As Halloween fast approaches on 31 October we celebrate the very human delight of being scared.
No one really wants to be fearful for their lives, but many of us enjoy the performative, theatrical opportunity that Halloween gives us, to contemplate ghouls, ghosts and the things that might be out there in the dark.
These days we associate Halloween with American cultural influence, evidenced in colourful dress-ups and carved pumpkins. However, its history goes back much further to pagan Northern Europe, and the Sabbat of Samhain. This was the festival leading into the long, dark days of winter, a day when the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. It is traditional at this time to light a candle in the window to guide welcome spirits home, which is possibly the origin of the Halloween Pumpkin lanterns. Later, the festival was adapted to Christian beliefs, becoming All Hallows Eve (October 31) followed by All Saints Day (November 1). These celebrations commemorated the Saints (Hallows) and became shortened to Halloween — the name we recognise today.
You are invited to join us for a selection of spooky stories for grown-ups this Halloween, in our upcoming event:
Libraries After Dark: Spooktacular Stories for Grown-ups
28 Oct 2021 | Online | 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Join us for some spine-tingling stories told by storytellers Roslyn and Susan, to celebrate All Hallow's Eve. Get into the spirit of the season by dressing up in your most frightful costume, and enjoy being a bit horrible. Sit back and listen, or tell your own spooky tale or poem (limit of 3 minutes). This session is for those who love unsettling tales, chilling times and spooky exploits of the scary kind!
You might also be interested in these articles exploring Halloween further:
- What's the Real History of Halloween—and Why Do We Celebrate It on October 31? (Country Living)
- Should we really be celebrating Halloween in Australia? (this., Deakin University)
And below you'll find some Halloween-themed items from our collection.
The Witch-Crafting Handbook by Helena Garcia, 2021
Over 70 projects for stylish witches to make at home. Wicked Baker, Helena Garcia, is back with a new book to help you witch-craft your way to a more magical life, with creative projects for you and your home. Inspired by ancient folklore and all things mystical, Helena offers remedies for your apothecary using foraged ingredients and age-old formulae; fashion accessories for your witch's wardrobe; enchanting homewares and decorations; devilishly delicious recipes both sweet and savoury; and tipsy tonics.
Death: A Graveside Companion, edited by Joanna Ebenstein, 2017
This is the ultimate death compendium, featuring the world's most extraordinary artistic objects concerned with mortality, together with text by expert contributors. Death is an inevitable fact of life. Throughout the centuries, humanity has sought to understand this sobering thought through art and ritual. The theme of memento mori informs medieval Danse Macabre, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Renaissance paintings of dissected corpses and “anatomical Eves”, Gothic literature, funeral effigies, Halloween, and paintings of the Last Judgment. Deceased ancestors are celebrated on the Mexican Day of the Dead, while the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead to secure their afterlife.
Dressed to Kill by Lynn Cahoon, 2015
Jill Gardner — the owner of Coffee, Books, and More in the tucked-away town of South Cove, California — is not particularly thrilled to be portraying a twenties flapper for the dinner theatre murder mystery. Though it is for charity… Of course, everyone is expecting a “dead” body at the dress rehearsal… but this one isn’t acting! It turns out the main suspect is the late actor’s conniving girlfriend Sherry, who also happens to be the ex-wife of Jill’s main squeeze. Sherry is definitely a master manipulator, but is she a killer? Jill may discover the truth only when the curtain comes up on the final act, and by then, it may be far too late.
No One Home by Tim Weaver, 2019
"On Halloween night, four households gather for a party in the tiny Yorkshire village of Black Gale. Three hours in, they head outside, onto the darkened moors, to play a drunken game of hide and seek. None of them return. There's no trail, no evidence and no answers. An entire village has just vanished. With the police investigation dead in the water, the families of the disappeared ask missing persons investigator David Raker to find out what happened. But nothing can prepare him for the truth. " -- Publisher.