I Thought We would start out with HALLOWEEN and go on through the year Keep checking back for more HOLIDAY Surprises...
Halloween is an annual celebration, but just what is it actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual?
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year. One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.
Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach. Some accounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thought to have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits. Other accounts of Celtic history debunk these stories as myth.
The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.
The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role. The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.
The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree. According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer. The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.
Just a Cool Halloween GIF
The Last Halloween It Was Starting to get Darker and colder By the minute the rain had just Let up, and Standing on the corner of Elm and 10th was Jack Stone A tall Thin man in his mid 40's he was standing under the same street light he had stood under Just as he had in past years...Every Halloween for the Last 5 years He has stood under this light waiting across the street for his son Jim Stone to emerge and they would go trick or treating...Jack's Face Lit up as he saw his son in his ghost costume made of an old white sheet and some holes for eyes and breathing Jack gave his son a Big Hug and the two of them went down the street quietly going from house to house after canvasing the neighborhood they drew close to Jim's Home Jack turned to jim and said "Let me see your Hands and check your fingernails you Know how your mom gets if you have dirty finger nails" as Jack inspected his son's finger nails a tear started to fill jack's eye finally jim asked, Daddy, Why did you Leave Mom and Me? Was it because of the Accident?" "Yes Said, Jack tearfully it was because of the accident, and thats why this has to be The Last Halloween Do you understand?" Jim tearfyully Said He understood and Asked his dad,"Don't you Love Mom and Me any more?" "jack stopped gave his son a kiss and a hug and said ,"I Will alaways Love you and Mom, But we can't be together anymore the accident changed everything" "I Love you Daddy" "I Love you too Jim" and jack's Tears began rolling down his face as he watched his son for the last time slip into the gates of the Cemetary and head towards his mom and Vanish. Five years ago on Halloween Night Jack Lost his Son Jim and his wife Tammy To terrible Car accident it was running much Like tonight and Tammy had been hit head on by a semi.... "Yes, Son I Love you and your mom verry Much And that is why this Has To be The LAST Halloween..," As jack heard these words one last time in his head he hung his head in sorrow and grieve and headed towards his owwn lonely dark home.looking back only once at the cemetary he called to his son, I Promise we will be together again Really Soon. and he continued down the deserted streets of Town. The End....
THIS ONE SAYS IT ALL L.O.L
Let the Children Be 'Twas Halloween night and all through the sky, The clouds hid the moon as the bats glided by. I was dressed all in white in my mama's old sheet, Walking with friends down the ghost-haunted street. All the kids were dressed in bright costumed array, While flashlights and street lights guided our way. We giggled and laughed as we hurried to each door, Ringing or knocking, then laughing some more. There were pumpkins aglow and skeletons dangling, Scarecrows and shadows and silver chains clanging. Grownups in masked faces opened doors in greeting, As we stood with our bags and waited for treating. Some people say that we should not have this night, That too many kids are harmed by the sights or the fright - But it's the one time a year when we can pretend to be Someone else for a while, not you - not even me. Let them celebrate now, as the bats glide on by, For childhood is brief, like the blink of an eye. Listen to their laughter and let the children be Someone else for a while, not you and not even me. Another poem graciously donated by Judith A. Lindberg
Watch the Door way
