Jenna Anderson-

If you are looking for a Halloween event with spooky snacks and some fascinating lore, Gustavus is hosting their annual Vampire Day. This event will take place on Oct. 31st from  7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Courtyard Café. This event is designed to allow the Gustavus community to learn more about vampires, which have a much more interesting history than you might expect. Vampire Day will include information about vampires, vampire trivia, artworks on display, and themed snacks.

This event is hosted by students taking the Vampires in Russian and Eastern European Cultures course this semester. First-year Sebastian Hartzell is taking this class and is one of the students involved in planning the event. “The people who are running it, me included, will dress up like vampires,” he said. Students can drop in at this event anytime within the two-hour period. “I encourage everyone to at least stop by for a few minutes,” Hartzell said. You will be sure to learn something new about history and culture.

Vampires have a deep and interesting history, and there are many different versions of vampires in cultures around the world. In the Vampires in Russian and Eastern European Cultures class, “[We] talk about the myth of vampires, how it [arose], and what it means culturally,” Hartzell said. Assistant Professor of the Practice in Modern Languages, Literature, and Cultures, Annalise Rivas is the main director of this event. “The event is a chance for the Gustavus community to get together in a fun way and learn a little bit about vampires, which are creatures that exist in some form or another in nearly every global culture,” Rivas said.

Vampires are often “social scapegoats for things that people don’t quite understand,” Hartzell said. The class focuses on Slavic myths, but they have studied vampires throughout the world and how these myths have evolved and been preserved over time. All of these things have led to the modern vampire that we imagine today.

“In Russia in the Medieval/Renaissance era, there was a big witch scare,” Hartzell said. It was similar to the Salem witch trials, where, instead of witches, they accused people of being vampires. This has made its way through history, there were Russian vaccination commercials fairly recently that used vampires as a sort of scare tactic to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Senior Jay Erickson, also taking the Vampires class and a member of the organizational board, emphasized that vampires continue to be a major cultural point of Eastern European countries. “In Romania, people will still exhume bodies to rid the area of vampires. This often comes on the tail of a poor harvest or when many people are getting sick in the villages,” Erickson said.

Vampire Day is the day for the Vampires in Russian and Eastern European Cultures class to share their “knowledge of Vampires with the world and greater Gustavus Community” Hartzell said. It is also a time for Gustavus students and faculty to share their knowledge! The Gustavus community is encouraged to share their own vampire stories from their cultures or their favorite piece of media. If you scan the QR code on this page and fill out the form, your own vampire story can be featured on the Vampire Day slideshow! Artwork, performances, and stories will all be accepted. “Students from several classes will be sharing creative and educational works in multiple languages – so far we have English, Russian, and Spanish, but would love to have more!” Rivas said.

If you want to see your classmates dressed up as vampires, come to Vampire Day! This is an amazing opportunity to learn a unique side of history, and the perfect day to do so. “Come in costume if you want, it’s Halloween!” Hartzell said. Stop in to participate in Vampire Day on Oct. 31st from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 at the Courtyard Café. After all, Hartzell said, “Vampires are cool!”