Originally an Irish holiday, Halloween is now celebrated around the world. Corsica is no exception. Commercial for some, more joyful for others, its growth is real, with young and old alike.
Devil horns headband or witch hat, Sabrina’s heart swings. “It’s the very first Halloween we’re throwing for the little one, and we decided to do it right. We bought the pumpkin, we decorated the house with fake cobwebs, but we were a little late buying his costume.“
The young mother meticulously searches the shelves of the GiFi store in Furiani, in search of the most becoming disguise for little Lina, 5 years old. “Initially, I wanted her to be in a black cat, but her father felt that it was not celebrating the dead enough.Sabrina breathes. So let’s see what they have left.”
Sabrina and Lina aren’t the only ones doing some last-minute Halloween shopping this Monday, October 31: since the store opened this morning, customers have flocked to the four specially set up departments.
“It doesn’t stopconfirms a seller. They come to buy costumes, decorations, even specific molds or pumpkin bowls for the house… It’s a busy day for us.“
Contraction of English”All Hallows’Eve“, resulting in “the eve of all saints” Where “All Saints Eve“, the tradition of Halloween was born 2,500 years ago in Ireland. Originally, the Irish holiday of Samhain was celebrated for 6 days, from October 29 to November 4.
During this period, the Celts believed that the barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds could be crossed, reports the site Brittany.com. According to some theories, they then disguised themselves to frighten beings who would try to pass from the afterlife to the human kingdom.
Since then, the party, now more dedicated to trying to scare each other nicely with friends and enjoy sweets rather than preventing the return of the deceased to Earth, has been exported around the world. But very widely celebrated in the United States, Ireland or the United Kingdom, Halloween has long struggled to seduce in Corsica, and more widely on the continent.
People thought we were crazy and didn’t understand what we wanted. We quickly returned home, almost empty-handed.
“When I was a teenager, we tried to organize it for a year, remembers Arnaud, in his forties. We dressed up, we tried to ring the neighbors’ doors, but we didn’t collect a lot of candy. People thought we were crazy and didn’t understand what we wanted. We quickly returned home, almost empty-handed.“
In recent years, pumpkins and witches have nevertheless been gaining followers on the island. At the Temple de la fête, in Biguglia, the trend has been observed: “Just look at the shelves, we’re starting to be robbed!”says Audrey Cacciaguerra, store manager.
A clientele made up of individuals as well as professionals, she specifies. “We see restaurateurs coming, bar managers who did not necessarily come before, and who buy things to decorate their premises. It’s more and more every year. You can really see it growing.”
Customers who are also getting started earlier and earlier to prepare their evening: “Some even come from October 15!“A good strategy, believes Audrey Cacciaguerra, to be sure to find what you are looking for.”If they want a specific outfit, better come earlier. The others take what’s left.”
Young people see Americans celebrate it, and it makes them want to do it too.
At the Temple de la fête, we don’t skimp on Halloween: to cope with this continuous influx of customers, “we order more and more products every year.“And for good reason: the party alone accounts for almost a quarter of the store’s turnover.
For Audrey Cacciaguerra, if Halloween has always been celebrated, its recent popularity in Corsica stems directly from social networks. “Young people see Americans celebrate it, and it makes them want to do it too.”
This is the case, in particular, of Sonia, 10 years old. Fed up, last year, with videos of American teenagers revealing their costumes and their decorated house, the young girl begged her parents to let her also organize a party, this year, with all her friends.
Same program for Enrique, 12, and Clovis, 13: invited to spend the evening at a friend’s house, they will come dressed in an adornment of the ghost face character in the film Scream. “We’re gonna have fun with each other, eat candy and enjoy together“.
Eleven-year-old Lara is also going to a party. Her disguise, she also found the idea on TikTok: “I’m coming to Emilie from the funeral wedding, the film by Tim Burton“, she smiles.
The young girl also trained the day before to do her makeup well: “I only have blue eyeshadow that I diluted to make the complexion, but it looks pretty good.“
Celebrated by the little ones, Halloween is also celebrated by the older ones: for Cyril and Marie-Anaïs, 24 and 25, it’s time for the last purchases before the organization of a party just for two, this evening . “We’re going to watch either horror movies or special Halloween episodes of The Simpsons.“, indicates Cyril.
A movie night accompanied by a meal again on the theme: “We’re still thinking about it, but we’re thinking of red popcorn to make bloody for example“, smiles Marie-Anais.
The young woman is a fan of Halloween: “It’s my favorite party! I like everything, fancy dress, pumpkins, sweets, I always look forward to it. Usually, we have a costume party with friends, but this year, it was not possible, so we did a little something more intimate to perpetuate the tradition.“
If the couple hasn’t quite decided on their choice of costumes for this year, “we rather think of something simple, like headbands, to be able to eat in peace“, both ensure that they are not afraid to experiment with outfits: “one year, we did the vampires, another Alice and the Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland… And then once, I was a hot dog“jokes Marie-Anais.
One thing is certain: the popularity of Halloween has probably not finished progressing yet.