ALL

HALLOWS

EVE

A Creative Commentary

By

David A. Archer

02/15/1968

10/17/2006

It is historically a fact as far as I know, that the holiday of Halloween was begun in an effort to "knock a little something loose" so to speak. It was started in a time so far away from modern comfort that many may find it hard to imagine not having something needed in every day life.

The reasons for it, in my understanding, were in the effort to make sure that the bounty from the recent plenty was distributed... at least so as none went hungry.

People put on costumes and disguises both to hide their identities and to impart a note of "or else" into their activities. As far as I am informed, the act of "trick" only took place when it was that those with much failed to give of it in the least to those with much less.

I recall seeing one "trick" in particular being the re-situating of horse carraiges on roof tops... which I still find somewhat amusing. When you think about it, the money that would be paid to remove the wagon from the top of the house would probably be more than having simply issued some token in the form of food stuffs and the like... which of course has carried over in the modern day to issuing candies and other tasty snacks to ward off the "trick" which may insue.

As with much else in our time, the "trick" part has fallen aside as has the house to house tradition I remember so well with the holiday. Being the fear of even one another within that comfort, having become the biggest contributer of such a migration in the festivities.

I find as I recall, that I must have been part of a dying breed in regard to this holiday as well.... not that I was alone in this as it was quite common where I grew up, almost a natural thing to embody what I came to find were the more traditional aspects of the holiday. This meaning that just about every one of us was ready to level our version of "trick" should the oportunity arise. Most times, it just ended up as a sort of antagonizing tactic toward one another.

The preferred method of "trick" in those days, was the common egg becoming deftly applied projectile. The more advanced and premeditated of us actually made sure they were already near rotten in time for the celebration itself.

This proved effective, or must have as I cannot recall one bad year as per candy being enough to last nearly to the new year.

Though I sincerely doubt that any sort of coercive measure was considered on the part of ourselves by those with heaping bowls of candy, it still must be said that I had quite the time - as did many of us - and mostly, as stated, when it came to be that we would cross one anothers paths so to speak.

Something else to note about this activity, was that it seemed to grow as we did. In teen years and of course with the procurement of cars and other transportation... this activity became an entirely new level of interest. Complete with some having modified fire extinguishers to accomodate refilling with none other than egg product. Usually having been prepared ahead of time for the one night it would prove invaluable.

Air hoses were free back then, so it was very much the superior means with which to deliver the egg product cargo... in streams and ropes of sticky discharge!

It was such a pronounced activity that there were even efforts to thwart it, such as forbiding the sale of eggs to anyone under the age of 18 years old, very near Halloween.

We found ways around it of course. Corroborating "adults" mysteriously purchasing cases of eggs at rather peculiar times and intervals... and even having imported some from near by towns.

When I think back on it, we would have crapped them out if we had to.

The car wash operators must have just loved us then.... with every hour or so, there was a new need to spend a few quarters in removing the majority of the egg before it dried.

There was good reason for using eggs in such situations. Dried egg is much more than a pain in the ass to remove from things. Especially paint and windows.

I can't say as anyone will really miss those things in our society, but I can say that I was most definitely there, in the mess of it for years. In probably the most traditional sense that could have been post electricity... unless of course a person counts fraud and extortion in the business world as of the same line. But I have yet to willingly and knowingly be of that form in the "trick or treat" sense, and I can't see myself as being a part of it any time soon.

So I guess that means that such antics are gone for some time, for me... unless I can manage sneaking a few in of my own, should I ever have monsters of my own to put on the street on a night like Halloween.