Join the CENES and AMNE Departments for our first “Festival of Frights” Halloween Party.
Put on a costume, bring your friends, and stop by Buchanan Tower at 4pm on October 31st for CENES and AMNE’ Festival of Frights: A Pick Your Poison Event
CENES and AMNE will be joining forces (of good) this Halloween. Bring your friends, dress up in your most glamourous or gruesome costume, and join us on the 9th floor of Buchanan Tower for a series of activities including:
- 4-5pm: A series of ‘Spooky Tales’ by CENES and AMNE faculty
- 4-5pm: Tarot Card Readings
- 5pm: A Costume Fashion Walk
- 4-6pm: Photo BOO-th
- Pizza
- Candy Bar
At this Pick your Poison event, you can mingle and attend the activities of your choices. All are welcome!
A Series of ‘Spooky Tales’
How to Kill a Vampire and Why?
Presented by AMNE’s Jelena Todorovic, PhD Candidate in Classics (History) | 4:00 to 4:15pm
“In the shadowy corners of the 18th-century Balkans, the legend of Petar Blagojevic, one of the earliest documented vampire cases, comes to life. In this mesmerizing tale, the origin of vampires unfolds against the backdrop of Southeastern European superstitions and folklore. As the vampire myth takes shape, it resonates with echoes from diverse mythologies. Embark on a journey through the enigmatic crossroads of history and folklore, unveiling the age-old question: what compels us to fear and seek to conquer the immortal?”
“Around the Catafalque She Ran”: The Nature of Horror in Breton and Welsh Legend
Presented by AMNE’s Professor Antone Minard | 4:20 to 4:35pm
“The folklorist Fañch An Uhel, known in French as François Luzel, published a reasonably scary folktale which he called “Le linceul des morts, conte breton”—“The Shroud of the Dead, Breton Folktale”—in 1892. The tale has nudity, the undead, a car(riage) chase, a cemetery at midnight… everything you could want for Halloween, and comes with a side of folkloristic analysis.”
Remnants and Revenants in the Archive
Presented by CENES’ Steve Commichau, PhD Candidate in Germanic Studies | 4:40 to 4:55pm
“Archives are inherently spooky. You are surrounded by the correspondence of long dead people. You can trace their personal handwriting and see where they pushed the quill too hard on the paper and splattered some ink over the page. Sometimes they leave behind little secrets: a mysterious key tied to a stick, a piece of root, or even organic matter that might be a piece of a human placenta (yes, I handled potential human placenta. Yes, it was a bit gross).
I will talk a bit about the things left behind that I found in archives, but also about some of the files themselves. It is always interesting to see how long-gone generations thought about death, and their ideas about ghosts and un-death are a great window into their minds. Some people report inexplicable entities unsettling the comfort and safety of their own home. Some use ghosts as an excuse for political gains. Sometimes, people just wanted to dunk their neighbors.”
How to Attend:
When: Oct 31st, 4-6pm
Where: Buchanan Tower, 9th Floor
