Halloween Month

I learnt that the Hong Kong Tourism Board had declared for the first time in history the month of October 2026 as Hong Kong Halloween Month, from 17 to 31 to be exact with a wide range of festivities in many venues, from Central to Lan Kwai Fong and from TST East to Mong Kok and Kai Tak Sports Park, all rather exciting. I had no plans or invites to any parties, public or private, but Su had reminded me to plan my trips to Central or Zetland Hall more carefully, lest I would be caught up in traffic. A few of my recent trips were indeed delayed, but only slightly, but friends had cautioned that there were traffic diversions in many strategic areas.

Turing to the Halloween date, which is today and which had a long history of over 2,000 years or at least dated to the Celtic ages with religious connections, I can recall a few prominent events on this day in history. Let me cite them in chronological order.

Let me begin with Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) who was a German priest, theologian, author, former Augustinian friar (meaning Catholic) and the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. His theological beliefs form the basis of Lutheranism, and he is considered one of the most influential figures in Western and Christian history.  Legend has it that in 1517, on this day, he approached the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg and nailed a piece of paper on it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions (theses) that led to the start of the Protestant Reformation. In these theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the papal practice of asking payment – known as indulgences – for the forgiveness of sins. The Church was then amid a major fund-raising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, but that didn’t stop many church members travelling there for them. Luther’s theses were widely translated and distributed. When a copy reached Rome, Pope Leo X formally excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church in 1521. When Luther refused to recant his writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany, the Emperor issued the Edict of Worms declaring Luther an outlaw and a heretic and gave permission for anyone to kill him without consequences. Luther however was protected by Prince Frederick and spent the next 10 years on the translation of the Bible to German. Separately, King Henry VIII of England and for very different reasons split from Rom in 1934 through the Act of Supremacy and established the independent Church of England or Anglicanism to gain political and dynastic autonomy. I had written about John Donne (1572 – 1631) in a previous blog on his leaving the Catholic Church and his Faith.

I move quickly to 1776 when on 31 October, King Geroge III of England spoke before the British Parliament for the first time after the leaders of the American Revolution signed the Declaration of Independence. The King acknowledged that matters were not going well for Britain in the war with the United States and denounced the revolutionary leaders for having acted with the object of securing dominion and power and had openly renounced all allegiance to the crown and all political connection with his country.

Fast forward to 31 October 1941, on which date the monumental work at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, United States, was officially declared complete, marking the end of a 14-year endeavor that transformed a rugged granite peak into one of America’s most enduring symbols. The project was first conceived in the 1920s when a historian in South Dakota sought to boost tourism by carving major figures into the region’s Black Hills. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum came and selected four US presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, to represent the birth, expansion, development and preservation of the American Republic.

I have noticed there were many more notable events happening on this date over the years, but I won’t go into them. Not now, anyway. My mind drifted to the days when Rosita and I followed our kids around our block for tricks and treats. Those were the days indeed.

I have been busy since posting the last blog with meetings, left right and centre and with attending meals, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Last Thursday, Su went to ABC with two ex-colleagues for a wine dinner because I had to be in Zetland Hall; and today, we went to Mercato Gourmet for wine tasting and brought home more bottles and 25 gm of white truffle. Su also bought a slicer for the effects. I think we deserved that. We are preparing for another short trip to Yunnan with some friends returning from North America and elsewhere. Life is going to be busy.