HALLOWEEN GREETINGS THROUGH THE YEARS

[jerseydevil]

Happy halloween. it's now 12:00 on the east coast. Sadly I won't be doing anything for halloween like I used to. I was wondering if anyone will be dressing up and what they do on halloween. I'll probably go to Great Adventure and Frightfest.

[inked]

Happy Halloween to all!


FYI
This converted, Christianized Druidic holiday is a behest of the British Isles!
It is the cross-quarter day or midpoint of Autumn. In Christian terms, Hallows are saints; saints are not just the famous Saints (like Christopher, Joseph, Augustine, etc) but believers in Jesus, therefore ALL Hallows Day commemorates all Christians who have died and who are alive!

To paraphrase Milton on the subject, if the Devil will not yield to Scripture, the best thing is to jeer and flout him, for that proude spirit cannot endure to be mocked!

Happy HALLOW e'en!

[Nurvingiel]

Happy Halowe'en everyone! This holiday doesn't seem that big in Sweden, so I probably won't do anything. I will eat the Halowe'en candy my mom sent me, which I saved for today. I know my parents are going to dress up and give kids candy at the door. They always by those tasty little chocolate bars, not that rubbish cheap candy. Our house is a "good" house. They'll carve a pumpkin too.

I'll carve a pumpkin if I get to the store tomorrow. (And find a decent knife for it.)

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

Happy Halowe'en everyone! This holiday doesn't seem that big in Sweden, so I probably won't do anything.

You can always get with Jonathan - he might be willing to celebrate it with you. Sadly though - he's too busy right now studying for an exam.

[Nurvingiel]

I think he also lives about 700 kilometers away... but that's just a minor detail. I'll see what people in my corridor are up to. I know, I'll decorate my door with Halowe'en colours! Now I'm starting to feel the spirit.

[Ñólendil]

Another interesting tidbit about Halloween--I've heard all about the Druidic holiday in Europe, and the Day of the Dead in Mexico, but what about it's American tradition? I speak of Fear And Candy Day.

I don't like Fear And Candy Day. I don't see how anything could have spilled over into this holiday from Mexico or the U.K., now now, don't get angry, I just would like to know what cultural, religious signifigance is involved in giving out Fun Size Crunch Bars to Tinkerbell and Kermit the Frog. It's an honest investigation into the great traditions we practice come Holiday Seasons.

[Nurvingiel]

LOL Ñólendil In North America, Halowe'en, like Christmas, has become a cultural and commercial holiday, rather than a spiritual one. Christmas at least retains some of its spiritual origins, but Halowe'en aka Candy Dress-up Day has nothing to do with its origins, and the influences are from many cultures (as has been noted). The next time I dress up for Halowe'en, I'm at least going to go as something scary. Last Halowe'en I was a ghost, but I didn't have time to get a costume (erg, exams everywhere) so I cut eye holes in our shower curtain and wore it to class. I only sat through one lecture with it - I could barely breathe. And I almost crashed riding my bicycle with it about 16 times. After I was done I duct taped the eye holes and my roommate and I kept using it.

If wearing a costume is part of your respective cultures, what are you guys going as?

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by Ñólendil

Another interesting tidbit about Halloween--I've heard all about the Druidic holiday in Europe, and the Day of the Dead in Mexico, but what about it's American tradition? I speak of Fear And Candy Day.

I don't like Fear And Candy Day. I don't see how anything could have spilled over into this holiday from Mexico or the U.K., now now, don't get angry, I just would like to know what cultural, religious signifigance is involved in giving out Fun Size Crunch Bars to Tinkerbell and Kermit the Frog. It's an honest investigation into the great traditions we practice come Holiday Seasons.

It was part of the Puritans holiday [edit: (I shouldn't say PURITAN holiday - but it does come from this time) during the 1600's in New England, which originates from the Druid holiday. A lot of the American traditions come from colonial New England. Anway - what does Santa Claus and Christmas trees have to do with the birth of Christ? - yet most people don't question that.

As for trick or treating - I found this...

Where did the "treat" part of Halloween come from? Jill Pederson Meyer writes:

"By the turn of the century, Halloween had become an ever more destructive way to “let off steam” for crowded and poor urban dwellers. As Stuart Schneider writes in 'Halloween in America' (1995), vandalism that had been limited to tipping outhouses; removing gates, soaping windows and switching shop signs, by the 1920’s had become nasty -- with real destruction of property and cruelty to animals and people. Perhaps not coincidentally, the disguised nighttime terrorism and murders by the Ku Klux Klan reached their apex during this decade. Schneider writes that neighborhood committees and local city clubs such as the Boy Scouts then mobilized to organize safe and fun alternatives to vandalism. School posters of the time call for a “Sane Halloween.” Good children were encouraged to go door to door and receive treats from homes and shop owners, thereby keeping troublemakers away. By the 1930’s, these “beggar’s nights” were enormously popular and being practiced nationwide, with the “trick or treat” greeting widespread from the late 1930s."

The Halloween begging activity known as trick-or-treat comes from the 1930s. The custom was intended to control and displace disruptive pranks.

The site is from a fundamentalist christion who defends halloween - you can take it as you wish... The History of Halloween -- It's Probably Not What You Think

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

I think he also lives about 700 kilometers away... but that's just a minor detail.

Where there is a will - there's a way.

[Linaewen]

Happy Halloween, Americans! We don't celebrate it here at all. Sometime my friends and I went trick'o'treating in December. One guy gave us marshmallows and someone else chased us away. I don't think that's quite the same as your trick'o'treating though.

[Nurvingiel]

Heh, good point. Where there's a will, there's a class to go to on Monday... dang...

[jerseydevil]

Halloween is a cool holiday - it's my favorite. Everyone should do it. I some ways it's like the old Italian celebrations where people dressed up in masks or the French Mardi Gras. People really don't know who you are when you dress as the invisible man like I did the one year.

[HOBBIT]

i think halloween is a dying holiday....at least here in the US.

I wonder how many trick or treaters i will get tomorrow. Last year I got like 4-5 total.

Every year interest in it seems to be declining.

What is the point of it? To get lots of candy from strangers and have the opportunity to dress up in fun costumes???? You could always buy lots of candy cheap from walmart or costco or something. You always can dress up in whatever costume you want, you dont have to dress up for halloween.

Since Halloween is not on a school day this year, thursday was the day to wear a costume to school if you wanted.

About 97% of the costumes I saw were not Scary or demonic at all! You got Nerds, various super heros, comic characters, cartoons, M & Ms, Fairies, terorists (yes, ppl dressing as muslim terrorists), guys dressing as girls, dressing up as a friend or teacher, etc.

Halloween is getting silly. It should not even be a holiday.

[Ñólendil]

Thank you Tristan! You truly are the savior of Entmoot! At least, of this thread, in my eyes.

Bah humbug Halloween!

[Elvengirl]

oh poo....


lol Nurv and Lin.

Halloween isn't one of my favorites but I still love it. For me it's the commencement of the holiday season. I also love the history behind it, even if nowadays, the imortance is candy and costumes. Dressing up was never my favorite thing (though I do have some very memorable costumes ) and trick or treating was fun when I was little. But I still always love to crave a pumpkin, watch traditional holloween movies, decorate the house, bake traditional sweets, and go to festivals.

I volunteered at a carnival yesterday for little kids and it was very cute. There were a lot of very creative costumes, I love the home-made ones

[Nurvingiel]

Well it's another reason to have a good time, what's wrong with that? Halowe'en parties are really fun. And good haunted houses or spook yards are awesome. Have you ever been to a good one? One that scares you? Sends chills down your spine? It's really neat, and it only happens on Halowe'en!

EDIT: Cross-post with Elvengirl. Yeah tradatitional sweets! Do you ever make pumpkin cookies or witches fingers? After we carve a pumpkin, we sort through the guts and get all the seeds, then bake them in the oven. Delicious!

[Elvengirl]

oh yes I love those! Also caramel apples
This morning I'm going to make pumpkin scones.

[Insidious Rex]

No dissing Halloween grumpy Hobbit. First off its not an actual holiday. But if it were one it would certainly be my favorite. Its the very last direct tie we have to a more ancient time where the supernatural was widely accepted. and thats a beautiful thing if you ask me. its not dieing. Its just shifting. because parents are so paranoid and anal now and assume every third house has a child molester waiting inside so you see less kids out then when I was a kid most definitely. But now there are other ways for kids to enjoy it and theres just tons of parties. As usual, with any holiday, it is becoming simply more of an opportunity to party and be excessive. Yes, Ñólendil, in our standard american way we tend to coopt any traditional celebrartion and turn it into yet another excuse for conspicious consumption and a chance to get stuff. A bit sad perhaps but its still fun none the less. Love live Halloween!

[elixir]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO EVERYBODY!!!

[Lief Erikson]

I've already carved out my pumpkin. We celebrate a Literary Festival on this day, in our house. I will be reciting the "To be or not to be" speech in Hamlet, which I've been memorizing for the occasion. We have guests over, and I believe this will be a most enjoyable evening .