Halloween est devenue totalement has been

The Tribune de Genève says that Halloween is over.

During the first ten years I lived in Switzerland I celebrated Halloween once in 1993 and that was because an American couple threw a party. They had to explain what it was to their Swiss guests. A real culture difference was shown when the Americans turned up in home-made costumes and the Swiss in rented ones.

Then suddenly four years ago the stores were full of witch and skeleton costumes. Black and orange decorations were all over the place. Even the Geneva flower clock was a pumpkin and for the first time pumpkins were displayed in grocery stores.

As one of the three Americans in my workplace people came and said, ‘M’explique Halloween, s’il te plait,’ in almost as many numbers who asked me to explain the Clinton controversy. My accountant took 45 minutes of a 30-minute appointment (the numbers are right) to try and understand that one. I expliqued away telling of the Irish traditions with turnips, my brother and I going to farm stands to find just the right pumpkin for carving, bobbing for apples, preparing Halloween cookies (before the fear of poisoning) and wrapping them in orange napkins for trick or treaters.

However, this year there is barely a witch costume to be found. Stores are devoting very little space to it. It was mainly a merchandising ploy people felt and the celebration didn’t catch on. In Geneva especially it is too close to the Escalade, the celebration of Mere Royaume throwing her cauldron of hot soup off the walls scalding the French soldiers trying to attack and buying enough time for the local militia to repel the attack. For the Escalade, kids dress in costume and sing the Escalade song in exchange for coins, grown ups have their costumes from the era, soldiers in armour ride on horseback and cannons are shot off. Stands sell vegetable soup and hot spiced wine. Chocolate shops sell chocolate soup pots filled with marzipan vegetables. In households the youngest and the oldest smash the pot together and the contents are devoured. It is a treasured and uncommercial time.

Pumpkins are still for sale, however. Recipes for pumpkin soup are in the paper. I’m glad that part caught on whether or not I carve a jack o’lantern.