Gem in the spotlight: shivers and shudders at the car wash
6 Nov 2023Last week marked Halloween: the time when many dust off their spookiest costumes and indulge in the most chilling of films. In the spirit of the occasion, we’ve unearthed a spine-tingling gem from the meemoo archive system. Experience the Halloween atmosphere with this startling clip from our content partner ATV – if you dare...
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Edit your cookie preferences here‘Are you scared yet?’ is emblazoned in bold red letters as you enter this car wash in Antwerp. But that doesn’t deter a few brave souls from taking the plunge. A clown that looks like it has just stepped out of a horror movie, a harlequin that jumps out unexpectedly and some dramatic mood lighting turn this car wash into a terrifying experience. It might be a true nightmare for some, but for others it’s a good reason to get their car washed during this spooky season. It seems that parents are more frightened than their children, however: ‘I was really scared because suddenly a creepy clown tapped on my window and it really startled me,’ comments one mother.
The tradition of Halloween
Halloween, originally known as Hallow-e’en or All Hallows’ Eve (the evening before All Saints' Day), has a long-standing tradition – although its celebrations were quite different in the past. For the Celts, this eve marked the end of the year: a conclusion to the harvest and the summer drawing to a close. The day after Halloween – 1st November – was the first day of the Celtic New Year, also called Samhain. And besides being a New Year’s celebration, it was also a time for hunting and harvest festivities and an occasion to honour the dead. Under Roman influence, the Celtic festival merged with the harvest festival for the Roman goddess, Pomona. Christianity later influenced it further, with several Catholic holidays and Christian customs being added to this period. In Ireland and England, it became known as All Hallows’ Eve(ning), referring to the evening before All Saints’ Day. And over time, the original Celtic festival evolved into the tradition we know today. The Scots, English and Irish who migrated to America in the 19th century took this tradition with them, and it was there that the Halloween celebrations as we know them today took further shape.
Sources (all in Dutch, except Wikipedia): TV PLUS, Historia, Wikipedia, Het Nieuwsblad, VRT NWS
We regularly highlight treasures like this from our archive system by showcasing them on our website. This clip comes from the archive of content partner ATV (link in Dutch).