Spook-onomics: the global boost of Halloween
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 31 October 2023
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Trick or treat and other traditions are now at the centre of a global multi-billion business.
The ancient Celtic and Pagan festival, which started thousands of years ago in Ireland, was taken by emigrants to North America, where it was turned into a major annual event.
The National Retail Federation in the US tells Russell Padmore how spending by consumers is forecast to be a record of more than $12bn. Jadrain Wooten, an economist at Virginia Tech, says the sales promotions for Halloween are getting earlier every year and lasting at least month.
We hear about the economic benefits of Europe’s biggest Halloween Festival in Derry City in Northern Ireland and visit a pumpkin farm in the region.
An Irish cultural historian, Manchán Magan, tells us about the roots of the festival, which used to be called Samhain and we find out how retailers in Australia are cashing in by selling costumes, pumpkins and other items as consumers enjoy the traditions of Halloween.
Presenter: Russell Padmore
(Image: Children trick or treating in the North East of England. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sport, but not as you know it. |
| 0:03.1 | Nothing is ever quite as expected. |
| 0:05.5 | Amazing sports stories from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:08.6 | If the story is wriggly, contentious or hard to tame, I'll cover it. |
| 0:13.3 | Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts. |
| 0:18.4 | Halloween or Sowan as the ancient people of Ireland called it. |
| 0:22.3 | For the Celts, it was a festival to mark the onset of weeks of darker days, |
| 0:26.9 | and beware of strange beings from the underworld, like ghouls, fairies and witches. |
| 0:32.8 | Nowadays, we celebrate Halloween by wearing costumes to parties, |
| 0:37.2 | and children call on neighbours asking for food or candy, trick or treat. |
| 0:42.0 | Hello, I'm Russell Padmore with this Business Daily from Ireland, |
| 0:45.6 | where Halloween is a big boost to the economy. |
| 0:48.4 | The biggest Halloween event in Europe and certainly one of the biggest Halloween events in the world. |
| 0:53.2 | We expect about 120,000 visitors in all. |
| 0:56.9 | A pumpkin farmer here in Ireland explains how dry, warm weather affected this year's crop. |
| 1:02.2 | We'll also hear how Halloween is a money spinner for American retailers. |
| 1:06.4 | But it's also a boost to economies around the world, notably Australia. |
| 1:10.6 | It's huge now. |
| 1:11.9 | You know, there's the trick-or-trading side of things, |
| 1:14.3 | and it's everywhere you go in Australia, |
| 1:17.4 | decorated shop fronts with pumpkins and whatever. |
| 1:20.2 | He used new Pa's Halloween makeup kits. |
... |
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