Halloween

[moi621 (imported)]

Another, uniquely American holiday is, October 31 - Halloween.

Please, share any evidence of Halloween outside the U.S.of A.?

Moi

[Arab Nights (imported)]

I think you will find it is called the Day of the Dead - el Dia de los Muertos - in Latin America. From what I have seen, it ranges from a community drunk to families visiting and crying over the graves of the dead while the young studs are getting royals drunk on cane whiskey (three thimble fulls of that stuff and I am dead to the world myself).

In central Mexico you can find touristy stuff like statuary of skeletons in zoot suit era clothes smoking, drinking and dancing. Or candy skulls. A lot of death-themed stuff.

Contrast that with Peru where one culture's statues are of guys with smiles and a raging hardon inserting said organ into anyplace it can be inserted.

I do not remember either the death- or sex-themed stuff in other countries in Latin America, nor do I remember much Halloween-type stuff happening the end of October in the Middle East the one year I was there at that time.

Hope this helps.

[moi621 (imported)]

Some years ago I had heard of children

trick or treat(ing) and Halloween office parties

in Moscow and Paris. But, that was some time

ago and then it seemed to disappear, per my sources.

I think of the part of Fantasia, Night on Bald Mountain,

as a great expression of Halloween, especially as the dawn

breaks to All Saints Day to the tune of Ave Maria.

(sorry if Ave is not spelled moreso corecte.)

I just always liked that animated piece and the happy ending.

Happy Halloween

no pumpkin smile face

[madepeel (imported)]

Halloween is an abreviated form of All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints Day, which was and has been celebrated in Europe for centuries. Most, if not all, of the American Halloween traditions have a direct link with those European celebrations, including 'trick or treat', 'jack o lanterns', and dressing up in costume.

[Riverwind (imported)]

For those of us that are Wiccan or Pagan it is a religious holiday and has been so for centuries.

Halloween History and Origin

http://www.halloween-website.com/images ... fHalloween is the one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. It's one of the most popular holidays, second only to Christmas. While millions of people celebrate Halloween without knowing its origins and myths, the history and facts of Halloween make the holiday more fascinating.

Some people view Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes, trick-or-treating, and having theme parties. Others view it as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided at all costs.

As the Christian debate goes on, celebrating Halloween is a preference that is not always viewed as participating in an evil holiday. Halloween is often celebrated with no reference to pagan rituals or the occult.

The History Halloween

Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, and is celebrated on November 1st. The Catholic church honored saints on this designated day.

The Origin of Halloween

While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Holloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same.

Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead.

Samhain signifies "summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition.

The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.

So Moi, its been around a bit longer then the USA by oh about 2000 plus years.

River

[socky1965 (imported)]

Just a note to remind, the pagan name for the holiday is not pronounced Sam Hane, but sowen.

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

For Halloween this year I am going to costume myself as a cranky old man. That will require no extra effort on my part. --FLO--

[IbPervert (imported)]

The best costume i have ever laid eyes on was of a young man carry a try of three hot dogs in buns at crouch level except the middle bun had is penis in it!

What a lovely site...just makes one want to put ketchup on it then lick it clean. :dong:

[DeaconBlues (imported)]

For Halloween this year I am going to costume myself as a cranky old man. That will require no extra effort on my part. --FLO--

OH DAMNIT! I wanted to be the cranky old man again this year! I guess I'll just have to dust off my other favorite cosume and go trick-or-treating as a go-go dancer/stripper... OH wait a sec, maybe I should try on my Farrah Fawcett look.

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

For Halloween this year I am going to costume myself as a cranky old man. That will require no extra effort on my part. --FLO--

Yup, I knew it, Uncle Flo gets too much sex.