Autumn is now well upon us. Tomorrow, we are forecast to have wind and rain as well as the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Today is Halloween. For many years, in fact for most of my life, this has had no significance whatsoever. The idea of Halloween had its origins in Celtic traditions and as such, it is not surprising that there was little interest - at least in England. There have been attempts to attach it to religious traditions but there is little to support this. It seems that Halloween has been taken on-board mainly in the USA where the tradition was started by the Irish in the 19th century. But, of course, if there is a marketing opportunity to make some money it should be promoted as much as possible. Now there are whole towns in America that are decorated with ghosts and devils and dark lights and stuff picked up from a defunct ghost train. Halloween parties and events proliferate and everyone spends more money on decorations and costumes. The Americans are entitled to do what they like, of course, but now all the spin and sell of the whole Halloween things has hit us here. The shops are filled with tacky Halloween costumes and TV promotes the thing with Halloween programmes and - worst of all - we are subjected to kids knocking on the door to demand "Trick or Treat". Apparently, I am now required to give them money or chocolate or other goods. And if I do not? There are many instances of people being attacked, having their cars vandalised or having bricks thrown through their windows. This, truly, is an American import we can do without.
For the last few days I have gone into Tesco's supermarket to be greeted by staff wearing plastic devil horns and today, I was served by a grown man wearing a pig's head. We could not communicate. He could not hear me and his words were lost somewhere inside the mask. What is the point of this nonsense. Is the world gone mad? Jack Straw said that he objected to Muslim women wearing a Burka when he met them because he could not see their faces. I feel the same about Tesco staff serving me while disguised as pigs.
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