Something to celebrate!

[girlyswot]

I don't like Hallowe'en. Sorry, everyone, but it does make my inner curmudgeon rise to the surface. I would rather be able to go to Tesco without being served by a man wearing fangs in his mouth. And although I enjoy my fictional wizards and witches, there's something about Hallowe'en that is just too close to the reality of the occult for me to find it fun. Also, I think that Trick or Treating is an extraordinary thing to encourage young children to do. Extorting sweets by threats? Um, why would you want your kids to do that? Possibly I feel this more strongly, since a boy I once taught was killed in a car accident while out trick or treating a few years ago.

But October 31st is nonetheless a special day that I like to remember in the year. It was on this day, nearly 500 years ago (1517) that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses against papal indulgences to the door of the church at Wittenburg, prompting the series of events across Europe which we now know as the Reformation. Incidentally, did you know that some of the earliest things to be printed were papal indulgences? Almost literally a licence to print money.

So, anyway, that's what I shall be celebrating today. Happy Reformation Day, everyone!

Comments

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I really hate that Undead Journal strip they've done.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I thought it was not a bad joke but it didn't need to go on all week.

[amamama.livejournal.com]

Yay! Happy reformation day! And while I think some parts of this country has a rather exceptional amount of protestant doom and gloom, I'm quite happy we're not catholic. And of course, when the reformation game, the king grabbed the opportunity to confiscate the papal properties and make it a state church. I don't really mind that either. :-) Celebrating Martin Luther's 95 theses makes much more sense than celebrating Halloween. I told the kids it's OK to "go Halloween" as they call it, as long as they'll go julebukk as well. Besides, here they don't say trick or treat, they say "søtt og godt, stort og smått" (sweet and good, big and small), which admittedly is begging but at least isn't threats. Julebukk (yule billy-goat) is an ancient tradition, and quite fun. A bit like carol singers, but you dress up and should not be recognizable. Grown-ups bring their own glass and get a dram, kids get sweets/biscuits/fruit. And of course, you have to sing.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Happy Reformation to you, and may any child who bothers your door have a Diet of Worms. :)

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

LOL! Fortunately, I live in a block of flats and my doorbell doesn't work so I'm not too worried.

[crumplehornedki.livejournal.com]

I'm a history major and I didn't know the day (or make the link) he posted the 95 *shakes head*

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

That's why you applauded Little Tyke! Happy Reformation Day. I'll tell her that for next year. I've only ever had one child knock on my door trick-or-treating and that was when we were still in England so I guess it hasn't caught on particularly round here. I think it is probably better than Mischief Night, which was a popular event when I was a child but I've never heard of since so I don't think it could have been a widespread thing.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

What night was Mischief Night? I've never heard of it.

I think one can certainly blame trace trick or treating to the US, but other Hallowe'en things are relatively traditional in the UK. Agatha Christie wrote a Hallowe'en story about a child killed by apple bobbing or something equally gruesome and I think that was set in the 50's.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I think Mischief Night must have been limited to that part of Yorkshire. We did have a teacher give us anecdotes from Leeds about why it was a bad thing so it wasn't just limited to the Ripon-Harrogate area. It was on November 4th and kids just went and played tricks (mostly unpleasant ones) for the hell of it. No knocking on doors and warning people, they'd just wake up in the morning and find what had be broken or whatever. Occasionally the tricks would be funny and clever but usually they were just malicious. Of course, being November 4th, other people's bonfires were often set fire to. I hope it has died out completely, which is possible as it was such a localised event and never got coverage in the media.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

When were you a child? Mischief Night was still going fairly strong when I was at middle school in Leeds in the mid/late 90s.

Actually, as long as the tricks are essentially harmless, in some respects I would rather have Mischief Night, which at least has longer tradition, than Halloween, which always struck me as pointless (esp. in modern commercial form, though I have no fondness for being scared witless either). Yes, I'm seizing the opportunity tomorrow to attend a fancy dress party, but given the limited choice of dress, I'd rather have one of the just-before-Lent dressing up traditions.

Bonfire night, on the other hand, I adore.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I just looked Mischief Night up on Wikipedia and they seem to think it still happens.

I love Bonfire Night too. When I was growing up we'd always go to a big local bonfire and have jacket potatoes and sparklers and watch the fireworks. Much more fun than Halloween.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Bonfire Night has that nice interactive element. Not to mention spectable and excitement, better food and it's a lot warmer.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Oh, and Wikipedia also agrees with tdu000 that Mischief Night is limited to the north.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

I must look it up! Nineveh UK is the first person I've come across, away from home, who has ever heard of it. I lived in Mancheter for a few years and it wasn't known there so it can't have crossed the Pennines.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

Just looked and the comment about "minor vandalism" seems the closest to my recollections. Mind you, most of the boys I was at primary school with ended up in prison at some point so maybe it was just them rather than the concept in general.

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

So it hasn't died out! I just haven't lived in Yorkshire for a long time. I started school in 1967-8 and it was definitely a long-established tradition then. I don't like it because so many of the tricks were just plain nasty. I don't like trick-or-treat either but don't get too bothered by it, perhaps because it hasn't caught on round here. As a creeping Americanism, I prefer it to the language as it only happens once a year and the changes in the language annoy me all year long.

Where abouts in Leeds were you? I went to university there in the early/mid eighties and worked at the LGI for my first job.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

We lived in Cookridge (I went to Cookridge Primary, Tinshill Middle, Horsforth). My parents were from the Midlands, and hadn't heard of Mischief Night before moving to Leeds. I think it was largely a boys' thing.

I prefer it to the language as it only happens once a year and the changes in the language annoy me all year long.
Good point!

[megan29.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, there's a Mischief Night even in US this year on November 4. :-)

[owl]

Happy Reformation Day!

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

And also to you.

[girlspell.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I knew about Martin Luther. When ever Halloween comes around, I think of him! LOL...

I like Halloween though. Churches in the US are not thrilled, but they go along with it. Just about all schools including religious ones have their kids dress up and go tick or treating. Very secular in feel here. It's just like Thanksgiving, very American.

[alkari.livejournal.com]

I'm with you about Halloween generally, and especially the Trick or Treating thing with kids. Seems very strange behaviour to encourage, especially when they are also taught 'stranger danger' and to be careful of their own safety! My previous place was in a security block of flats, so I only ever had one group of kids come round (I escorted them out again, yes, mean and grumpy old me!) and my current place is tucked down a concealed driveway. But I worry about my elderly mother, though she assures me she only opens her door to the various neighbours' kids she knows.