Sunday, October 31, 2010

All Hallows Eve . . .

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While in the USA towards the end of September, I was quite surprised to see that many people had already prepared their Halloween decorations, over a month in advance. I suppose tomorrow these decorations will be removed, and replaced already by Christmas wreathes ! Some people had gone to considerable lengths to create a suitably ghoulish gallows atmosphere. Halloween, like Christmas, has sadly become just another crassly commercial exercise, an excuse for stores to sell large amounts of candy and costumes to consumers, imho. No doubt the historical roots for these celebrations are more interesting. But whatever your feelings on the matter, a very Happy Halloween to ya !
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33 comments:

Clytie said...

Boy, some people do truly go "all out" - but I have to say ... I kind of like them!!!

Jidhu Jose said...

Wow...nice pics

http://jidhu.blogspot.com/
http://jidhujose.blogspot.com/

Virginia said...

owen,
I can't compete with your delightful ghoulish images! :)

TO answer your question........ I could never ever find enough time to suit myself in Paris. Peter has asked me if didn't want to visit other places in France or perhaps Italy. Of course I would but then, with limited resources, i dearly love returning to Paris over and over. Each time I come back it feels more like home. I am beginning to learn my way around and don't really feel like a tourist anymore. I hope this makes some sense. I know it's a stretch that a southern girl feels at home in Paris now, but I really do. I love it so. You know that don't you! I hope to spend more time with you on my next visit. It might be in the dead of winter again, fevrier. We'll just bundle up with a very chic scarf and off we'll go. I think you have a cemetery that you want me to see.:)

V

The Sagittarian said...

We don't 'do' Halloween here as such altho thanks to the retail magnate who buys in cheap shite about it, we do seem to be getting more kids we don't know banging on the door asking for lollies! Not my thing at all.
However, I could be interested in the hemlock for sale...

Anonymous said...

Hope you have had a nice Halloween Owen, what was your disguise inspired in?? Hehe, i know, i know, maybe just Mr toad himself =) =)

Have a nice week, wow, time is really flying and in just a few weeks it will be thanksgiving day.

Keep well and all the best !!

Plum' said...

Hello Owen,
Je suis toujours impressionnée avec quel soin tes compatriotes préparent cette fête !
Les studios britanniques de la Hammer à leur grande époque n'auraient rien eu à leur envier :)
Brrrrrrr !
Pour revenir sur l'aspect commercial de la chose et dans le contexte d'un phénomène de mondialisation exacerbé, on commence également à voir refleurir des décoration de Noël par chez nous...Business first ! :[
Où est passée la poésie dans tout ça...
Bises cher Owen

Steve said...

Glad I didn't encounter the skeletal scarecrow on the way back from the pub... I'd be needing a change of underwear!

Stickup Artist said...

Oh Wow, you got some fabulous seasonal images on display here. I'm surprised they were out so early, but at least you were able to get some great shots!

Anonymous said...

Did you do anything for Halloween in France?

Le Journal de Chrys said...

On sent un réel investissement dans cette fête!!!! En France, tout doucement, il me semble que l'engouement s'étiole, les vitrines ne sont quasiment plus décorées pour l'occasion et Noël est déjà dans les rayons des magasins...

Lynne with an e said...

What really frightens me here on your blogsite is the linkage to addiction cure sites. I am puzzled by the implications. Do you fear followers of the Magic Lantern may come so strongly under its spell that intervention or help may be required? It is very thoughtful and responsible of you to provide such assistance. Maybe you could just give me a ride home; although having heard of some of your previous death-defying driving incidents, perhaps I'll walk.

Traveling Hawk said...

I like most the first one, as it is very creative.

Nevine Sultan said...

Oh, Owen! These photos tickle my fancy. There is an amazingly child-like aspect of Halloween that just takes the chill out of it for me. But who needs a chill when one can instead enjoy a good memory or two of trick-or-treating... long ago?

These are just delightful... in a dark and spooky kind of way.

I hope you had a Happy Halloween, Owen!

Nevine

Roxana said...

we don't have halloween here, and i confess i have never seen such pictures, these decorations are so skilfully crafted and really scary, i had no idea people really did this to their homes :-) i would be afraid to pass by some of them, i think, and this is also an homage to the photographer :-)

Lydia said...

I actually had some chills looking at a few of these images. It was a great post, and I must say your region goes all out in the decorating for Halloween! (Interesting to read Roxana's comment that they do not have Halloween. Makes me wonder about the hows and whys it reached some shores and not others...)

Owen said...

Hi Clytie, perhaps in this case you could say they went "all under", as in, six feet under... for sure, quite a dark imagination at work there, with a gory sense of humor...

Owen said...

Hi Virginia, well, in any case, one could easily spend a lifetime trying to see and learn all there is to know about Paris, and still not see it all... We'll look forward to seeing you whenever. And I'm sure you and Mary have more secrets to share, I still can't get over Picpus... that was a great day...

Owen said...

Hi Saj... probably just as well that you're not subjected to hordes of goblins and ghosts pestering you for handouts...

As for the hemlock... is that what you've been drinking of late??? Or is there someone you think needs a good strong dose ???
:-)

Owen said...

Hi Alberto !
Well, to be Mr Toad I need no disguise at all...
:-)

As for Thanksgiving, yep, it's coming up fast, and I broght some turkey back from the US that I'll be sharing with everyone... a Halloween turkey at that. Honest.... Stay tuned...
:-)

Be well my friend...

Owen said...

Ah K'line... tu poses exactement la question qu'il faut... où est passée la poésie dans tout cela ? ? ?

Je veux bien rester optimiste, vraiment, mais il y a bien de moments où j'ai du mal... bombes dans le fret aérien, bombe à Istanbul, bombes dans l'église Catholique à Baghdad, bombes à Athènes, etc, etc, etc... ad nauséum.

Ce bas monde manque cruellement de poésie, pendant que des tarés avec des armes et explosifs à disposition se multiplient comme des lapins. Quelque chose ne va pas.

Bon... onward through the fog, comme on dit... avançons à travers le brouillard...

Merci K'line pour ta compagnie sur cette route dans le brouillard...

Owen said...

Steve,
There are special absorbant models for people with certain challenges...
:-)

The flowing white sheet in the wind is my favorite... but then, if you were coming home from the pub, maybe you'd be four sheets to the wind anyway, and wouldn't even notice one more ?
:-)

Owen said...

Stickup,
I'm sure you remember how these things went in Pennsylvania... lots of decorators up that way. Must be some out in California, no ?

Owen said...

LGS, not a thing ! And that was fine with us. Nobody even rang the doorbell. Though that may be because we'd turned out the streetside lights, and shut the shutters... it looked like we weren't around...

Almost no one in France celebrates Halloween, which is fine by me... Just a few squirrels out in the woods doing Druid rituals I think...

Owen said...

Chrys... déjà Noel ? Oh là, et oui, c'est pas loin, faut se préparer, n'est-ce pas... si je pourrais je préparerai en partant en Siberie... quelque part loin de toutes les pubs, toutes les promotions, etc...

Owen said...

Hi Lynne... well you never know when someone might need a detox session, there are more addicts out there than we realize. But actually, I was made an offer I couldn't refuse in regards to those links. I couldn't believe it actually... I'm surprised you actually noticed though. But if you should happen to be in need of their services (maybe for a photoshop addiction) just tell them Mr Toad sent you...
:-)

Owen said...

Dear Travelling Hawk,
Thanks for dropping in here, I think this is a first ? I liked that first one too, the red bike with dangling chain, and the rusty Bar sign... come again, the more the merrier I alway say...

Owen said...

Dear Nevine, Halloween was wonderful... our two girls were away for the weekend, so it was just me and la Grenouille with a rare moment of just the two of us... a bottle of white wine was opened... a good time was had by all.
:-)

Halloween really is an odd celebration, reminding us all of our mortality, in many macabre ways. I couldn't believe what lengths these people had gone to, building coffins and all... very deadicated...

And I hope you had a very fine time celebrating that fabulous news you passed on there...
:-)

Owen said...

Hola Roxana !
Many people in the US really do go overboard with decorations on Halloween for some reason, even if they may have forgotten what they do it for. And then the kids come around in costumes, with big bags with which to receive as much candy handouts as possible. Dentists meanwhile are rubbing their hands, thinking of all the cavities they will get to treat in the coming months !

And the photographer in question is very brave... in the face of the walking dead !

Owen said...

Hi Lydia, yeah, I'm sure there's some interesting matter to research there. Here in France I saw no sign of Halloween whatsoever this year. I guess people were still totally obsessing about the reforms the gov't just pushed through. That had alot of folks up in arms. But far from everybody. Some people realize that change is necessary. Maybe a necessary evil, but still necessary.

Amy said...

It seems that Halloween definitely keeps getting bigger here. I see just as much effort put into decorations as for Christmas; I even saw one house that put up fake cardboard "stone" walls around their house. I really need to take photos tomorrow if it's still up.

thomai said...

You really made my flesh crawl! I feel just as if i was passing by...being there literally! Every time another experience your photos offer us! Thanks once again! :D

T. Becque said...

I was in the store on Halloween and they were already clearing out the candy to make room for Christmas items! That so doesn't help enjoying the moment philosphy!

Sar@h said...

Moi aussi j'ai / j'avais un p'tit vélo dans la tête : celui de faire le tour du monde.
Je crois que mon avenir à moyen terme se résumera aux autres photos.