Halloween: When evil dresses itself up as fun

With Christmas only around the corner it may seem strange to reflect back on Halloween, but this year I as I traipsed round with my child on a grisly quest for sweets I found myself somewhat unsettled by aspects of the whole festival.

I am the first to admit Halloween was one the highlights of my year as a child growing up in rural Ireland. As the shock of finding ourselves back in school in September gave way to autumn leaves and the excitement of trick-or-treating, we got down to planning our costumes, with old clothes, cardboard, paint and glue. The usually clement weather almost guaranteed a clear, cool night — with a full moon if we were lucky. Even in decay, nature was a beautiful sight as silver-lined moonlit clouds drifted in dusky skies past half-bare branches dripping with dew. Trick-or-treating meant an hour’s trek round rural roads unlit apart from the odd sodium lamp here and there. Half the adventure was simply being out so late in the company of an older, supervising sibling. The sweets and few pence collected were a welcome boost in the lean