Halloween Other Festivals: Death And Life [Paperback]

Jack Santino (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Halloween is many things to many people; we do not celebrate the day in any one way." So Jack Santino writes in this first ever collection of essays dedicated to the study of Halloween and related festivals. Thirteen folklore and culture scholars examine the evolution of Halloween from its Celtic origins through its adaptation into modern culture. Essays on holiday customs describe harvest and autumnal rituals in Scotland, new Halloween traditions in response to legends about contaminated candy, the custom of "pranking" (more popular in some areas of the U.S. than trick-or-treating), England's Guy Fawkes Day and a parallel Bonfire Night in Newfoundland, and the development of American trick-or-treating in the years 1940-1990.

Also covered are the sociopolitical meanings of carnival celebrations and attempts to control them, the Tex-Mex tradition of el Dío de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and community approaches to Halloween in such diverse locales as the Canadian prairie, rural Vermont, and Greenwich Village in New York City. A final section looks at the history of Halloween noisemakers and unusual imagery (including the decoration of graves) in two Southern settings. In several of the essays, the authors examine the ironic, even disturbing, implications of such a popular holiday being based on images of death, evil, and the grotesque.

Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life is written with a lively balance of scholarship, anecdotes, and enthusiasm, with ample black-and-white illustrations. Whether you're interested in Halloween as a scholar or simply a celebrant, this is the book you need. --Fiona Webster

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press; 1 edition (May 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870498134
• ISBN-13: 978-0870498138
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Holidays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book on fall and harvest folk customs. Wow!!, September 16, 1999

By 

alexxcz "alexxcz" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Halloween Other Festivals: Death And Life (Paperback)

This book remains one of my all-time favorite books on folk holidays. A series of essays on various fall and harvest celebrations, it centers around Halloween, but branches out to discuss celebrations from Christmas mummers parades of the Ulster Scots and cutting the last sheaf of wheat, to Bonfire night in Newfoundland, to modern day trick-or-treat scare myths.

Beyond merely recounting the history of Halloween, this book does a wonderful job of placing our holiday in a global context and discussing what societal need these holidays or myths fulfilled. A fascinating study of our human history, I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in folk history and the "meaning" of holidays.

In a similar vein, I also recommend, Halloween : An American Holiday, an American History by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne for a more detailed look of the holiday as it unfolded in the US.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halloween Hodgepodge, October 17, 2010

By 

L. J. Vollmer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Halloween Other Festivals: Death And Life (Paperback)

Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life is a scholarly anthology of articles related to Halloween in various ways. The book is divided into three sections: Customs, Communities, and Material Culture. Each article assumes some knowledge, taking an in depth look at topics ranging from the history of Trick-or-Treating to the non-seasonal use of Halloween imagery in Southern settings. Some articles focus not on Halloween, but on related festivals such as Bonfire Night and the Texan acculturation of the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.

Each article reflects the author's own style making some more readable than others. However, the diversity of approaches and the variety of perspectives makes this a fascinating read. While the introduction attempts to bring these articles together in a coherent fashion, there is very little tying them together besides the direct or indirect relationship to Halloween. The book can be read cover-to-cover or piece-by-piece.

I would not recommend this book for those looking for a history of or introduction to Halloween, but rather to those who have some knowledge of the festival and are looking for scholarly commentary. Nonetheless, the casually interested may find some parts quite enjoyable and Halloween lovers will really appreciate the various views offered.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wicked good book, but tough to read, August 31, 2010

By 

ShawnMarie (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Halloween Other Festivals: Death And Life (Paperback)

This book is full of fascinating cultural references on Halloween and other celebrations associated with death. It is illustrated with some amazing artwork (like the front cover) and the details given on the celebration is beyond compare.

My one complaint is that with all the references and citing it is a tough read. You need to work at it to get through it, but it is definitely worth it.