Happy Halloween

Does anyone remember this Halloween song?

“What are you gonna be on Halloween night? A witch or a goblin or a ghost? What are you gonna be? Don’t tell me, wait until Halloween and let me guess”

I suspect that if you weren’t so lucky as to attend FP secondary then you probably have never heard it, well it’s your loss. I’ve actually searched for this song online because I wanted to spam people with it for old times sake.

Anyways, one year in an attempt to raise money for some charity the student council played this little ditty over and over again on the PA system during every break (that includes the 10 minutes we had to run to our lockers and then to class and during lunch) until they raised the amount of money they had set out to raise. The point was that it was annoying enough that the students would give money to make it stop, I think it kind of backfired since I remember most of us continued singing it even after the fundraiser was over. I’m not sure if the money was actually raised or whether they stopped it out of mercy for the teachers and administrations, but I do recall that they played the music for most, if not the whole, of the day. Or at least long enough so that it is sufficiently burned in my memory and that says a lot since I have very little to no memory of any other Halloween parties or events in my high school career (then again, those may have been blocked out due to my desire to forget almost everything from that period).

This year I was shocked to see that the spirit of Halloween is alive and well in Italy, or at least it is among the children. Years ago, when my cousins visited Canada during this time of year they came trick-or-treating with us for the first time and we were told that Italy did not have Halloween traditions. It appears that commercialism has made it’s way over and children now know the pleasure of dressing up in scary (?) costumes and asking people for candy. Although it is apparently not very wide-spread, most of the people I’ve asked do not have children knocking at their doors, and there is certainly no one banging on our door here on this mountain. Well that is with the exclusion of Valentina, my aunt and uncle’s nephew’s daughter. She is rewarded for her trip down here (that is all of about 100 metres) with a bunch of candy, I’m also told she doesn’t play the game right either, instead of knocking she prances in as usual and is rewarded for dressing like a witch. If I have my way (that is I’m home from work before she arrives) I’ll make her play it out as we did back in my day or else no candy for her (that last line should be said a la soup nazi).

Oddly enough, it seems that decorations are a popular seller here, stores are packed with decorations and costumes, but bulk size bags of candy aren’t anywhere to be found, most likely due to the fact that banging on doors and demanding candy isn’t widespread. So if no one really trick-or-treats outside of their close family and friends and apparently only wears these costumes during this time (dressing up at school hasn’t made it’s way here), what’s the point of Halloween? I don’t think that the Italians have really taken this ‘holiday’ to it’s full commercial and money spending potential.

The American’s have though. The local army base, located in Vicenza, broadcasts a radio station, the only English one in the country, and it serves all army bases here in Europe and Iraq. It’s appropriately called The Eagle, it’s catch phrase is “that’s freedom baby,” along with other fun sayings that I can’t recall now but they do make me laugh and talk to the radio as I drive to work. All week they’ve been advertising fun Halloween activities for the whole family in Vicenza, available mostly just for army personnel and they open it up to the “host community” later on in the evening.

Sadly, the bar traditions that we Vancouverites know so well haven’t made their way over here. I’ve been told that at the bars and clubs here Halloween isn’t really celebrated and that you may spot the occasional person with a witches hat or devil horns accessorizing their regular club outfit, full-on costumes and sky-high cover charges are not tradition. On the plus side though, the tradition among young Vancouver woman (maybe North American, I haven’t expanded my research to other cities yet) has not made it’s way across the Atlantic, I’m told that woman here do not attempt to see just how little they can get away with in public, those who have not made their way to Granville Street during the holiday season should know that this traditionally includes either a white, red or black bra and panties set worn with angel wings, devil horns or accessories that makes one believe they are a “sexy kitten” or “sexy rabbit.”

It has come to my attention though that it is November 1st that is the real holiday though. I recall in the past reading on many a calendars that the day was called “All Saint’s Day” and apparently this is not as a tribute to that Brit-pop band from the 90’s that tried to steal the Spice Girls success (remember them? they sang that catchy song Never Ever, this was my sad attempt to add humor to this post). Instead it is apparently because every day here is a day for a dead saint. Most people have saints attached to their name, well that is most people but my family. Obviously Saint Jennifer does not exist (that is until my passing, haha), nor is there as Saint Livi, Jessica, Meraldo or Christian (although Christian hasn’t been verified, Livi just refuses to believe that he could have a saint). Simone (Jessica’s boyfriend) on the other hand celebrated his saint’s day on Tuesday, we of course celebrated by doing nothing, since we were casually told this over dinner and no one seemed to care one way or another. The point of All Saint’s day is to honor those that do not have saints days, thus everyone celebrating together. This seems unfair to those like Simone who do not really get a celebration on their actual day, yet those not who were named names of people who were not so saintly get a whole holiday and celebration (if it didn’t fall on a Saturday this year I’m told that a day off work would be given).

How does one actually celebrate the day (also nicknamed day of the dead)? Well simple, apparently some go to church, uncle Meraldo does this- I’m told he goes every Christmas, Easter and All Saint’s Day (I guess they’re called C, E and Aer’s here)- the rest of us will not partake. After that is lunch (or maybe before, I’m still unclear) and then we all follow a processional to the cemetery, generally you walk down together with everyone in town, luckily for us we will be at Stella’s, where the cemetery is right next door so if it continues to pour, as it has the past two days, we wont have much of a walk. Once at the cemetery you stand beside your loved one’s grave and a priest blesses the grave, kind of like a final blessing. Afterwards, or at least in my aunt’s tradition, she gathers with friends at the bar.

I’m also facing a dilemma right now. Normally, in Canada I begin playing Christmas music on Nov. 12, since Remembrance Day is the last holiday before Christmas and thereby grants me the right to start preparing my celebrations. Do I continue this tradition, although I don’t technically get a holiday on that day nor do I have any poppies for me to lose on a daily basis? Or do I begin doing so on November 2nd, seeing that the 1st is the last holiday here before Christmas? OR… do I confess that I’ve already started listening to Christmas music on my iPod already?

Keep in mind this poll is purely in relation to the music at home, I want to know when I can start convincing my aunt to listen to Christmas music so that we can stop the madness and discontinue the continuous playing of her Alan Jackson CD that I will forever hate my brother for burning for her.