmas to be about Black Friday deals and ugly sweaters. Be brave like Tootie, and don’t be afraid to reclaim your saints!
And on that note, Happy Halloween!