Hallowe'en and Valentine: The Culture of Saints' Days in the English-Speaking World

The early modern history of the festivities associated with Hallowe'en and St Valentine's Day reveals a significant overlap in early forms of celebration and customary practices. In the eighteenth century, however, each day developed its own distinctive traditional identity. This article a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFolklore (London) Vol. 129; no. 4; pp. 331 - 352
Main Author Groom, Nick
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 02.10.2018
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
18th century
British & Irish literature
Burns, Robert (1759-1796)
Celebrations
Cultural identity
Culture
Early Modern English
Early modern period
English literature
Halloween
Holidays & special occasions
Identity
Literary history
Literature
Modern history
Poetry
Popular culture
Self concept
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Social life & customs
Theater
Valentine's day
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Summary:The early modern history of the festivities associated with Hallowe'en and St Valentine's Day reveals a significant overlap in early forms of celebration and customary practices. In the eighteenth century, however, each day developed its own distinctive traditional identity. This article argues that this was a result of mass print culture and the spread of literature: primarily in popular verses, the poetry of Robert Burns, and the influence of William Shakespeare.
ISSN:0015-587X
1469-8315
DOI:10.1080/0015587X.2018.1510651