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Article: Halloween history; Cultural critic David Skal offers an original look at one of America's most popular and perplexing celebrations.(VARIETY)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- October 29, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Jarrett Smith; Staff Writer
Did you know that trick-or-treating in America was originally a Thanksgiving activity? Or that the Irish potato famine played a major role in the arrival of Halloween celebrations in North America? Taking on everything from rubber masks to America's fascination with the macabre, David Skal's "Death Makes a Holiday" (Bloomsbury, 224 pages, $25.95) looks at the cultural history of a commercial holiday that is second only to Christmas. (Nationwide sales estimates for this Halloween are near $7 billion for candy, costumes and decorations.)
Skal's history is not a chronological one. Instead, he takes the strange witches' ...