Halloween Nation

October 31st. Halloween. For some, it's simply a day on which they're compelled to break out the family-size bag of Kit Kats they bought on sale at Walgreen's and steel themselves for a two to three hour onslaught of neighborhood children dressed up as pirates or Spongebob Sqaurepants knocking on their front door and blurting out, "Trick or Treat" in a time-honored demand for their take of that Kit Kat cache. But for others, it's an occasion to acknowledge something much deeper and profound, and in doing so, to celebrate the dark side that exists not only in the natural world around us, but in ourselves as well. After all, darkness is not by definition a bad or negative thing. It's simply the flip side of those things we consider representative of the light. There is beauty in both. The early Victorians knew this, and honored Halloween, or All Hallowed Eve, by holding public gatherings which featured amateur plays, fortune telling booths, and story-tellers whose tales focused on otherworldly subjects. As the 19th century came to a close, social mores began shifting to reflect a more circumspect sensibility, and parents were encouraged to remove the trappings of ancient paganism from their Halloween celebrations. Children jettisoned their more ghoul and goblin ostumes in exchange for less frightening attire, such as cowboys, clowns and princesses. By the time the twentieth century rolled around, the ancient, spiritual connotations of the holiday had become all but lost in the crush of glitzy, often cheesy hoopla that had replaced them. Even so, there really is nothing like a Victorian holiday, and Halloween is hardly an exception to the rule. To prove it, we've scrounged up the following images of Halloween Victorian-style for your perusal, and, we hope, pleasure .

Happy Halloween. See you saint side. xxoxoxox