Halloween?

Hallowe'en comes from All Hallows Eve. November first is All Saints day, a holiday in the Catholic church, as well as some others--Lutherans and Anglicans, i believe. All Hallows Eve is just another way of saying the night before All Saints Day (Hallows being another term for Saints). It is also a religious holiday, known as All Souls Day. One is to pray for souls not yet in heaven, in advance of celebrating the holiday of all saints. The association with the dead, and with witchcraft and sorcery, arise from the All Souls Day aspect. So, October 31st, All Souls Day and the eve of All Hallows (Saints) Day, and November 1st, All Saints Day. By the way, the language of the bill passed in the 1840's for our current national election day, "the first tuesday after the first monday in November" assures that election day will never fall on November 1st, and offend anyone's religious sensibilities. That formulation means election day will always fall between November 2 and November 8.

I am utterly clueless as to why it has evolved into the sweets-gorging fest we now have in the U.S.

I can guess why it's now so popular: It's all about fun (not that I indulge). Eat junky food, act out your fantasties, no church to go to, no family obligations to spoil the party.

Hey, that's interesting, Setanta, re why the election dates are set that way. I know the rule (I was born on election day), but never knew why...

The pagan celts/irish believed long before the Catholic church arrived that the souls of the dead hung around the earth for a given period of time after death. Unless the living scared the lost souls to Tir nan Og or heaven ward their ghosts would continue to roam forever.
There was also a constant battle between the faeries and the humans, who believed they rightly owned the land and the humans were interlopers. Faeries would often play tricks on unsuspecting humans and on this night when the worlds between the two collided humans would play the part of the doomed faeries.
During Samhain, the ancient celtic harvest festival, people would dress in scary clothes, carry carved turnips, light them with candles and parade around (with a wee dram to keep 'em warm) begging treats. If a homeowner refused - practical jokes would be played on them. Trick or treat.
The Irish brought this tradition to N. America, in some parts of the Maritimes, Newfoundland they have Mummers dances, which are more like the original spirit of Samhain.
Christianity borrowed the date of Samhain, piggy backed on a pagan tradition, incorporated its ideas and sentiments into the christian calendar and made it a religious holiday to appease the newly christian population.
Just like Christmas, New Years and Valentines Day ect. the Christian first adopted the traditions and then the American Advertising and retail businesses got a hold of the act and turned them into a commercial venture.
Ceili

DISSENTING OPINION:

One of my favorites -- and herald to my very best favorite, Thanksgiving.

Nancy and I host a major house party for Halloween each year. At least 50 people will revel at our little house this Saturday night.

ALL OF YOU ARE INVITED IF YOU LIVE CLOSE ENOUGH TO MAKE IT.

Send me a private message and I'll give your directions.

I promise you will have a ball. costumes are optional, but encouraged.

Hey...anything that can be used as an excuse for a major party is just hunky dorey with me.

It's so that, on one night a year, the very ugly can not only go out in public but be popular and given gifts!

My plan is to go to the pub, as is my wont, and drink a few pints with like-minded friends who will dress in their usual garb, then go home and dispense candy to any kids who tap on my door. Odds are there won't be many.

But, by all means, all those who plan to celebrate the holiday in a more festive manner--Have a blast!

I would celebrate as did my ancestors (see Cheili's post), but i can't find anyone to dance nekkid with me around a big bonfire . . . sigh . . .

It's a good excuse for a party, other than that I avoid it.

I enjoy walking around without my makeup ... it's very freeing.

I'm really jealous of you guys!!!

We don't have this in our country,.....I can only go to a club where they have planned an Halloween Party,...but that's not the same

Helloween is a grand day of costumes, candy, and eerie stories about ghosts.

And me running around the neighborhood, wearing nothing but panty hose over my head, leaving cat heads staked on people's front yards.

Well, our friends and us plan to drink ourselves silly tomorrow night and watch supposedly scary movies. Personally, I think Gigli is scarier than The Ring, but we'll see what we can find. Our building doesn't allow trick-or-treating, but they generously offer a snack table in the lobby. I'm thinking of looting it....

This was in the Washington Post...the title of the article was "Best Comeback Line Ever." In summary, The police arrested Patrick Lawrence, a 22-year-old white male, resident of Dacula, GA in a pumpkin patch at 11:38p.m. on Friday. Lawrence will be charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, public indecency, and public intoxication at the Gwinnett County courthouse on Monday. The suspect explained that as he was passing a pumpkin patch he decided to stop. "You know, a pumpkin is soft and squishy inside, and there was no one around here for miles. At least I thought there wasn't, "he stated in a phone interview. Lawrence went on to say that he pulled over to the side of the road, picked out a pumpkin that he felt was appropriate to his purposes, cut a hole in it, and proceeded to satisfy his alleged "need." "I guess I was just really into it, you know?" he commented with evident embarrassment. In the process, Lawrence apparently failed to notice a Gwinnett County police car approaching and was unaware of his audience until officer Brenda Taylor approached him. "It was an unusual situation, that's for sure, "said officer Taylor. "I walked up to (Lawrence) and he's...just working away at this pumpkin." Taylor went on to describe what happened when she approached Lawrence. "I just went up and said, "Excuse me sir, but do you realize that you are screwing a pumpkin?" He froze and was clearly very surprised that I was there, and then looked me straight in the face and said, "A pumpkin? Damn....is it midnight already?"

doesnt cut it. By his own admission then, he would really have been humping a carriage. , and thats just wrong.

Well the pumpkin was at least female , so he wasnt doing anything gay.

You have to think that weird things would happen in a town one letter away from Dracula around this time of year....

Call on any vegetable
Call it by name
Call on any vegetable
Call it today . . .

And the chances are very goo-oo-ood
That the vegetable will respond to you . . .

F. Zappa

I was studying with my study partner tonight. She had a bowl of treats for those that knocked on the door. Most of the little snots here don't even bother dressing up. They knock on the door with a bag seeking lollies. Even just five years ago it didn't even exist here, and only does now because the marketing gurus realised they could sell a lot of junk food if they got it started. It makes me sick. It might be fine for the US where it's a long standing tradition, but it's existence in Australia is the worst example of gross commercialisation.

Where I lived a few years back, in a neighborhood with a lot of young families, it was the tradition for the dad's to take the little ones trick or treating, but daddy also got to carry a shot glass which obliging neighbors would refill as needed!

So it's sorta like every other day of the year for you then?