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All Hallowed Eve

A guide to Whistler’s spookiest night
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Heart of Halloween in Whistler is the annual street party and celebration in Tapley’s Farm, which turns 20 this year.

By Andrew Mitchell

Why Halloween?

It’s a good time to be scared.

The days are growing shorter, the air is growing colder, the leaves fall and green things brown and wither. If spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, then Halloween has always been a time of death and decay, the last harvest before winter freezes everything.

Every ancient civilization and culture has observed this changing of seasons and cycles, some with celebrations and others with rituals of fear, which is fitting because the Halloween we celebrate in the 21 st century is meant to be a little bit of both — fun and frightening.

Our own Halloween traditions can be traced back more than 2,000 years to the Celts of Ireland, who observed the annual festival of Samhain, which means “summer’s end”.

The festival marked the end of the harvest, and the beginning of the dark season and the season of death — in those days it was common for people who were very young, very old or very sick to die over the winter from a mix of cold, hunger and disease. Our ancestors were very much at the mercy of nature, and winter was the most unmerciful season of all.

Oct. 31 was also the last day of the Celtic calendar year, and it was said that the boundaries between the world of the dead and the world of the living were blurred when the sun went down. The Celts believed that ghosts walked the earth, sometimes ruining crops and spreading mischief, sometimes marking the next to die. It was also said that the Druid priests could commune with the dead and foretell the future.

During the celebration of Samhain, the Celts often wore costumes — usually animal heads and skins, both to disguise themselves from the dead and to make a few future predictions of their own.

Adding to the general spookiness of the evening, the Celts also extinguished the flames in their hearths and joined the Druids at large sacrificial bonfires where crops and animals were burned as offerings to their gods. Towards the end of the evening the farmers and townspeople would take a flame from the bonfire, which they would carry back to their homes to serve as protection for the long winter.

The Festival of Samhain did not die after the Romans at last conquered the Celts in 43 A.D. Instead, two harvest festivals of Roman origin were assimilated into Samhain. The first was called “Feralia”, a date in late October when the Romans ritually commemorated the passing of the dead, while the second festival was “Pomona”, which honoured the Roman goddess of fruit and trees… which also explains why Halloween is not just about ghouls and ghosts, but also about candy apples.

By the ninth century Christianity had been brought to all corners of Ireland, and Nov. 1 was designated All Saints’ Day by the Pope to honour saints and martyrs. Some believe that the timing was no accident and that the Pope was deliberately attempting to snuff out the pagan Celtic festival and its associations to ancient gods and traditions. It didn’t work.

November 1 did become All Saints’ Day, and the night before did become “All Hallowmas”, which became All-hallows Eve, and later, Halloween. However, instead of animals and ghosts, people just adapted the holiday slightly and would dress as both saints and demons, effectively bringing the devil into Halloween folklore. And the festival’s superstitious traditions continued — country girls used to roll slugs in flour and stare into mirrors to get a glimpse of their future husbands, while boys played macabre games and bobbed for apples.

As the Irish emigrated to other countries, so did the Halloween tradition.

Trick or Treating likely is related to the practice of begging door to door for food during the annual All Souls’ parade in England. People would give beggars food to pray for their dead relatives.

The practice of giving “soul cakes” to beggars was meant to replace another tradition — leaving food and wine outside your house to appease the ghosts wandering the earth.

It wasn’t until Halloween reached North America with European settlers that it evolved into the holiday we observe today. The North American folk tradition added pumpkins, scarecrows, witches, black cats, trick or treating, ghost stories and a variety of other superstitions to the mix.

Still, the occasion made the church nervous. Halloween nearly lost its scary side when it was observed as a religious and community holiday in the early 1900s, but some communities continued the tradition of dressing up, going from door to door, and pulling pranks. At last, Halloween was resurrected during the baby boom into the cultural phenomena it is today.

Next to Christmas, more money is spent on Halloween than any other holiday, between $6 and $8 billion annually, depending on what report you read. In places like Las Vegas, Halloween is catching up to New Year’s Eve in terms of visitors.

Halloween is celebrated over much of the world, with slight variations on traditions almost everywhere you go. The exception was the southern hemisphere, which doesn’t enjoy the same kind of harvest traditions as the northern hemisphere for obvious reasons, but it’s starting to catch on there as well.

Halloween in Whistler

Halloween has always been a big deal in Whistler, whether you’re a little Spongebob Squarepants looking to score some candy or a big Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein looking to score.

Virtually every nightclub in town has something going on Oct. 31, as well as whatever night of the weekend is closest to the big night. Detailed listings can be found in Pique Newsmagazine’s entertainment listings.

Trick or Treat at Tapley’s Farm

The heart of Halloween in Whistler is the annual street party and celebration in Tapley’s Farm, which turns 20 this year. The Tapley’s event, which goes back as far as the neighbourhood itself, provides safe and fun trick or treating to over 600 children every year. With parents and curious newcomers also making the trip to Tapley’s, the evening attracts a crowd of thousands.

Locals go all out, decorating their homes and gardens in Halloween style, carving elaborate pumpkins and filling bag after bag with candy. There’s even a prize for the home that puts on the best Halloween spread, which is hotly contested by local residents.

The trick or treating is followed up by a fireworks display at nearby Myrtle Philip school, sponsored by Nesters Market and put on with the assistance of Whistler Fire Services.

Kids from all over Whistler are invited to the Tapley’s event, although their parents are asked to donate candy to the cause — filling the bags of 600 trick or treaters and putting on a fireworks display can get expensive. There are candy drop boxes at both Myrtle Philip Community School and Spring Creek Community School, and the Teddy Bear Daycare.

The Tapley’s Halloween night starts at dusk, around 5 p.m., and the fireworks starts at 7:30 p.m.

Locals ask that you please not drive to the neighbourhood — the streets are literally swarming with children in costumes, and the streets are blocked off. Tapley’s, located at the bottom of Lorimer Road, is walking distance to the village and free transportation is provided on the Goblin Express.

Catching the Goblin Express

Getting around in a Halloween mask can be difficult, but the Whistler and Valley Express (WAVE) will make it as painless as possible. All day and night on Oct. 31 you can ride the bus for just 25 cents, as long as you’re in costume.

“We are promoting safe rides home and encouraging people to think of transit when planning their Halloween activities,” said Emma DalSanto, traffic demand coordinator for the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

As well as lowering the price of regular service, WAVE also provides the Goblin Express Park and Spook to Tapley’s Farm. Starting at 5 p.m. the usual two hour parking limit at Marketplace will be waived, and trick or treaters and their parents can take a free shuttle down to Tapley’s Farm to trick or treat and watch the fireworks. The buses will pull over at all Lorimer stops, and will run until after the fireworks.

Celebrating Halloween

Halloween doesn’t end the moment your parents decide you’re too old to trick or treat, but resonates your whole life. While you may never relive that thrill of plunging your hands into a bowl of peeled grapes you were told were witches’ eyeballs, it’s still one of the busiest and most entertaining nights of the year.

The Whistler-Pemberton RCMP will have additional members in the village and on the roads to ensure public safety, so be on your best behaviour.

The RCMP also have the usual safety tips — put something reflective on your clothing to ensure you’re visible to traffic, have a designated driver, and obey the rules of the road.

Top 20 Scary Movies

Nothing gets you into the Halloween spirit like a good scary movie. A quick Google search turned up literally dozens of “scariest movie” lists with up to 50 titles in each, and all of them are at least slightly different. To simplify things we’ve made a top-20 list that includes all the movies that appear on more than one “scariest movie” list.

As usual, the lists are heavy on the classics — possibly because movies were scarier before computer animation when directors had to rely on lighting, cinematography, script and plot to set the mood; or possibly because it takes about 20 years to make a horror movie a classic.

1. The Shining (1980) — On every single list, and almost always in the top-10. Jack Nicholson portrays a writer with a violent, alcoholic past who signs on to be the winter caretaker at a haunted hotel, cut off from the rest of the world, with nobody but his jittery wife, clairvoyant son and psychotic ghosts for company.

2. Halloween (1978) – Although this movie gave rise to a whole genre of slasher horror movies with men in masks, the original is darker, moodier and more psychologically cut than most copycats. Probably one of the scariest horror movie soundtracks of all time.

3. The Excorcist (1973) — You’ll never eat pea soup again. The story of a child’s possession by an ancient demon, as told by the priest that attempts to send the demon back to hell.

4. The Thing (1982) — This movie has everything; a shapeshifting alien, a desolate Antarctic setting, the growing paranoia of a group of men cooped up with said alien, and a scene where a human head grows legs and attempts to scuttle away. The special effects are a little dated, but it will seem real enough to you.

5. Evil Dead / Evil Dead Pt. II (1981-1987) — Five friends travel to a remote cabin where they discover the Necronomicron, or book of the dead, and one by one they are taken over by demons. In the sequel the lone survivor of the first night fights goes round two with evil. Both films are scary and funny, and are studied by film classes the world over for the unique camera work and direction.

6. (BLANK) of the Dead (1968-2004) — Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead (and 2004 remake), Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead pretty much sum up the whole zombie genre, as envisioned by George A. Romero. Return of the Living Dead is also good for a few laughs.

7. Alien (1979) — The first movie introduced the world to the Alien creature with the tagline “In Space No One Can Hear You Scream”. From the first contact with an alien spaceship to the last scene on the escape shuttle, this is a well-made and suspenseful horror movie.

8. The Changeling (1980) — Low on budget, but big on scares. Probably the finest haunted house story every told, with some of the genre’s creepiest scenes ever.

9. The Amityville Horror (1979) — A Long Island home is haunted by its past, as is disturbed newlywed George Lutz. Great story with great acting, and a few of the scariest moments in horror movie history.

10. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) — Maybe the first slasher film, this movie was one of the first to claim to be based on a true story. Kind of a stretch, but the grainy footage and sound of a chainsaw firing up are just as spooky today as 30 years ago. The 2003 remake was more disturbing than scary.

11. The Omen (1976, 2006) — The son of Satan, born as the son of an American ambassador. Denial turns to suspicion, turns to plot to kill the Antichrist.

12. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) — A young couple move into an apartment where they are surrounded by strange neighbours. Mia Farrow mysteriously becomes pregnant, then realizes she is about to give birth to the Antichrist.

13. Jaws (1977) — Set off 30 years of shark paranoia, and made a generation scared to go in the water. It’s the movie you wish you’d never seen.

14. Nosferatu (1922) — This silent film, a take on the Dracula myth, is still hailed as one of the scariest movies ever made. No special effects, just really creepy makeup and lighting. The first horror movie ever made.

15. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — “Quid pro quo, Clarice”. A naïve but gifted FBI recruit makes nice with one serial killer to catch another, creating one of the most memorable horror movies of all time.

16. Psycho (1960) — Alfred Hitchcock practically invented the horror movie with Psycho, and it remains one of the darkest and best directed horror movies to date. Even if you know the story it can still surprise you.

17. Poltergeist (1982) — “They’re Here!” Never, ever buy suburban tract housing built on an ancient Indian burial ground, or talk to people in the TV.

18. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Freddy Kruger attacks children in real life, is killed by neighbourhood parents, and returns to kill children in their dreams. Although this dead horse was flogged pretty rigorously the original remains a Halloween classic.

19. Friday the 13 th Part (?) — Some say the first movie is the best, others vote for Part II, III, IV and V. Then it starts to get silly. Still, Jason Voorhees is one of the best of the worst horror movie bad guys ever.

20. The Ring (2002) — A creepy remake of an even creepier Japanese film. Don’t hold the fact that it’s less than five years old against it.

Halloween Online

Costume Ideas — Locally costumes are available in Function Junction at Ninety-Nine Reasons to Party, local pharmacies, and various other stores, but for costume ideas check out the following websites: www.costumeideazone.com , www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.htm , www.halloweenishere.com/costume_ideas.html , www.buycostumes.com , www.top10halloweencostumes.net

Halloween Food — If you’re having a Halloween party this year, check out Halloween recipe ideas at www.allrecipes.com

www.halloweenkitchen.com , www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween www.cooksrecipes.com/holiday-recipes/halloween.html www.recipelink.com/halloween.html and www.canoe.ca/Halloween/recipes.html .

Halloween Mocktails and Cocktails — Mocktails for kids, Cocktails for adults: www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1097/cocktail.html www.drinkoftheweek.com/special/halloween.htm www.drinkalizer.com/drinks/category/halloween-cocktails.php www.cocktailtimes.com/party/halloween_party.shtml



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