Column: What do you like about Halloween?

I've never liked fall. Of course, there is no bad weather, but there are bad clothes. But still, fall never did the job for me. Especially the October-December stretch.

Dark, wet, empty, grey and colourless. What's there to like?

Fortunately, since I was a teen, I learned about a way to break this stretch up a bit and Halloween became a highlight of those months of darkness. You may ask, why not since childhood, as it's usually one of the big excitements for kids.

Well, we didn't have Halloween when I was a kid. This tradition, that's so widespread in North America, as you probably know, hearkens back to religious beliefs and visions.

Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Back then people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. (Celts lived over 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland and the United Kingdom). Hundreds of years later, in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 as a time to honour all saints. That day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.

Well, in the atheistic Soviet Union, where I was born, and then in succeeding Russia, we didn't have that tradition. I guess it made its first steps on the vast expanse of post-Soviet countries in the late 90s, but it came into my life only in the late 2000s, bringing in some colours to brighten the fall.

Once I got to know the holiday, I seized on an opportunity to mix the darkness of October days with bright costumes, fun parties and warm get-togethers. 

To tell you the truth, until just a few years ago, I'd never been out trick-or-treating or carved jack-o-lanterns. (I tried these fun activities for the first time when I was around 30, and I was really grateful to Estevan for allowing me to become a kid again and get a taste of what it's like.) I still haven't decorated much for the day as no one usually comes to our place. But I've always enjoyed the fancy decorations and sincerely appreciated the effort people in town put into turning their houses into real Halloween dens.

This year, it seems that Estevan is a bit less Halloweeny than before. Maybe it still was too early when I last cruised around to see what was out there for Halloween. Maybe I just didn't hit the right addresses. (If you know of real Halloween houses in Estevan, please, share the street addresses in the comments.) Or maybe the economic situation doesn't bode well for spending extra on skeletons and bats. One way or another, I still appreciate people who put their time and money into colouring the city to make fall a bit more fun for themselves, but also for others.

Historically, this holiday, which used to celebrate the end of summer and harvest, honour saints and mark the beginning of cold winter days, was strongly associated with death. The season change was a natural context for it. But over the centuries, it gradually evolved into a day of fun activities. Death-related spooky costumes are now mainly replaced with bright movie or cartoon characters, historic personalities, outfits reminding of food, furniture and who knows what else.

There are still some odd witches, vampires, ghosts and other boogies you can meet on the streets or at Halloween parties, but they are rather an exception. Over my dress-up years, I tried costumes of a blue-winged angel, dragon, Cruella Deville, old grumpy housemaid and Count Dracula for a change.

To me, it doesn't matter if I get a chance to dress up or decorate, if I get to party or trick-or-treat, if I carve a pumpkin or end up just watching what my friends do, I still love Halloween. Of course, for most people today this holiday lost its original meaning and purpose. It doesn't really have anything to do with saints and even ghosts. But I really value its contemporary role, as it makes fall more fun, exciting and bearable.

I'm not sure what this year's Halloween will have for me, but I'll try to make the best of it so I have enough good vibes to make it through the darkest month of the year. And I hope you get a chance to enjoy this fun holiday as well.

This year it falls on a Monday, so whether you plan on celebrating Halloween or not, please keep an eye out for kids hunting for treats outside throughout the weekend and at the beginning of the week. And also, don't forget to check out our Halloween special in this week's paper on PAGES A17-18, it will add colours to your week.