Ordinarily Jeff and I would have been confused, if not startled, to share the crosswalk with a zombie. However, this particular zombie, uncharacteristically solo, scared us not. Prior to our 1st zombie spotting, Shannon had enlightened us about the annual Halifax Zombie Walk.
“Subversive fun,” is how the event is described in Halifax’s local lefty paper, the Coast (comparable in scope to Regina’s Prairie Dog). With the 1st Zombie walk being held in Toronto in only 2003, zombie walks are a relatively new phenomena; however, they are fast becoming common annual events in urban centres across North America.
As defined by Wikipedia, a zombie walk is: an organized public gathering of two or more people who dress up in zombie costumes. Usually taking place in an urban centre, the participants make their way around the city streets and through shopping malls in a somewhat orderly fashion and often limping their way toward a local cemetery or other public space.
During the event participants are encouraged to remain in character as zombies and to communicate only in a manner consistent with zombie behavior. This may include grunting, groaning and slurred, moaning calls for 'brains'. It should be noted that zombie behavior is a hot topic of debate. Purists who draw their definitions from the original Living Dead films will claim that a zombie would never have the ability to call for 'brains' and furthermore that a zombie needs only living (or freshly killed) flesh for its sustenance and not the brain in particular. The online encyclopedia goes on to explain that some organizations “have used zombie walks to raise awareness for community service events being sponsored such as food drive and blood drives.”
This You Tube video clip does the creepy and creative event more justice than does my description:
If my brief description has given you only an unsatisfactory taste for zombie culture and subsequently left you craving more information, check out this Coast article detailing the 2006 Halifax Zombie Walk:
http://www.thecoast.ca/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2006-08-31&-token.story=147878.112113&-token.subpub=
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2 comments:
I don't like zombies.
Nope.... it doesn't matter what kind of wonderful description you give this event... I think it is fucking weird.... I'm not sold. To each their own, however, this is taking dungeons and dragons mentality to a whole other level.... Jeff, stop your thesis and take this up as a topic... what about the social implications of Zombie walkers who play bingo... I smell another invite to a big conference!
Loving ya from afar
P
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