The Halloween Parade
11.1.22
Brooklyn, NY
Today is the first day of November. The weather is mild, mid-60s with mostly cloudy skies and periods of sun. Yesterday I posted a quick anniversary note to the blog which is celebrating two years of existence.
V and I checked out the village Halloween parade last night. We’d be reluctant to view most other parades but we both enjoy Halloween. Back in 2018 we spent Halloween in New Orleans - the French Quarter is particularly spooky at this time of year. But New York goes big, as it must and always does.
Around 7pm we ascended to street level from the subway at West 4th and throngs of people lined the steel barricades setup along the parade route. We walked towards Washington Square Park then up to Waverly Place where we were able to find a spot near the street. People eagerly jockeyed for viewing spots and excitedly discussed the festivities with family and friends. There were lots of smiles, laughing, and dancing. The atmosphere was light, fun and full of child-like fascination with this holiday, a reason to do something out of the ordinary and to dress in costumes.
Soon the floats rolled by, packed with crazed dancers in a variety of costumes, signaling the beginning of a weird bacchanale of death. Death walked the streets openly but we laughed in his face. The true ghastly origins of this particular holiday no longer hold sway over our souls as winter no longer brings the spector of Death. We were here to celebrate life.
A 300 pound man in a devil costume strolled by with his slave in tow, a creature completely clad in a leather bondage outfit which covered her face, breasts exposed with the nipples covered by leather tassels. A man in six-inch tall boots and long black cape made for a a fierce Maleficent. There was an army of Michael Myers costumes. Harry Potters, aliens, clowns, a man dressed as a tube of toothpaste stood next to me. Dia de Muertos masks, Disney villains, ghosts, goblins and ghouls of all sorts. Some professionally made costumes, some handmade. A woman dressed as a large pillowy cloud posed for photos with dozens of admirers. Songs like Superstition, Thriller, the Ghostbusters Theme, played by marching bands or blaring from speakers, kept up the lively spirits of onlookers. Smiles, laughs, dancing. We had all gathered to see the spectacle.
The fall weather and evening walks around the cemetery, combined with classic films like Dracula and Frankenstein conjure the Halloween spirit in me. Tonight I was not dressed in a costume, but I was happy to celebrate and witness the events.
As I looked south towards West 4th from the corner of 6th and Waverly, I could see the illuminated crucifix atop St. Josephs Church. To the north, the Jefferson Market Library’s clocktower. In apartments across the street, above the neon sign of a coffee shop, the dark faces of people peered out of windows while more onlookers gathered on roofs.
Around 8 the rain started. Some made their way indoors while others shored up under umbrellas and building awnings. The rain only added to make this once-a-year event all the more memorable.
The parade’s theme this year was Freedom and so I reflected on the variety of ways I saw our freedoms being demonstrated on this evening in the heart of Greenwich Village. Freedom from persecution, freedom from death, freedom from the old ‘me’, the spring or summer ‘me’ as winter approaches, bringing with it the holidays and the promise of a new year.
KW
