Photos from Sharot family.
What does Halloween mean? All hallows evening. Evening before. Like Xmas eve. Een or even is the Scottish short form for evening. Halloween is celebrated worldwide. Let's start in London.
Halloween In London
This place is not for the nervous. I am judging by these pictures have been sent to me by family who went there on a visit. I have mixed feelings about Halloween. Like all festivals, it has moved into a big, funny, fun commercial event from a purely spiritual festival. This festival is derived from a day honouring the dead. Festivals for ancestors or the dead take place in many cultures, including the Christians, but especially Roman Catholics on All Saints Day.
The Americas
Halloween or an equivalent is big in Mexico and South America.
Mexico
Mexico has two events resembling Halloween, Oct 31 Dia de las Brujas, meaning day of the witches, in addition to Dia de Los Muertos, meaning day of the dead.
The evening of November 1st is the day of the witches, a kiddie festival with trick or treating, children going door to door, demanding candies (American for sweets0.
All Saints day is November 1st (only for saints in the Catholic church). All Soul's day is November 2nd.
USA
Halloween is big in the USA. In the nineteen eighties before global commercialization had struck, we Brits drove around astonished. I had never seen a pumpkin before. So, drive around the USA nowadays and you will see real or fake pumpkins everywhere.
New York has the biggest Halloween parade with 2 million people participating - plus audience or including audience?
Singapore
What about the rest of the world? In Singapore there's a Hungry Ghost festival.
Another event is grave sweeping and picnicking by the graves. In Singapore it is forbidden to leave flowers in water filled vases with saucers because stagnant water attracts mosquitos which breed and give people malaria - which fills up the cemeteries even more.Singapore
Over in Singapore, the supermarkets, are full of Halloween novelties.
Great fun for adults and children at the Pumpkin Patch farm and ice cream shop in Barnet, North London. They have pumpkins in wheelbarrows,
Back In London
The funny farm has funny little orange hats for children and adults. My granddaughter seemed a bit bemused. She liked sitting in a wheelbarrow with pumpkins. But in other pictures she seemed uneasy. Me, too. However, it seems that at all times of year you can enjoy the ice creams.
Their ice cream flavours include bubblegum, lemon meringue, Rum and raisin,
These pictures have been sent to me by family who went there on a visit. I have mixed feelings about Halloween.
Being of retirement age, I am a bit squeamish about skeletons, skulls and graves, and this includes Mock graves. The theory is that by making fun you reduce your fears. To me it seems a bit of an unpleasant reminder that the days of the elder folk in the family are numbered. But that's just me.
They have mock graves with legs sticking out, mock skeletons playing guitars. If that amuses you, so be it. You can take photos to frighten your friends or amuse everybody.
AFTER THAT YOU NEED THE ICE CREAM!
Lewis of London, Fold Farm, Galley Lane, London. EN5 4RA.
The Halloween effects are available the last two weeks of October until Hallowe'en (with the original apostrophe for evening) at the end of the month. However, you can enjoy the ice creams all year. See their website for updates and opening times and/or call them to confirm whether they have extra activities or events.
Online Worldwide
Online from Amazon you can buy bracelets, bags for candies, bags of of candies, or stress balls.
Useful Websites
https://www.lewisoflondon.co.uk/events/pumpkin-patch/
https://www.amazon.sg/s?k=halloween+gifts
how to grow pumpkins
https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/how-to-plant-pumpkin-seeds
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