WISHING YOU A GOULSIHLY HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM EVERYONE AT THE BEARD STRUGGLE
'It's close to midnight, and something evils lurking in the dark.' The chances are it isn't one of Michael Jackson's ghouls or living dead zombies, but a maybe it might be a fellow with an unkempt beard? what? It's possible!
'When there's something strange in your neighbourhood, who you gonna call?'... Sorry to tell you, but I have a feeling that the original Ghostbusters might be retired... but I hear the all-new female cast are a pretty close second.
But what is Halloween all about, and why do we celebrate it to this day? Let's do a little history searching to fill in the blanks that we have.
Halloween originates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived over 2,000 years ago in the area that is now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom and the north of France, celebrated their new year on November 1.
This marked the end of the summer and harvest, and the beginning of the winter, a time of year that was associated with human death. Many believed that on the night before the new year, the boundaries between the living and the dead became open. Pumpkin carving was discovered equally as early, with children and adults alike encouraged to participate in showcasing their creative skills.
A common practice that is still considered the highlight of Halloween for many, including myself and my children. This year we made three pumpkin jack-o-lanterns, a witches cat, Jack Skelton from 'A Nightmare Before Christmas' and a more traditional pumpkin face. The children had much fun, although I think I had the most, being a totally big id at heart.
It was on the night of October the 31st they celebrated Samhain, which is when it was believed that ghosts and demons of the dead returned back to earth.
The celebration of Halloween was originated in England, but soon found its way overseas to the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Trick or Treat was highlighted around the same time when Americans began to dress up in costumes and knock on houses asking for food and riches. This practice soon became as what we know of it today as 'Trick Or Treat!'
It was in the late 1800s that America chose to make Halloween into a holiday more focused on community meaning, and more neighbourly get-togethers, steering away from the scary stuff it was once known for before.
People were fully encouraged by the press and surrounding communities to remove anything too frightening from the celebrations, and because of this, Halloween has lost many of the religious spiritual overtones it once had.
Halloween as we now know it might have a different standing to hat it once had, is still enjoyed by millions of folks from every corner of the globe each and every year.
My children will be participating in 'Trick Or Treat' this year, and I sure hope we get our fair share of ghosts and ghouls knocking at our door to share some sweets and chocolate candies together.
Of course, Halloween wouldn't be the same without me scaring the local kids half to death with my 'Good Guy' Chucky, holding a pumpkin in the window for all to see. He's a real head turner that's for sure.
So, what are your plans this devilish time of the year? Do you have your costume at the ready? Are you off to a horror bash this week? Or are you keeping it in the family and celebrating the horror-activities from home? As always let us have it in the comments section you'll find provided below.
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And until next time, Beard on Brothers...