Halloween these days doesn’t so much celebrate nature as troll it. Photograph: John Taggart/The New York Times
The most frightening thing about Halloween is the waste. From plastic decorations to synthetic costumes and individually wrapped sweets, the whole thing can be an environmental shocker.
For a festival whose origins are rooted in nature, Halloween has taken an alarming turn. At its heart is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. Samhain was when the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Bonfires were lit and straw and natural wicker costumes were worn to ward off spirits.
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