When do you begin celebrating, and how do you celebrate?
I actually don’t quite celebrate Halloween - shocker! - in the common sense. I do put up some witchy decor because I love marking the seasons this way and I love to surround myself with evocative reminders of the seasonal changes, we occasionally bake pumpkin pie for dessert on the 31st and we do tend to have a bit of a celebratory dinner between the 3 of us. But most of my celebrations happen inside me, does this even make sense?
October is a month that means family to me, from start to end. My father’s birthday was in October, so is mine and my husband’s. My niece and nephew too, some of my best friends along the years have October birthdays, so to me this is all about honouring the hearth, the family ties that don’t always have to be blood ones, and the ancestry running in my veins. My grandfather passed away on my 13th birthday, so I feel a deep connection to his spirit, his heritage, as deep as I felt the connection with him while he was living. I find myself thinking about my ancestors a lot during this month and finding traces of them in my children, my sister’s children, so I celebrate this link, this tie to the past, to those who came before me and made me who I am. I cherish and honour their lives and their memory, but it’s something that happens inside me.
You are currently residing in Portugal. How is the European view of Samhain/Halloween different from the American view?
Wouldn’t know about what happens in the rest of Europe, to be honest, only here. Portugal is a MASSIVELY catholic country, but it’s also a place so prone to fall under what’s commercially sold. Halloween was NEVER a thing round here when I was growing up, though I knew it from watching American films and Peanuts - best Halloween ever! - but here people celebrate All Saints’ and the 1st of November tends to be sombre and sad, folks going to the cemetery to place flowers on their departed ones’ graves.
Imagine my surprise when my kid started school and I was suddenly drowned by Halloween parties and the need for a costume for all those parties… Of course I would never deny him the experience, so he did celebrate a few Halloweens like that, but he has never celebrated All Saints because we’re not catholic. I think the religious weight has been lifted off the date a lot with the younger generations, but the older ones are still frowning upon such a pagan party as Halloween...
Do you know of any unusual Halloween traditions, such as matchmaking or soul cakes?
All I know are certain Samhain rituals...
Do you think the horror community keeps Halloween relevant or do you think Halloween gives a boost to the horror industry?
Neither, actually, for me Halloween goes beyond horror and I don’t view it as an horror prone date, but I do confess to watching a horror film or ten on Halloween!
What do you think of people trying to change the date of Halloween?
Why would they? It’s silly. Then again, the 1st of November is a bank holiday in Portugal, maybe that’s why I find it stupid that people would change the date. We get to party hard - and I sure did, back in my 20s, 30s! - and rest the day after.
How do you think the preternaturals in your stories would celebrate? Or do you think they’d find human customs ridiculous?
There’s a Samhain celebration occurring in Avalon Hall complete with a little ritual as well, and seeing that the story is set in the same preternatural universe as my previous books, I feel that a lot of the characters would celebrate in a similar manner. Except for Rune Sanderson and his gang, that is, he’d been out and about hunting witches for their blood back in his younger days!
Do you think you would ever write a story which takes place around this holiday?
Like I said, Avalon Hall reaches its climax during Halloween!
Will you come back later this year to discuss your new fantasy series?
Would love to return and talk about the Heir of Avalon Trilogy!
https://indiepublishauthors.wixsite.com/ruthmiranda
Tomorrow I announce the winner of the Kody Boye giveaway, and I have a special review planned for Halloween, so keep checking back this week.
As always,
AstraDaemon
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