HALLOWEEN is definitely the spookiest night of the year. It’s a time for attending Hallowe’en costume parties, carving pumpkins into lanterns, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories and watching horror movies.
It is celebrated in most countries on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day.
There is one theory that many Hallowe’en traditions might have been influenced by ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain.
SHOP: Stephanie Hubbold, who won a competition to design a poster for Hallowe’en in 1993, is pictured with Helen Kershaw, owner of the Masquerade fancy dress shop in Barrow, which organised the competition
Whatever its origins, youngsters in Furness have enjoyed many of Hallowe’en’s traditions over the years.
In 1992, under the headline ‘Things that go bump in the night’, The Mail reported that ghouls, ghosts, witches and wizards were out in force on Barrow Island to parade for Hallowe’en.
The hair-raising procession set off from Island Road on Saturday, October 31, that year and was followed by a disco.
Among those in attendance were Barrow mayor Joyce Fleet and mayoress Phyll Palmer.
In 1993, under the headline ‘Bewitching poster is a winner’, The Mail reported that Stephanie Hubbold, aged four, had come out tops in a competition to design a poster for the spookiest night of the year.
The contest was organised by the Masquerade fancy dress shop in Rawlinson Street, Barrow.
FRIENDS: A youngster gets a bite of toffee apple from a pal at the Greengate Street Residents’ Association Hallowe’en procession in 1994
In 1994 a menu of pumpkin soup, devilled chicken, barbecue casserole, death by chocolate, black bat jelly and green witches’ brew greeted Scott's workers in their canteen on October 31.
Canteen manager Bev Morris, with staff Cath Barker, Beverley Brown, Beverley Bateman, Lynn Rose, Margaret Winder and Dave Gaskell turned the oven into a coven for Hallowe'en.
Dressed as witches and warlocks, with a fortune-teller and an apple bobber, they held a theme day, with a fiendishly clever menu.
MONEY: Staff members at Scott Ltd donned Hallowe'en costumes to raise money for cancer research in 1994
Meanwhile, on the same day Greengate Street organised a Hallowe'en procession around the streets.
And some of those taking part later celebrated with a disco at Central Methodist Church hall.
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