Traditional Festivals
PORTOBELLO
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714 MILES
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OREBRO, SWEDEN
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Samhain, the Fun and the Fear... - Vicki Watson
Throughout the year there are celebrations and festivals, steeped in history, tradition and folklore, that punctuate the annual calendar. These occasions give us something to collectively plan and look forward to. They connect our society by bringing us together to celebrate. We also rely on them to break up the mundanity of everyday life, their original meaning perhaps becoming a little muddied as time goes on, but still serving an important purpose.
Samhain, more recently known as Halloween, is my favourite of such annual events. Originally meant for warding off ghosts by dressing in costumes and dancing around bonfires, it combines two most potent ingredients - ‘fun and fear’- that make it such a thrilling time.
As the world continues to globalise and societies diversify, we see many new celebrations and festivals appear throughout the year, old traditions are shared and can become diluted or embellished. However, their main purpose of bringing people together and connecting them remains and this continues to happen everywhere!
My partner in this exhibition Lena, has been a good friend for many years and I have seen her pictures depicting the same such occasions that she and her family enjoy in Sweden. We thought it was a great way to demonstrate the connection between our worlds, with her beautiful picture of her daughter on their Midsummer Festival and my daughter on Samhain.
Throughout the year there are celebrations and festivals, steeped in history, tradition and folklore, that punctuate the annual calendar. These occasions give us something to collectively plan and look forward to. They connect our society by bringing us together to celebrate. We also rely on them to break up the mundanity of everyday life, their original meaning perhaps becoming a little muddied as time goes on, but still serving an important purpose.
Samhain, more recently known as Halloween, is my favourite of such annual events. Originally meant for warding off ghosts by dressing in costumes and dancing around bonfires, it combines two most potent ingredients - ‘fun and fear’- that make it such a thrilling time.
As the world continues to globalise and societies diversify, we see many new celebrations and festivals appear throughout the year, old traditions are shared and can become diluted or embellished. However, their main purpose of bringing people together and connecting them remains and this continues to happen everywhere!
My partner in this exhibition Lena, has been a good friend for many years and I have seen her pictures depicting the same such occasions that she and her family enjoy in Sweden. We thought it was a great way to demonstrate the connection between our worlds, with her beautiful picture of her daughter on their Midsummer Festival and my daughter on Samhain.