There was a time when the major late-autumn party here in England was Guy Fawkes’ Night (or Bonfire Night) on the 5th of November—I remember that being the case during my first few years here, in the second GW Bush administration. But since 2014 or so, people in England have begun to embrace an Americanised version of the holiday that originated with their Celtic neighbours to the north and west – Halloween. There was resistance for a long time, as this old Fry and Laurie sketch demonstrates:
This year, however, the UK will spend nearly a billion pounds on the holiday. It’s hard to pinpoint just when it became mainstream, but I noticed a surge in popularity about six or so years ago. Suddenly there were Halloween displays in the supermarkets—very welcome displays, given that prior years would see back-to-school displays being replaced with Christmas goods in September.
I give out full-size candy. I’m known as the “American” house on the road as a result, and it’s pretty terrific. I like to think I’m doing my bit for soft diplomacy, even if I am giving out a lot of Cadbury products.
The Child also embraces her Americanness at Halloween. Now 15, she’s a bit long in the tooth to go trick-or-treating, but she loves to dress up to give out candy, to wit:
Foreign Office Briefing: A Very Un-English TraditionPost + Comments (225)
