October 31, 2005
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween © Kat Caverly Enterprises
Spooky Dooky written and performed by Chris Leap ©Kat Caverly Enterprises
Trick or Treat! Boy did I love that when I was a kid! Kids don't go door to door here in New York in the apartment buildings like we did on the southside of Chicago in the 1960's. It was amazing! And now I miss being able to handout candy.
I do see some kids on the streets here. They hit on the businesses, the bodegas and the bars. Mostly they get money and mostly the fun of Halloween are the parties!! And the contests. Very cool!
Posted by photocartoonist at 11:32 AM
October 28, 2005
Halloween: Nothing to say Boo About
Halloween is now a holiday of major proportions. Adults now join
children in anticipation of & participation in the holiday. Combined,
this accounts for the expected 3.3 billion dollars in spending this year
in the US.
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
While it's not a gift-giving holiday, nor is it an apparel holiday as
far as official retail sales go, it has other categories which make it
the sixth-largest spending holiday in the US. Halloween is second only
to Christmas in decoration sales, but it's the sales of candy which make
up the largest part of Halloween profits. And of course there are big
sales in costumes & greeting cards.
What's this mean to you, dear blog reader?
It means you'd better send Halloween cards, because folks are now
expecting them. If you haven't sent Halloween cards yet, don't be
scared! It's not too late! You can still send Halloween ecards (and
save your money for extra bags of candy for yourself!)
Here are a few of my favorites:
For those of us who wish to express our affections along with our humor
this holiday, Love at First Fright is a super-natural choice:
Halloween: Love at First Fright
For those who may be a bit bitter about love & relationships, there's
this frightfully accurate joke:
However, for a general all-purpose Halloween greeting card, try :
A young birdie arrives at a huge mansion. The sweet little bird says,
in typical bird voice, "Tick or Tweet." The glowering mansion's male
occupant mocks the poor bird's speech - and tops it off by taking the
bird's goodie bag!
Just when you think this is one of the meanest greeting cards ever, you
discover that our young bird friend has the last laugh.
Posted by photocartoonist at 1:37 AM
October 31, 2004
The History of Hallow'een
I knew about the Celtic origins of Hallow'een but there is another ancient holiday that has lent many traditions to our modern Halloween celebration; Pamona. Following the Roman invasion of the Celts, the Roman festivals of Feralia and Pamona were incorporated into the Celtic celebration of Samhain.
Over the ages Christian influences tried to get rid of this festival, as well as all things pagan. Church zealots hunted down witches in the 1400's but the holiday was too popular to abolish and persisted to cross the ocean and land in America.
Here the Protestants who has abolished all things related the the rest of the Christian traditions focused on the Salem witch trials but in Virginia where there was a Catholic influence, it was the birthplace of Halloween in America.
Halloween's biggest boost was the large swell of Irish immigrants in the 1800's and in the early 1900's it became a children's holiday in the United States. And the tradition of pranks caused new problems.
Here are some fun facts:
Anoka, Minnesta calls itself the Halloween Capital of the World.
New York City hosted the 31st Annual Halloween Parade.
What's next? Catapulting pumpkins?
Posted by photocartoonist at 9:43 PM
October 30, 2004
Hallow Weenies
Give us something Good to Eat
The history of Halloween is fascinating, particularly its Christian connection. The origins of this holiday lie with the ancient Celtic tribes. According to AmericanCatholic.org, "For the Celts, November 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before the new year, they celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead."
Pope Gregory IV, made November 1st the celebration of all the martyrs, which became known later as All Saints Day. The night before became known as "All Hallow's Even" or Holy Evening. Eventually the name was shortened to Hallow'een.
The Sacrificial Pumpkin
Again the history of this tradition can be traced back to the Celts. PumpkinCarving101.com states "On this magical night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by candles."
The Irish brought this tradition to the new world and found that the pumpkin was perfect for the jack-o-lantern. According to an old Irish legend a man named Stingy Jack who was too mean to get into heaven and had played too many tricks on the devil to go to hell. When he died, he had to walk the earth, carrying a lantern made out of a turnip with a burning coal inside. Stingy jack became known as "Jack of the Lantern," or "Jack-o'-lantern".
The Frankenstein Files
A new Halloween music CD for children has been released by Neeka records. It is reminiscient of those good old scary horror flicks; campy and catchy. Check it out!
Posted by photocartoonist at 7:17 PM
October 27, 2004
The Scariest Time of the Year
Ghouls and monsters...And I don't mean Halloween!
Halloween, The Days of the Dead, and Election Day; is it just a coincidence that these all come together? As the US election threatens boldly, it gets scarier and scarier. I imagine troops of trick-or-treaters all wearing Dick Cheney masks ringing my bell. Talk about terrorism!
Is it just me or has John Kerry already started wearing his Halloween mask? The man has definitely done something to his face and this does NOT instill confidence in this one voter. But alas vote I must and vote I shall...maybe if they gave candy out at the voting booths it would somehow all pay off.
Posted by photocartoonist at 8:32 AM