Halloween is here and for us at the library this is a day we all long for a little extra. Our fantastic colleague Johanna always sneaks in to work extra early and turn our lunch room into a wonderfully scary place with everything from ghosts, cobwebs, vampire blood and hooting werewolves to pumpkins and fun (but scary) sweets.
But why do we celebrate Halloween? In Sweden, it is a relatively new phenomenon, we can see it is already mentioned in the 1950s, but it is only since 1990 that it has became a real holiday tradition for us Swedes.
If we look at Halloween historically, one think that Halloween could first have occurred with the Celts’ contact with the Vikings. When the Vikings went out on their voyages, they brought their customs like “autumn blots”. The Celts had four great seasons, one of which was Samhain. The holiday Samhain was celebrated when the harvest season was over and the winter season began, on October 31st. The Celts believed that invisible forces were in motion, and that the souls of the dead could return to Earth during the night to the 31th of October.
When many Irish immigrants emigrated to the United States in the mid 1800’s, they brought their traditions, including the celebration of the Hallowe or All Hallow’s Eve. However, other elements of other traditions and festivals, such as Guy Fawkes Night, is part of Halloween looking like it does in the United States today. At the end of the 19th century, the rationalism come to affect the society of the United States and there was no longer room for superstition and folk traditions, which meant that Halloween almost disappeared for some time. It was not until the 1950s that Halloween became one of the real big holidays in the USA, especially for all children who want to go “trick or treating”.
However, it is important to note that Halloween should not in any way be compared or linked with All Saints Day, which in Sweden is a completely different, and for the Church, very important holiday.
This Halloween, we want to give you some scary book tips that can keep you awake during the night.
Midnatt by Dean Koontz
I den pittoreska staden Moonlight Cove i norra Kalifornien har egendomliga dödsfall inträffat.”>In the picturesque town of Moonlight Cove in northern California, strange deaths have occurred. For some, the city is a paradise; other inhabitants keep a secret so horrible that it can cost people’s lives, both inside and outside the town. In this book we meet four completely different people, drawn to each other to fight the evil in Moonlight Cove.
Retired journalist Gustav Mahler in Stockholm receives a call from an old contact at Danderyd Hospital who claims that the dead is waking up. A heartbreaking horror novel of classical incision.
Sources:
http://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/halloween
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
Text: Christel Olsson
Photos: Signe Wulund
Styling: Johanna Persson